life is like a video game...

my favorite American History photograph....Hope your Independence Day was incredible!

Molly flanked by Caroline and her little cousin, Brady...

this was our view...the 'works were being shot off of the big blue-rimmed building (Regions), which just happens to house (well, don't know if it's still there actually) the Teller's Cage up there at the top. My parents took David and I there 17 years ago this month and it's where I took my bridesmaids for the bridal luncheon later that year...all that to say, nostalgia.

blurry...I'm hating my camera right now...it's very temperamental. grrr. but dig the condos behind Tammy...sha-zam!

Delaware St. before the lights display started.

Actually quite an amazing place to be, with little fireworks displays all around the city going off here and there...surreal! thanks for inviting us, K fam...and for letting me SWEAT all over you. (the only reason I would despise summer, really). I am, temperaturally, one of the hottest girls I know. Mom says I was this way as a baby too. what gives?

Tammy was seriously considering, well never mind...let's just say we were 7 levels up...the moms of the group were very jittery. Tammy, I heart you for holding Moo up so she could see...I was too hot and then, that whole heights thing seemed to make me even more steamy. Bobby was kind enough to run some of us into the Star bathroom before the show started...and let's just say, walking in a ginormous cement (which soaked up alllll the day's heat and poured it out onto ME) block caused overheat. and then I realized I had gotten some CHLORINE on my NEW shirt right before we left....too many heat-inducing factors for this refrigerated girl.

Hello people...

Ka-POW!

note: lotsa fireworks shots coming up...for posterity's sake...thank you for your patience.

They even had a SMILEY FACE firework this year...which I failed to get a pic of, but oh so cool!

One of the cons of being so close? Debris. lots of it....the first few times caused quite a commotion...and apparently, David got some in his eye...

Tambo holding cutie pie Brady. whatta good auntie...

we were sooo close that we had to tilt back...in fact, laying on blankets was the best viewing option...I will have to post those pix in the next post. even though they were alll dark.

the grand finale was, well, GRAND, to say the very least~! I have a feeling that we will need to be this close EVERY year from now on. hope that's ok, K fam. we are spoiled now! :)

Mel, Annie, and Sarah...

I shall start with yesterday, since it's the freshest...

the post title just refers to life and my perspective of it right now. doesn't have anything to do with my post! Just when I think things will start to ease up or maybe possibly get easier (gasp! dare I even hope??)...we are presented with new challenges...not necessarily bad. Esp. when we can remember that, for some unknown reason, the Lord knows what He's doing and it will be for our best...David and I were praying before he went to work this morning and it struck me how life is like a video game...and with God's help, I will know what button to push to defeat the enemy to make it to the next level.

yeah, I know. pretty deep for a Monday, eh?

ok, well, I'm gonna go move my room around...hope your weekend was great...i will return later to post Moo's party pix, drive in movie experiences and more fun activities like that.

good customer service IS hard to find...

I'm a people person.

I don't necessarily have good eye contact all the time.

I like it when my cashier greets me, makes small talk, acknowledges that I've just dropped a wad of money at the store that pays their check. AND says good bye, thank you for shopping here...blah blah blah.

I was in Meijer the other night. I had all FIVE of my kids with me. I sent the boys out to the car with Molly and Levi. (they are responsible and aware. usually)

I chose Cristina's lane. Big mistake. I've chosen Cristina's lane before and vowed to avoid it like the plague. I gave her another chance. Thought maybe the first time she was having a bad day, whatever.

I walked into her lane, said HI, finished emptying my cart, pulled up to the debit machine and proceeded to get quite aggravated because she hadn't said ANYTHING, and had only sighed to herself that being on lane 15 that night WAS TOO MUCH for her. I mean, heck, does she not have a JOB?

By half way thru this torture, putting my bags into the cart (with Mel's help) my shock grew. Then this older dude walks up behind me, plops his 2 items down, and she, very loudly and almost amiably, says to him, "Ohh, I'm not done yet!!". She still hasn't said anything to me and barely made any eye contact. (ooo, I'm steamy annoyed). Finishes my order, DOESN'T even tell me my total, which, may I tell you was over 100 bucks...could I get some decent customer service for this fee, PLEASE???

When I finished up my part and got ready to push out of lane 15, she sighs very mousily "thank you"
not even loud enough to hear.

I think I had smoke coming out of my ears...I calmly walked over to guest services. Be our Guest. Be our Guest. Put our service to the test...yup, that's what I was gonna do.

After Gertie at the desk got done selling the dude in front of me every lottery ticket EVER, I walked up to her and told her, while pointing to the different front line managers, main store managers pictures hanging up on the wall, that I didn't see any of them present but I felt it necessary to point out the complete lack of courtesy given to me by Cristina...

Granted, I murmur. We all do in our own ways. I was very calm and decent, not ranting and raving at all, and I just feel like they would want to know that their employees are giving their company a bad name. I had just started shopping at Meijer again after not going there often because back in the spring, was dealt with very nastily by a little blonde bimbo cashier there....so I made sure to tell front desk Gertie that I would probably not be back and while I know that doesn't hurt a company as big and global as Meijer, it sure makes me feel better. I did do the survey that is on every receipt for Meijer...and got to give my 2 cents there as well!

I will tell all my friends about this too...that's why I'm boring you with this...demand good customer service...is Meijer not an American company? I think they still are (I will have to ask Charmaine about this).

I guess I will stay a Target girl. they just don't have as good of a selection and their produce is non-existent and too highly priced.

Oook. Thank you for letting me rant and rave. I will try to dig up some pix to make up for this befuddled mess.

weekend continuation

it was his idea to smash his face in part of the cake...what can I say?
He gets funnier as he ages...

Nice.

Pipes and her Pop!

Nora Bean!!

Tom, David and E...Tom celebrates 38 years and D. celebrates 37

blurry mother and daughter photo...just the way I like it!


Tuesday:

I have a sick kid in my house again today! Poor Melanie woke up around 5 with the dreaded stomach bug...and proceeded to hurl all over my bathroom. (nice visual, huh??) That's ok. She handles it like a pro (as if :( :P) and is much more brave than I when it comes to that bodily function. She is now laying helplessly on the couch, watching some PBS with Levi. That's what's going on over here...pretty fun, huh?

These pix are a smattering of the rest of the weekend...I love, love, love my new camera, though I could use a crash course on all of it's functions and such...Kara? where are you? help me, help me! I know there are so many neat things it can do but the manual is written in Chinese. No, not really but it really is kinda tricky!

This coming weekend (Memorial Day, can you believe it??), we are heading up to one of our first of summer, last of summer new hotspots...Lafayette, Indiana...whodathunkit? that it would be such a neat place to hang! We'll be staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. My side of the family (Mom, Dad, Tom, Beck, Scott, Pipes and Nora) and our friend, Jeff, will be staying. It works out because David, Tom, and Jeff will be on a job at Purdue University, which is right up the road from said hotel...they are working that very morning (Sun) and then we will all head up after morning worship and have a day/evening/morning of good food, relaxation and fellowship. Can't wait to try out my new Canon!! Check out my post from last May, where I took reflection picture of my very prego self in a store front window, on our walk thru Lafayette...it's one of my faves!

Wednesday:

Will is the sick one today! 3 down, 2 to go, kid-wise...I hope and pray that it isn't David or I that is sick this weekend!! I usually don't get sick and with the kidney stone incident, hopefully that was my "time" to hurl for this year! (aren't you glad I shared that??) Ethan now tells me that he is starting to feel bad...great.

I have been trying, in vain it seems, to upload more pix of the weekend but not sure why it's taking longer than usual...which is long enough to begin with! I'm just about to post this even though all of the pix I had wanted to put on here will be absent! Maybe for another day!

Well, Blogger won't hurry up and post the rest of the pix so I'm outta here...I'll post more later...have a Wonderful Wednesday!!