Strolling thru Millennium Park

What a great blessing it was for me to have my friend Kristen come visit last weekend! She was my partner in crime for the costume party (shown in our previous post). Kristin was Tonya Harding and I was Nancy Kerrigan:) What a blast we had wearing too much make up and make-shift ice skater outfits with real look alike ice skates...hahaha.

On Saturday, Kristen and I ventured into Chicago with the hopes to stroll thru Millennium Park. Kristen had never been there, and upon arrival I was surprised to realize I had really never walked in Millennium Park either. We first visited Cloud Gate" (which many people call the "bean"). Where we walked underneath it and got a handful of pictures of our reflections. Then walked thru the Jay Pritzker Pavilion where there were ongoing sounds of what Chicago sounded like back in the day when there were large train yards in the area. It was interesting listening to the squeals, horns and rushing of the trains that made them seem like they were really there.

After, listening to the sounds of locomotives for awhile we walked into the Lurie Garden. This was my favorite part and I imagine it would have been more spectacular in the spring and summer when the wild flowers are in bloom. The garden pays homage to the City's motto, "Urbs in Horto" (City in a Garden), which refers to Chicago's transformation from its flat and marshy origins to a bold and powerful city. (www.millenniumpark.org) The trees along the front of Millennium park were a beautiful orange color that looked so brilliant against the backdrop of the buildings on Michigan Avenue. We walked across the BP Bridge to get a better angle on a picture of the trees and the buildings.

Before leaving Millennium Park we wanted a picture of the two of us in front of one of the fall colored trees. We stood on a wall by a tree waiting for someone to walk by that we could ask to take our picture when we were first asked if we could be interviewed. It turns out that a young adults group from church in Indiana were interviewing people for the One Month to Live series. (This explains the pictures of us with the guys with the microphone and camera!) They took our picture for us and provided us with a springboard for good conversation as we walked down Michigan Avenue to finish off our afternoon. It was great to spend the day in Chicago, but mostly to spend time with my good friend!

Costume Party

We had a costume party for Halloween. It was great fun to see what ideas other people thought of for their costumes. My friend Kristen came to visit me from Grand Rapids. I was Nancy Kerrigan and she was Tonya Harding. It got quite the laughs! We have some great pictures of Tonya clubbing Nancy. Brett and Marissa were there to help us represent the young married from our small group. The favorite costume of the night was Daniel in his Tree costume. The funniest part for me was seeing him walking across the parking lot later that night and the only reason I knew that it was him was because of the tall branches and leaves sticking up in the air following him to his car. We played a handful of rounds of Hillarium and just as you would guess from the title it was hilarious. So glad that everyone who was able to come got into the spirit of wearing something you typically wouldn't wear to work the next day. Thanks for the great party everyone. Congratulations to Rachel for winning the Candy Corn jar:)

Pumpkin Patch

Fall is the best season ever! A couple of weeks ago we headed out to Kuiper's Farm with Mike, Melissa, Eric, Madeline and Hannah. It was a cold and windy day but we were able to walk around and pick out our perfect pumpkins. Eric and Melissa gave small pumpkins to the girls to hold. They were so cute investigating the little orange pumpkins. Melissa and I got some hot mulled cider that was delicious. Josh ended up getting a 30 pound pumpkin and Mike wanted one with lots of warts on it.

After going back to Melissa and Eric's house we played a never ending game of Phase 10 (maybe it felt never ending to me because I was so far behind). We had a fire going and drank some more hot cider...yummy! Then we finished off the night with pumpkin carving. I made a mickey mouse pumpkin, Melissa carved their house address into her pumpkin and Mike tried to carve his pumpkin until he realized the pumpkins with warts must be a different kind because he couldn't get a knife to go through it if his life depended on it. Therefore, he ended up drawing Shrek on his pumpkin. Josh's pumpkin was gutted for the seeds and basically left to be a decoration for our costume party since he didn't have time to finish carving. (See the Costume party post to see the Mickey Pumpkin!)

The day was wonderful. All the festive fall activities had me longing to jump in the leaves (but their weren't very many leaves yet). If Melissa and Eric needing any help raking, maybe I'll have to lend a hand to get my fix:)

Disney Extravaganza

Josh and I got to have a great vacation in Florida with my side of the family in September. We spent the week at the Shades of Green Resort and each day was full of fun at different Disney theme parks. Dad and mom were so gracious to take the family and it is a trip we look forward to every 4-5 years. One of our favorite rides was a newer one at Animal Kingdom "Expedition Everest." We also really liked the Rockin Roller coaster where Josh realized how much of a screamer on rides that I am. Alyssa was brave and went on all the roller coasters with us! Jacob was fearless and went on the Tower of Terror not remembering that he had gone on it when he was five. It was a lot of fun to spend time with the family. Dad and mom were able to do somethings with all of us as and also enjoy more relaxing time back at the resort. Justin and Julie enjoyed watching Bailey and Braden enjoy the kids stuff, then they would squeeze in some fun for themselves with the big kids stuff. Jon was out to do it all! Josh and I took a few outings of our own. We went on our first water coaster, a water slide that has hills (kind of like a roller coaster) where you are then pushed back up the hill by a large amount of bursting water. Unfortunately Josh didn't scoot up enough on the raft and he claims it felt like a vacuum was on his butt. Of course we made a little time for "Ticket to Ride." What a great vacation we had in the magical land of Disney.

Our 1st Annivesary

Our anniversary was August 25, however, the great surprise came on August 23. This is the account of that wonderful surprise...

On August 23 Josh and I had planned to go out for dinner in celebration of our first anniversary. During the day Josh had softball and afterwards we relaxed at home watching TV, eating lunch and reading.

Around 2:00 I was reading a book and Josh had been in the other room on the computer (so I thought!) Josh came into the living room and told me that he had received a maintenance call to fix a toilet. He was on call that weekend and it was very normal for him to get a call like this. So he was off.

Around 2:25, while I continued to read, Josh called me and said that he was going to have to make a run to Home Depot to get a part for the broken toilet. This was also something that he might have to do for a maintenance call. So I didn't think much of it and expected him back in 20-30 minutes.

Around 3:00 I began getting ready to go out for dinner. I wanted to dress up a little bit for the occasion and our plan was to leave by 4:15. As I was getting ready I couldn't find my deodorant. I had used it earlier that morning and I sure thought that I had left it on the counter on my side of the sink.

Around 3:40 Josh was back home and we were both getting ready to go out to dinner. I asked Josh if he had seen my deodorant. He asked if I had put it in the closet, which was a weird questions because I never put it in the closet. He proceeded to shut the bathroom door (because you can't get into the closet otherwise) and he pulled my deodorant out of the closet. He told me that he had put it away earlier.

Around 4:15 we headed out to Carabba's for dinner. The food was delicious and we enjoyed out time there. Josh had been telling me that we were also going to an old fashioned ice cream shop similar to one that we had visited in Florida when I spring break one year. That ice cream shop was in a hotel, and apparently the shop were were heading to after dinner was in a hotel as well.

Around 5:30 we pulled into the McDonald's headquarters in Oakbrook. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! There were ponds, bridges and lots of trees. It didn't feel like we were only a few miles from home (with hotels, office buildings, the mall, other stores and restaurants). As we parked and walked up the stairs to "The Lodge" we saw two weddings going on. It was then that I asked Josh when he found out where this property and the ice cream shop were located. I figured it out that he had stopped by earlier in the day when he was out for awhile picking up a part for the broken toilet...so I thought.

When we walked into the hotel we started down a hall of hotel rooms, which still didn't seem out of the ordinary because when we visited the ice cream shop in Florida we walked through some halls of rooms. Josh then stopped in front of one of the rooms and said, "we're here."

I was sort of taken back, and yet still wondering in my mind why an ice cream shop was behind a door that looked like it was to a hotel room. Josh pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. I saw a dozen roses on the dresser with some beverages, snacks and food for breakfast. I also saw his black duffel bag on the floor. However, it was still not sinking in. Until finally, as I stood with my mouth wide open, Josh had to say, "we are staying here."

I WAS SO SURPRISED! I had not idea that he was planning any of this. Apparently he had been planning it since the beginning of the month. I love that I had no clue because I love surprises. The whole day began to make since. While I was reading Josh was packing out clothes and bathroom items in his duffel bag. This was where my original container of deodorant was located. The one he took out of the closet was brand new. The so called maintenance call to fix the toilet was just a decoy so that Josh could go check into our room and pick up the food and flowers.

It was so nice to feel like we had gotten away. We walked around the headquarters property and I took some pictures. It was very beautiful and serene. Josh really made our 1st Anniversary something special and I will remember his hard work in planning for a very long time.

Nieces and Nephews

We are so blessed to have such great nieces and nephews! We wish we could see them all everyday.

May the Lord bless Alyssa in her first year of middle school. Her creative and kind heart will lead her to many opportunities to build friendships and get involved with youth group and extracurricular activities.

May the Lord bless Jacob at his new school as he makes new friends and utilize his skills and knowledge to learn new things. His laughter and fun personality is sure to bring a smile to many faces.

May the Lord bless Bailey as she starts kindergarten. Her outgoing and fun loving personality is so easy to love and will rub off on many. May the Lord be with her as she learns and grows in the classroom.

May the Lord bless Braden as he becomes a big boy and plays with other children. His playful and sweet personality always draws attention. May he spread his cheer to each child and adult he is with.

May the Lord bless Hannah as she investigates the world. Her keen interest in everything around her allows her to learn new things. May she continue to grow and learn as she begins the journey of mobility.

May the Lord bless Madeline as she laughs, plays and seeks the spotlight. Her big smile and exciting personality keeps us all laughing and playing with her. May she continue to have fun and grow as she also begins the journey of mobility.

We love and miss each niece and nephew when we can't see them. They are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Aunt Nean and Uncle Josh

The Moore's in Michigan

Josh and I enjoyed a much needed time away with his family in Covert, MI in early August. We stayed at an old farm house that they rented for the week. We came home with quite a few laughs about some of the arrangements. There were about 12 light switches in the kitchen ALONE, and it was trial and error every time one of us wanted to turn a light on or off. Typically, someone would turn the lights out on the rest of us in the living room. The house had some foundational problems leaving the guys leaning while using the restroom, Josh falling off our leaning bed while I rolled to his side and I think even the girls were crawling crooked (okay maybe that last one is pushing it, but the other two examples are not.) We joked about all the reasons we could be fined $100 and then we made up our own.

We were able to enjoy a lot of the outdoors. We went to the beach in South Haven with the whole family. The water was nice (well according to me it was nice, Chuck thought it was a bit cold and Hannah didn't really want to have anything to do with it). We walked out to the lighthouse and the guys played some Frisbee on the beach. One of the days Josh and I drove up to Holland State Park and met up with friends from college (Sam and Kristin;Ben, Katie and Eden; as well as Kym and Kaitlin). It was so good to see those friends again and the weather turned out perfect for us to have a picnic on the beach. One of our last days all of us "big kids" went on some trails that led us out to some bluffs on Lake Michigan. It was beautiful out there and made me miss living by the water. The guys went swimming and raced up one of the big bluffs. Josh found a big rock that we took back with us and it has now become our rotating trophy for March Madness bracket winners. We are calling it "Moore Madness: Pick for the Rock!" Marilyn is the current winner and keeper of the rock.

We enjoyed berry picking and walking through the woods. Josh and I tried to track down a deer, but it started to rain. I thought something growled at me, maybe it was one of those cougars that have been sighted in Michigan? The guys had some fun trying to jump in the pool and catch the football. We had some pretty good laughs when Josh tried to go from the longs side of the pool. Madeline and Hannah were on the move, crawling all over the place and in some cases crawling all over Josh:) We put together some puzzles while we were there and learned that when you move from your seat while working on the puzzle, someone else will fill it in a matter of seconds.
"Great Lakes, Great Times" (spoken by the little girl on the commercials that make Michigan sound like so much fun...and of course it is:)