Happy Halloween!

I am away and in my home state of California for a work trip. (I know, don't I have the best job ever?) Since I won't be able to upload my trip photos until after I return, I'll post of few of my favorite photos of me and the husband when we were little kids! At our wedding I used photos of us growing up on each of the tables...it was so cute! So now is as good a time as any to share. Stay tuned next week for some California adventures!

Halloween Party

Last weekend was our friends Mo and Ali's Halloween Party! We've decided it is going to be an annual tradition! We had a blast, of course!

Me and the husband. The pilot and flight attendant or "air hostess" as Karri was calling me! The best part of the husband's costume is his "Capt" pin that I found in his space camp stuff from when he was 12! Love it.

Our host and hostess, Mo and Ali. Can anyone guess what Ali was? If so, you get a gold star for the day....it took us a while to figure it out. As for Mo.....lets just say that his name tag said "Richard" and we watched a certain SNL video clip featuring Justin Timberlake. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about...don't make me say it on this blog!

Here is Brett and Karri. Karri is from Australia, so she made sure to bring a little bit of culture to our party! Brett was Crocodile Dundee! Kari made his costume and it was fabulous! To keep with the Australian theme Karri was Vegemite, which is a popular food paste in Australia. We all thought it was gross....but Karri loves it!

Mo's sister Andrea and her hubbie Mike, aka. Popeye and olive Oil. Don't they look great?

The boys

The girls

Karri with her Vegemite on crackers for everyone to try.

Everyone eating the Vegemite...except me and Brett. We knew better. We all played drinking Jenga that had tasks written on each block. We quickly added "Eat Vegemite" to one!

Jenga made us do some weird things....like switch an item of clothing with another player.

And sit on another player's lap. Man I look pale....but Brett's tan is totally fake.

More switching clothing.

And more lap sitting.

And of course dancing. Sorry Ali, I just had to do it! Thanks Mo and Ali for a great time! We can't wait for next year!

Puppy School Graduate

It's official: Wrigley is a puppy school graduate! After six weeks of puppy class, our little guy received his diploma. Probably because every puppy did. Wrigley did complete all of his tasks during his final evaluation, so we were proud. We just need to keep practicing!

He loves his diploma.

I didn't get a picture of it until after he slobbered all over his name...oh well.
It adds some character.

Pancake is keeping it safe, for now.

Then and Now: Bath Time Edition

Remember when Wrigley looked like this? All cute and fluffy? It was so nice to be able to give him a bath in the sink.

This was Wrigley several weeks ago....his very last bath in the sink.

Here here he is now...in the tub...like a dog. I miss that little puppy....but I love this big guy too.

More Photo Shoot

Here are some of our favorite shots from our photo shoot with Loon Lake Photography. Wrigley looks so different now. It is so great to have these shots of him when he was a little fuzz ball.

Back when I could still carry him. Those were the days.

I heart this one. It totally captures his personality.

So does this one.

I hope you like them! These just might be on our Christmas card this year....

Cider Mill

This past weekend the husband's parents came out for a little visit. And my sister in law, Erin, came too! We went to a cider mill in town and enjoyed some yummy donuts and bought an apple pie to take home (it was sooo good). We also did a little wine tasting...yum! Unfortunately I was lame and didn't take any photos except for this one of me and the husband with Erin and my mother in law in front of a huge red apple. But it was nice having them in town....it was especially nice when my father in law took care of Wrigley Sunday morning so that the husband and I could sleep in a little...it was heavenly. Love you guys!

Changes

In honor of our first anniversary I've decided to change things up a little on the blog. We met with our wedding photographers, Matt and Angie from Loon Lake Photography, a month ago to snap some updated shots of us with Wrigley. We were so excited to recreate our wedding shoes shot, which we love...let me know what you think of the new header!

The Boys are Back

So have you missed seeing Pancake and Henry on the blog? Wrigley seems to have taken over our lives...but we still manage to give the kitties plenty of love and attention. Here is Pancake enjoying some time in the back yard.

Oh, and Wrigley was there too. Keeping Henry in line.

It didn't go over too well with Henry.

Anniversary Balloon Ride

Okay...I'm back. Did you miss me? I am happy to report that we have a new computer power cord that so far hasn't been eaten by Wrigley. We'll see how long this one lasts. Anyway, as you know, last Monday was our one year wedding anniversary. To celebrate we went on a hot air balloon ride! We were supposed to go on one during our honeymoon, but it was canceled because of bad weather. So the husband had the great idea to try again for our anniversary. We were worried because it rained all weekend...but amazingly on Monday it was perfect weather for a balloon ride.

Getting ready to blow up the balloon. The pilot that took us up works for remax on the side, so he used their balloon for this trip.

The team recruited the husband to help set up.

The inflation only took a few minutes. They start with just a large fan.

Then they switch to the heat. I was a little nervous for the husband....I was scared he was going to catch on fire! (But he was fine.)

This was the scary part. The team has to hold the balloon down while the pilot completes the inflation. I was nervous he was going to fly away! This photo was snapped right before they gave me the signal to climb in.

And in a matter of a few seconds we were up in the air! It was a really smooth take off. These people came to see us off. They just pulled over when they saw the balloon and got out to watch!

We flew over Lake Macatawa in Holland and got to see all the pretty lake-font houses.

There we are!

It was a really pretty day. Here you can see the leaves have started to change color.

The husband enjoying the view.

That's me!

It was a little cold up there, but not too bad. It was such an awesome experience!

The balloon right after we landed. They had the other team members (aka, the "chaser crew") follow us from the ground so they could be there to help with the landing. The pilot never knows exactly where he will land, it all depends on the wind speed and direction. We learned you have to be really in to the weather and navigation to be a hot air balloon pilot!

The landing was a little bit bumpy. We landed in a field out in front of a Marriott hotel. The chaser crew helped bounce us to a good spot and then held down the balloon down so we could get out.

The husband helping deflate the balloon with the pilot.

It came down in just a few minutes. Behind him is the field where we landed.

We did it! And we got a certificate too! Such a great way to celebrate our anniversary.