Summer Reading - Detriot an American Autopsy

So my summer reading list has been moving along slowly. I although I did finish another book (other than this one) that I will share soon. If you didn't already know I have this weird fascination about Detroit I read the Detroit Free Press more than I do the Indy Star or NY Times so when I saw this one in a bookstore i knew I should get it at the library.  
Detroit - An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff was right up my alley as a memoir of Detroit.  It was a good read it actually went very quickly, it's almost like a compilation of short stories, sad stories about Detroit.  The book is more from an "eyewitness" perspective then a historical perspective and I liked that about it.  Overall it was a good book.  It's still very horrifying that all these things continue to happen in Detroit and probably in neighborhoods near my home and it's almost as if nobody even cares.  After reading it I wanted to visit the firehouses in Detroit and go thru the Detroit neighborhoods while we were there for baseball however we ran out of time because we also wanted to spend time with the team - but I'm sure Detroit will still be there next summer.  Anyhow here's an excerpt from the Prologue because I thought it worth sharing.
At the end of the day the Detroiter may be the most important American there is because no one knows better than he that we're all standing on the edge of the shaft.  - Charlie LeDuff.

242/365

Back to New York then California last week. It was a super busy week at work and on the weekend we had the wedding.  I took ambles of photos for the weekend and literally just 6 others.

Monday - subway at 14th street.  

Tuesday - these are my favorite black dress shoes I bought them in literally 2001 and I do not care that they stink inside or that they look straight out of 1998 I love them.  I will be sad when the soles wear out.

Wednesday - floral district I love all the flowers

Thursday - a single balloon in Soho

Friday - my husband the strong man sadly this log would not balance

Saturday - hooray for the newly weds!

Sunday - Bay Bridge and this huge bow and arrow.

Best of Life Videos - May 2013

So what that I'm still three months behind with these. I watched a bunch of them after I made this one and they make me so happy.  This is the video from May - you might recall that in May - we had visitors for memorial day, I went bike riding,  My husband bought me an iPhone5, and we did glamour shots.  But it was also a month of travel, the start of baseball, mothers day, BBQs and really SUMMER.  Anyhow here's the video, the song is Live and Die by the Avett Brothers for no real reason other than I love it.  If you can't view here the link to YouTube is here. or the google link here. If you want to see the other videos they are mostly available here.

P & C get married

So this weekend we took a trip to Northern California for my cousins wedding.  It was a fun quick trip. Although as always it's never long enough.  Dustin really enjoyed California and the Wagner family.  He already is ready to pack up our indiana life for CA.  (I think he's smitten).

This was our sixth wedding this year and we still have one more to go!  

Anyhow it was great to celebrate with Family.  their wedding was outdoors at a country club then inside reception.  The venue was very lovely and the flower by the brides mom awesome.  The handmade biscotti excellent.  I loved that the wedding party was almost entirely composed of siblings of the bride and groom - not many people can say that.   It was beautiful and it seemed much like them lots of class with a little Paul and Carolina sass.  Here's a few of the many snaps I took.  Congratulations Mr and Mrs may your marriage be blessed.

Jono's Picnic blanket

Finally I finished this quilt I started over two years ago for Jono for Christmas.  I made quilts that year with pieces of our childhood picnic blanket it in - you might recall the giant chevrons, and the house quilt.  Anyhow this one and all it's small triangles was bound to kill me.  I am not a triangle quilter.  But I finished it.  I love the monochromatic prints together though.  Many of the prints were purchased at my favorite local shop Crimson Tate.  The faded blue with the flowers is our old blanket.  I also detest the dark navy fabric on the back it shows too many flaws. My machine was throwing a fit when with the quilting when I was using my walking foot.  When I switched to my regular it was fine - that's what I get trying to use the right foot.  

Anyhow Jono enjoy the birthday/Christmas present and many fun picnics to come!

235/365

This was my last week at home and I spent the week living that up.  Even with Dustin in training until late.  I am already back in New York and I miss my house already.  

Monday - awkward selfie photos

Tuesday - working on project life

Wednesday - girls picnic

Thursday -sweet action texts

Friday - finding miss sunshine on the sidewalk

Saturday - water adventures

Sunday - afternoon walks with the mister

Happy 21 Lita!

Friday Lita turned 21 and we had a little party for her at Dave and Busters.  We celebrated with some drinks, some games, a photobooth, and some fun prizes.  My husband should probably play football rather than baseball when he won the high score on the football game many times.   

Our  photobooth snaps are exactly why I love photobooths.  They are  priceless photos.  They had a fancy photobooth where they have you a pose and you tried to match it.  It was funny everyone's interpretation.  Anyhow we might try it at the next party.

Happy birthday Lita!  I hope you enjoy 21.

Girls nights grown up picnic

My five weeks home are expiring Monday!  :(. So I wanted to get together with my girls before my only days are Saturday and Sunday again.  I thought it would be fun to do a grow up picnic on the canal.  So that's what we did.  Everyone brought a dish and we met up on the canal in a nice spot amongst the trees and in the grass.  I brought some champagne and someone else brought some "mixers". And we ate and drank champagne mixers and chatted it up about everything and nothing until it was too cold to be outside.  It was a fantastic night and way to spend time with friends.  

It was also great to be reminded of the blessing the last 5 weeks has been both to my friendships and marriage and really to my sanity.  

PS some of my friends were not interested in having their pictures taken but I did anyway but my friends who eat it up I completely forgot to snap photos of after they arrived.  DOH!  Next time next time.

Project Life Week 30

Project Life Week 30.  

This one is all Becky Higgins PL cards, a few sticker letters and photos.  I mixed and matched pink cards to fill in all the spots missing photos.  Usually I like to jazz things up more but I liked the simple look of this one.  I did do a little journaling to help tell the story though.

Vintage Baseball - World Tournament

This past weekend we traveled to Dearborn, Michigan for the World Series of Vintage Baseball.  This is much fun around here because this tournament at Greenfield Village is bracket play and one loss moves you to reserve bracket and two and you are out out.  Kathleen joined the Rooster and I because she's as big of a vintage baseball fan as we are.  She and I even made matching hoodies.  

The Blues started out the tournament strong beating out the nationals.  Rooster hit some pretty sweet hits to start off the day as well.  Kathleen and I also started out the day right by getting lectured from the ref about our loud cheering.  

The blues then played the Columbus Capitals in a nail biting game - where the Blue led right up to the 8th inning.  It was a hard loss.

Then the Blue moved to the Reserve championship bracket and had to play the Lah De Dahs which they won rounding out the first day of baseball.  After the games we all went out for pizza, pool and ping pong.

Sunday the Blues started out the morning with another Match up against the Nationals.  It was another nail biting game in which Hawkeye hit the go ahead runner in in the 10th inning with a power hit that would have been a Homerun in normal baseball.  It was quite priceless especially coming off Hawkeyes dry hitting spell.

Then the in the Reserve Championship finals the Blues were neck and neck with the Unknowns for most of the game, although the blues carried a slight lead, but were tied up going into the last inning.  Again the last inning rabbit hit the go ahead runner in to give the blues the reserve championship title.  Huzzah!

Throughout the day people around us kept commenting on how "surprised" they were that the Blues did as well as they were (those folks should just keep their mouths shut clearly they just don't know how good the Blues are).  Although one of the players on the nationals told me a nice compliment about Rooster so that made it better.  Anyhow it was a good weekend and its always nice to come home with a piece of "hardware" and in vintage baseball terms that means fancy pottery.  Huzzah!  We look forward to the next big tournaments.