Memories to Last a Lifetime

Ever since I was 6 years old my mom, my sister and I would take the 5 hour drive up to South Haven Michigan. Back then our cottages were all owned by the Coehens and every year the same people would come the same week. I remember one year we actually got to go during the 4th of July. We got to use sparklers...I was the happiest 8 year old ever. Another year we were there for the Sailboat festival. The lake was PACKED with gorgeous sails..I can't even describe the sea of color that I looked out and saw. When I was nine we brought our puppy golden retriever Fergus. That was funny, we even brought along my dad that year. We continued to go to South Haven for a few years after that, even once or twice after my sister was sick.

South Haven means EVERYTHING to our family. In the 70's my grandma's WHOLE family moved there. My grandparents bought this HUGE red house on the Southside of the city, two blocks from the beach. At that time, they had no idea what they were giving up when they moved away 15 years later.

A few years after my sister passed away, my mom and dad decided it was time to return. My first year back, I brought my bestfriend Lyndsay. To this day, that week was still the warmest I remember. We had a blast. For the next two years I was allowed to bring along my high school boyfriend..South Haven has a way of making everyone who visits fall inlove with it. This past summer makes it 8 summers in a row that we have gone back and even though the past two years I have only been able to go for a few days, I could not pass up going to my safe haven. I even have a guest room dedicated to South Haven, and hope to marry the man of my dreams there some day... :)

Please enjoy some of my favorite South Haven pictures..(sorry there are none when I was little, I will add those as soon as I can find and scan them. So enjoy some from the past 8 years :))

Sorry that some of my favorite pictures are on here..these are just the few that I had on my computer :)

my parents in our cottage

the gorgeous lake michigan sunset

sunsets

me jumping for joy

i think lyndsay looks like a tigeress

Sign in my upstairs hallway

picture of South Haven that is over 30 years old. I had it rematted and framed :)

my favorite picture

nate and i making smores..not going to post anymore of us..that would be kindof weird lol

my mom and I at my favorite resturant

My bia comes to visit!

Michelle Park, or my bia..the name I gave her in college, came into town from Philly for 10 days. Sadly I was only able to see her one day, but it is better than nothing! Michelle, her little sister Stephanie, her chi o big sister Michelle and I all met up at McCarthy's in Lakewood for a mini reunion. Can I just take a second to tell you why I love Michelle?

I met Michelle when we both pledged for Chi Omega in 2002. Our friendship did not really start until the following summer at a Chi Omega event called Firesides, which took place in Cleveland, Oh. We became fast friends and since her hometown was only 3 cities away from mine, we were able to spend The Walk for Wishes, and a Crop Night together that summer. She even bought her first car from my parents. Going back to Kent we drifted in and out a little bit. I lived in the sorority house and she stayed in the dorms with her best friend. Between classes, the Kent Stater, my boyfriend and life, the only time we really got to see each other was when she would be at the House. It was hard on Michelle, that her closest friends all lived in one place and she lived in the dorms. It caused some separation at times, as it was hard for the rest of us to relate to all the amazing things Michelle had going on. Our friendship was not one that we needed to always be in touch. It was one, that when a boy was horrible to her, I would walk across campus, in the dark, alone to her dorm to sit with her. Or when I was publicly embarrassed by a boy and his girlfriend at a Greek event, she took it upon herself, and her incredible knowledge of vocabulary, to rip him into pieces. Michelle ALWAYS took my side on things no matter what. She ALWAYS had my back, when others were not so reassuring or positive, she would always say exactly what I needed to hear. When I wanted to hate someone, she would hate them with me. When I loved someone, she found the good in them too. When I look back on some college experiences that were very emotional to me, I see her there, feeling every emotion with me, the same way. *Brag Moment* Did I mention that Michelle is unbelievably intelligent. Not only did she have a dual major in Journalism and Spanish, but she was the editor of the Kent Stater, Panahelnic Delegate for Chi Omega, she was on the Panhel board, won the first Ann Walters Scholarship and accomplished a dozen other things that I know I am forgetting. She was worked for some amazing newspapers and has bounced from Cleveland, to AZ, CA and PA. Michelle has been a great friend to me, and no matter where her life takes her, I know we will always be friends, and that she will always be there for me. And for that I am so grateful to know someone like her. Please enjoy some of my favorite pictures of me and my "BIA"

She came to visit me in the city 2007

Senior Formal

Graduation for Michelle


Senior Retreat

Senior Cheeomunga

Her 21st!

With two of my favorites at a Sig Ep party

Cheeomunga 2004

Cage Dancers

I promise we are both good angels :)

Firesides 2003 :)

The weekend we feel inlove

Every Chi loves Owls

Chi Omegas

Our Bid Day

Deafiliation

Blast Off 2003

Getting some Love with Flash(Check out that disposable in my hand)

Drinking smirnoff at Sigma Chi

Pimps and Hoes..haha

Our most recent get together :)

Catching up

Okay so stick with me. It has been over 2 months since my last post. So I will try to fill you in on everything that has been going on since then throughout a few posts. Then I promise I will try to make this a everything thing..with the motivation of my favorite blogger ever (Ana) I am sure I will keep this up! Nothing to exciting happened in the rest of the month of June or July now that I come to think of it, so I will jump straight in to August..see that will keep you up to speed in no time! Keep reading! :)

Sorry It has been a while

Well since I can't remember what has gone in my life since the last time I did a post, I just wanted to check in with everyone so they knew I was still alive and kicking. I chopped my hair off! 7 inches! I love it, I feel like I can do more with it now! wahoo! I promise I will start posting more often, if not, keep on my case about it..(ana) kisses to everyone :)

Before hair cut a few months ago
Right after cutting off seven inches

Think Big Give Big Wish Big

My mom and I were invited as guests to Make a Wish Ohio Kentucky and Indiana's fundraiser to celebrate being a Chapter for 25 years. The event was amazing, way better than any of the ones I ever worked. Everything went completely smoothly, or at least it seemed that way from the other side of things. the only thing that happened was that the day before the lead singer of Rascall Flatts got really sick, so they couldn't perform, but the lead bass guitarist still came and met with the wish child that he had met the year before. Jim Tressell was there along with other OSU alumni, although that made me a bit sick to my stomach...I mean it was hard enough to have the whole event on the 50 yard line of the horse shoe..lol I had such an amazing time, I got to see my friends, enjoy Phil Vasser, support a cause I love with my whole heart and most importantly spend the day/night with my mom. Needless to see it was a successful mothers day :)

Cancer Free!

So it is over with! My momma got her final scans back and everything looked clear! Now we just cross our fingers and pray they stay that way when she goes in for her check ups! Thank you to everyone for all your support throughout this year! Here are some of my favorite pictures of my mom..oh and me too ;)

I am a little dutch girl!

SO SORRy I haven't posted a new post in a few weeks. But I just got back from Holland and Belgium and wanted to post some of my favorite pictures from my trip. Holland is the most quiant country I think there ever was. Everything looks like it was straight out of a picture book, and the flowers, wow..I can't even explain how beautiful everything is in that country. Belgium was great as well. I never expected to be able to see either of these countries, and I feel so blessed that I was able to sail along the waterways of Holland and Belgium. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures!!