Seriously? I've got WAY too much to say, and NOT enough time to say it with pictures! And what's the fun of just TALK? None. I tell ya. So here's the short version, and on my day off (Wednesday) will come the Looooooooooonger version. (I know what you're thinking, but really, the suspense won't kill you. May make you gnaw on an arm or leg, but it won't lead you to an early grave). Here's some fun facts about the Masselinks:
1. Travis is having an 'interview' with the Fire Dept next Monday evening. Hope everything goes well, and he'll be going to fire school this fall.
2. Travis, being the wonderful, loving, amazing Husband that he is, got me a i-love-you-for-no-reason present. We recieved a package in the mail today, and he told me to open it. Inside was this lovely, pristine, beautiful new lens for my camera. It's going to take some getting used to, but I think I've got some good shots to display.
3. I signed up for the Detroit Half-Marathon today, to be run in October. Links will follow. And it will be fun. I'm running with one of my mother-in-law's coworkers. It's going to be fab. (or major? i don't know if i'm using that right Tiff. so sorry. btw - keep meaning to call you. seriously. we gotta chat.) anyway, back on track, poor, poor Detroit really needs some help. So I can run for charity, and I chose the 'Peanut Butter and Jelly' nonprofit. More info on that too later.
Gotta run (haha, get it?) - Toodles!

Take Us Out To The Ballgame. 6.14.08.

Us.

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Happy Father's Day, Dad.

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Here's hoping. If it didn't start raining the last inning, we would've caught one for sure.

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Hey Megan.

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And Neva, good to see you.

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Ryan, quit torchering your nephew.

I said quit!

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Thanks for the enjoyable family venture. It was lovely, we had a great time. I can't remember when the last time is that we have all been together at an event. We need to do it more often. Seriously.

2-Posh and Celebrating our Anniversary. 6.10.08.

This is my new haircut.

I figure we've been married for a year now, so to keep Travis' interest it was time for me to change it up. I picked T up at work, and he recognized the car but said he wasn't sure who was driving. Good one.

After he picked his jaw up from the floor we got gussied up and went out for a night on the town. First, we enjoyed the view at Cygnus for happy hour. Through some cobwebs on the windows (seriously, is it really that hard to keep the windows clean on the 27th floor?) we watched the world go by from above. Our next stop was Louis Benton's Steakhouse for some apps...my favorite: Oysters Rockefeller. And we ended up at Charley's Crab for dinner. I was lean-back-pop-open-the-top-button-undo-your-belt stuffed. But at least we had celebrated...in love and in style.

(corny, but true.)

Festival Of The Arts and T's Miracle. 6.7.08

This is Travis' camcorder.

That he lost while downtown on this particular Saturday Afternoon.

We needed to take Adalynn downtown to experience her very first Festival of the Arts in downtown GR. Summer in Grand Rapids is flanked by 2 popular festivals. The beginning of the summer is marked by the Festival of the Arts, where people showcase their musical and artistic talents of all kinds while us untalented people meander around enjoying the atmosphere and gorging on food from fundraising food boothes. (at the end of the summer is Celebration on the Grand, but that's not pertinent to this story). It just so happened that Sarah and Josh had tix for a Rampage (arena football) game Sat night, so we arranged to meet up with them as well. They drove downtown and got a wicked-good parking spot right next to the arena on the street (fyi - FREE PARKING. way to go guys.)
So we walked, talked, and experienced. Adalynn stayed snug-as-a-bug in the sling and watched, fascinated, from her perch. As Travis went to take a picture, he found his camcorder bag empty. Oops. To say he wasn't happy is a HUGE understatement. He was convinced it was gone. That someone had picked it up, walked off with it, never to be seen again. And sure 'nough they had. He'd laid it down on a ledge near where Josh and Sarah parked, and it hadn't made it back into his bag.
So I started praying. And I prayed through the next week. I posted a "lost" ad on Craigslist.com. We monitored the "found" ad's on Craigslist and in the GR Press. And then I saw it. A simple "Found: Camera, downtown Grand Rapids." I told Travis, he called and asked if the camera happened to be a red panasonic camcorder. The wife said, "Let me have you talk to my husband", and the older gentleman on the other end of the line made him identify the camera. I picked it up the 17th.

Definately a miracle. A God Thing for SuRe!

To Do:

I have had good intentions to blog multiple times in the past week and a half. It's not for lack of subject matter, let me tell you. Honestly, it's more my love/hate relationship with my computer that has been driving me away. The typical situation starts with pushing the computer power button 'on'. As it powers up I am automatically logged into gmail. Upon which I sit and read my e-mail, thinking that I really need to start my blog. Then I need to photoshop my pictures. About halfway through I am torn away by my crying, teething, miserable-unless-held daughter. My computer sits, thinking, while I am tending to her. When the computer is on for more than an hour it starts to stall and fall asleep. And when I return it begs to be shut down to revive and I can't get any good work out of it. Kinda like trying to work after a filling lunch. It's just not a good situation.
I tried spring cleaning my computer. It works quicker for the first 1/2 hour, but quickly fatigues.
And that is about all I know to do to fix it. And is it even fixable? or is it just reaching the end of a rapidly fraying rope? I hope not!


Grrrr. I'm very frustrated.


But, enough about that. This is what I need to remember to say soon:


1. Adalynn's First 'Festival of the Arts' and T's miracle.


2. My Transformation: just call me 2-Posh.


3. Our First Anniversary (i'll keep it to vague details).


4. Whitecaps Game.


5. Father's Day and Adalynn's First Sea-Doo Ride.


6. Morgan.


7. Ryan's 21st.


Yea....so we've got a lot to cover, folks. (did i really just say 'folks'? yikes. not cool. posh would NOT think that is cool.) I'll do the best I can, and hopefully Mr. PC will be on my side.

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Good Night.

Happy Anniversary Babes!

6.9.07

1 year ago today, I married the most wonderful guy ever. It's true. And I'd add more pictures showing just how cute we were before we got married, but Blogger won't let me. So I'll leave you with this and will have to show more later. But not today. Today is about us.

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I love you, sweet-as-honey-pookiebear-shmookums.

Storms

A long, long time ago in a land far, far away I was terrified of storms. "Really?" I hear you say. "I don't believe it". But, it's true. Especially tornadoes, the thought freaked me out. I like to say I had a Healthy Fear of storms, but really it was more embarrasing. I cried, wailed, screamed...anything to make it go away. My dad tried diversion and comforting, nothing worked.

But now that I'm older and more mature and in control of my feelings, thunderstorms intrigue me. And we've had a few lately that will make you shiver in your shoes. Thunder that makes Banks whine and run for cover drives me to look out the window at the amazing display of lightning fill the air, then cringe, then look...it's a vicious cycle.

But they can really screw up your plans. Take today. We were minding our own business playing in the water at the lake. (and getting clothes for Adalynn from Grandma Kathy. Thanks SO Much, they are beautiful!)

When we saw this in the background.

And it quickly became this:

Then this.

And we decided it was time to go inside. Just in time too, because then this happened on the other side of the lake:

And the rain visited us. And then, 10minutes later, it was over. And the calm after the storm? Now that was beautiful.

But storms can be evil too. Like yesterday night, driving home white-knuckled on the steering wheel and peering through the windshield like I had tunnel vision. Nevermind you that my beloved husband and daughter snoozed through it even though I was convinced that Airforce One was landing on top of us. Unfortunately, our storms lately have been disastrous and deadly.

See the house on the left? By the fir trees? (it's a log home. a bit camoflauged in this picture, wouldn't you say?) We're pretty sure it's sitting in water.

The road in front of that house was flooded and tree-covered.

These poor people lost their driveway and most of their yard.

Ahhh nature. Always reminding us who's in control, aren't you?

More Firstsssss

Seriously, someday Adalynn's going to be 31 years old. And I'm going to be..well...ancient, or close enough to it. She will visit New York City and I'm still going to say, "Oh my goodness! Honey, I'm so proud of you. You are SuCh a BIG girl!" And then put it down in history as the first time she visited the Big Apple. And I will be proud. Or she will get her first horse. Or have tried frog legs for the first time. (wait, scratch that, I can't be proud of that). But you get the picture.

Well, this is another one of those blogs. Adalynn didn't take a trip by herself, but she's certainly trying to move and is learning quickly. Like how to roll under the ottoman like her brother, Banks. (he's the one in the middle). And get his hair ALL OVER her.

And how to scoot...backwards. How to take steps (with mom and dad's help). And ride her push-along-scooter. And the 4wheeler.

And swim.

And she wants to make sure it's all documented 100% correctly.

Date of first swim in Pool: Sunday, June 1. 2008.

Place: Nana and Papa's Pool

Temp of pool: 86deg

Co-Swimmers: Dad, Mom, Nana, Rocky, and Banks

Did I like it? Yes. You thought it was 'da Bomb. All that and a bag of chips. It rocked your world. (get the picture?)

You Grow Girl. (not too quickly though. grow slowly. tall, strong, and slooooow.)

I am a TOTAL copycat, sorry Tiffany. But, she put up this great link to Shaun Grove's Shlog on Simplicity. And it's a thinker, so I wanted to pass it along. (T - no groaning allowed!) If you have any thoughts, let me know. Realistic? or totally Not Realistic At All? (but, should it be?!?) And you should have thoughts, because otherwise you are boring. and need to start thinking again. yea....
ETA (edited to add) more opinion on this. I don't think that total simplicity is necessarily healthy, just like total consumerism or excessive materialism isn't. I think a healthy medium has to be found, a good balance. It would be really easy for me to get caught up in living as simply as possible and miss the meaning of life: to live for Christ, and instead be hung up on the latest organic product or thing to get rid of. Am I being selfish or trying to justify what we have because we are very blessed? I hope I don't come off like that. Sometimes people who are all natural, granola-ey, minimize material things, and live very simply seem to walk around spouting off all they don't have and how it is the only way to live. I think it's different for everyone, and we all need to find our happy place where we can focus on the most important things in life. and it is an ever moving, learning, searching, and tweaking progression.