Back To The Real World!!

Yesterday was the first day of my new job!! After much anticipation, and the most extensive background check you could possibly do on me, I finally got thrown back into the working world. Spending most of the summer unemployed was fun for about two weeks...then the paychecks stopped coming and I ran out of things to do around the house!! A little over a month ago I applied for a job at the local sprint store, and just now I finally got to start.

I'm really excited and although I have only worked there for one day, I haven't stopped talking Nick's ear off! They are spoiling me already as much as they can with all sorts of goodies. The part that I am most excited about is my desk. I have never had a desk before at any job, so I spent two hours on my first day cleaning and organizing, and making it my own! I can't wait to get back tomorrow and get my uniform and business cards and all the things that make me official. If any of you need a new cell phone just let me know!!!

Nick and I are going on a mini vacation at the end of the month right before my birthday(that hopefully everybody has written down) to go and visit my sister!! Katy and Bennett have invited us down and planned out a big birthday weekend for Nick and I in West Virginia. We are soooo excited to get there and just can't wait to see everybody. They are supposedly going to teach us how to be true Mountaineer fans!

Labor Day Extravaganza!

This past labor day weekend, Sierra and I spent the weekend at my Grandpa's log cabin in Cedar, MI. We went out there Friday and I went golfing with my grandpa and my stepdad Dave. I told Dave I was coming for him that day and I had a 2 shot lead after the second hole but then...he beat me by 20 strokes after 9 holes:(! While we were golfing, the girls went into town to buy decorations and accessories (you know for regular stuff like parties, parades, and award ceremonies, the usual).

After golfing, I started doing some landscaping on the fabled badminton court, and Sierra joined in to help. It was crazy hot but we managed to produce an amazing court, and then we got some practice in. Sierra claimed that she had never played before, but she looked like a pro to me.

Saturday, I got up at what I thought to be 9:30 or so, only to come in from my tent and find everyone asleep and find out that it was only 7:30!! I stayed up anyway and my aunt peg and I decided to try my grandma's recipe for coffee cake (which thankfully doesn't taste like coffee). Needless to say it came out amazing!! (cuz I made it) We all went on a picnic at the scenic pierce stocking park, and after that it was pretty much free time. We all went to North Bar Lake after that and went swimming. Me and Sierra built another amazing sand castle before we left (we should really become professionals). We were all pretty much exhausted after that and made it a pretty early night so we could be well rested for the serious business on sunday!!

Sunday was the real fun of the weekend. We start the day with a big breakfast for everybody, then a parade, then the Zimbabwe Open, then an award ceremony, then a bonfire. What, isn't that what every family does on labor day? The parade theme was Princess and Pirates, so all the boys wore pirate bandanas and the girls wore tiaras. The three dogs out on the farm got to enjoy the parade as well and wore princess skirts! We all paraded up and down the driveway with parade music blaring. After the parade was the Zimbabwe Open. Since 1988 my family has been hosting a badmitten tournament in the sand. For the last four years I have been the winner with a different partner every time, and this year was no different for me and Sierra. We ended the tournament undefeated and very dirty! When that was done awards were handed out for funny moments during badmitten and the two of us won the "best couples fall." Suprising huh?! Another award was also handed out for "the best grenade dive on a live birdie!"

We wrapped up the night with a great bonfire and singing bonfire songs all night while making pudgy pies. It was fun for all and I know Sierra really enjoyed the festivities with my crazy family! We went home late Sunday night with a pooped puppy and some very sore muscles. All in all we had a great end of summer weekend!!

I Figured Out How To Post Pictures!!!

Here are a few recenet pictures for everybody!

I Have Been Inspired!

I have decided that since I spend countless hours on here stalking my brother, sister, and cousins, that I might as well create my own blog! I'm sure the aunts will appreciate being able to keep up on me as well.

As most of you probably know I am currently living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Traverse City. I am working on my third year here, and I just come to love it more and more every day! After Katy and Bennett left and moved back to West Virginia, Nick and I moved into a house just outside of town. It is perfect for the two of us, with a fenced in yard for Nala, and even the cat gets her own room! Nick is still working at Best Buy doing all the car audio installations, and I am very close to having a new job. I am in the final stages of interviews and paperwork at the local Sprint store. It will be a nice change for me and I will have the opportunity to make a lot more money. We will both be attending school here in less than a week :( The summer has gone by so fast that neither one of us is ready to go back. Nick has three semesters left to get his bachelors in business, and I will be finishing my associates degree at the end of this year. After that I will have to move away from Traverse City because as much as I love it, an associates is as far as I can go for my degree here.

Nick's family recently suffered a terrible loss. His grandmother passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was hard on us all as she was very loved. I wish I could have known her better but her memory lives on through all the stories I here every day. We got to spend a lot of time with his family which was good for everybody. In hard times, the thing you need most is your family and friends and they sure came together to help everybody make it through. We made the best of a bad time. I got to be a part of some crazy family traditions with his relatives, and we had some great times with his cousins that were staying with us for the week.

Well, this is my start to the blogging world. I will keep you updated as much as possible, and try to even get Nick to write some things!

Until Next Time,

Nick and Sierra