To say that this summer has been busy would be an understatement. Yet somehow I have no idea where it went, and I can barely remember what I've done. I almost wonder if I should just figure out how to link out to my Google calendar so you could see the insanity that has been my summer. Now don't get me wrong--I'm certainly not complaining! My summer has been pretty great. It's just flown by without any new blogs posted. So let's see if I can catch you up, eh?
The craziness began mid-June. Because I serve as the VP Programming for the Minneapolis/St. Paul alumnae chapter of my sorority and our President was unable to attend the biennial fraternity convention in Denver, I was sent as the chapter delegate. Thank you, Delta Gamma! It was all business all the time, but I made a fantastic new friend in my roommate (the VP Communication for the Lincoln, NE alumnae chapter), and I got to see my roommates from my very first semester living in the chapter house--Brooke and Jen.
Room 300 love!
With Brooke at the Panhellenic luncheon.
With a couple of DePauw DG's.
The day I returned from Denver, Quinn (and the baby in her belly, who she has chosen to lovingly refer to as Nerdlet) flew up to Minneapolis from Fort Wayne, IN. Our time here went quickly and somehow we failed to take any photos, but we did manage to get to the outlets in Albertville so she could replace the Coach sunglasses that she bought there when she visited last summer (which someone's dog was apparently also smitten with and thus chewed them apart) and to the movies to see Toy Story 3.
After just two short days in Minneapolis we hopped in the car and drove to Chicago so she and Nerdlet could see Mom*Star and Ron and their new house. After a quick overnight with them we powered on to Fort Wayne, where the Quinn Compound had prepared a BBQ feast for our arrival. We spent the afternoon in the pool with the kiddos and the evening around the fire with the grown-ups. It was a great day!
The following day we headed up to our friend Kathryn's lake house where we laid in the sun until our friend Sara arrived and then we all headed to our favorite local Mexican restaurant for dinner. Those of us not growing babies did our best to pick up the slack on the margarita front and the three of us successfully polished off two pitchers before the night was over. Then we went back to the house and crashed. The next day Quinn and Kat & I met our friends Marisa and Pete (and their baby, Nicky) for a quick lunch, and then I headed north to Chicago, where I spent the night with my good friend Teresa. (What? You need a map and a calendar to follow all of this? Join the club!) After a quick overnight with T, I hit the road again and powered through back to Minnesota. Home, sweet home!
I was here for all of one day before my mom's friend Susan and her two kids arrived from Chicago. They were coming to Minneapolis for the Foreigner/Styx/Kansas concert and I'd offered them a place to stay. They kindly purchased me a ticket as well, so we went to Joe's Garage for dinner, then walked around the outside of the Twins' new stadium, Target Field, before heading over to Target Center for a fantastic show.
With Kate at the Foreigner/Styx/Kansas concert.
The same day that they left, Jan and Ron flew up from Chicago to spend the 4th of July weekend in beautiful Minnesota. Needless to say, I spent the majority of that afternoon washing sheets and towels and remaking beds for the next round of company! The weekend went much too quickly, and now looking back it seems like a blur, but we had a great time! We went to lunch with one of my mom's former colleagues on Lake Minnetonka, we saw Footloose at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and we watched "the best fireworks Ron has ever seen" in St. Paul with Julia, Jon, and Kristin, among other things. I couldn't believe it when it was time to take them back to the airport--it seemed like they'd just gotten here!
After my flurry of houseguests I had a few days to do more laundry, catch up on my "real" life, and pack for my next big adventure--a trip to Arizona for my good friend Libby's wedding! I flew in and out of Phoenix, but the wedding was in Tucson. I spent a couple of days running around town getting my bridesmaid dress steamed, dropping the check and cake topper off at the bakery, getting a dress hemmed for Lib's honeymoon, picking up gifts, and other such fun tasks before the festivities officially began. The night before the wedding we had a rehearsal at the venue, then a delicious dinner at Blanco. Lib had asked me to slumber party with her at the resort that night, so we grabbed her sister Kristen and went for a late night swim, then sat around in our PJ's and drank champagne before bed. It was the perfect ending to the night!
The next morning I had the pleasure of taking Libby out for breakfast (after giving her the super-cute t-shirt you see below) before things got started. It was extremely hot out (Yes, the wedding was outdoors!), but the ceremony was beautiful, Lib looked gorgeous, and the reception was an absolute blast. Oh--and I pretty much had the best wedding date ever! Overall I'd say the wedding was a huge success. A big thank you to Lib and her family for making my trip so easy and fun! (And here's a link to the wedding photographer's blog. There are no photos from Lib & Tim's wedding posted as of the publishing of this blog, but I'm just obsessed with Kelly's work. You will be too.)
Libby at breakfast, rockin' the awesome t-shirt the best bridesmaid ever made for her (in navy, her official wedding color!).
Probably my favorite pre-wedding photo of the bride. Doesn't it look like Kristen is lecturing her and Bonnie has just given up? I love it.
A quick pic before we sent her down the aisle!
With The Best Wedding Date Ever. (Hands down.)
Mr. and Mrs.!
Before I headed back to Minnesota I spent about 24 hours with my good friend Eva (one of my Spain/roadtrip girls) in Phoenix. She took me to all sorts of fun parties, introduced me to her new boyfriend, and took me out for an incredible breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast (as seen on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) before taking me to the airport on Sunday. Eva--gracias por todo! Un beso muy fuerte!
With Eva, outside of Matt's Big Breakfast.
I think I was home for three whole days before I hopped in the car and drove back to Kat's lake house for the weekend. I know it's crazy, but I just couldn't resist a weekend of fun at the lake with my DG's! Bonus: I got to spend a night with Quinn and Nerdlet before heading home again! (A big thank you to Ben for giving up his bed for me!)
August has been quite a bit more "normal," as I've actually been home most of the month, but it's still been busy. I've gotten to see friends who were in town for a few days (Nielsen and Ben, SaraKing, my cousin Josh, to name a few...), I've been busy programming events for Delta Gamma, I've hosted friends for dinner, I've lounged by the pool, and I've dated, among other things. It's hard to believe that it's already the last week of August. Where did the summer go?! This week I'm Zoey-sitting, and on Friday I'm headed to Chicago to fulfill my official duties as Wedding Gestapo for Tyler and Debbie's much-anticipated nuptials. Then it's back to Minnesota for awhile and summer is over. It's hard to believe, isn't it? And I hardly did anything this summer!
