Girls afternoon at Mandy's!

Rachael & I..trying to take a picture with Zoe...who would not sit still!!
My little buddy! Today, I went to Mandy's for some girl time! Gotta relax now and again, and it was a lovely day :)

Amber!
Sarah & Ben!
Aww, I love that little guy!

Jr. High Camp!

The "girly goats" room! LOL I love my girly goats!
Hip Grandma and I!
Jeremy & Michelle
M & M!
Kyle

Jr. High Camp.."Leaders watermelon Competition!!"

Well...our team won!! Basically, there was a huge tarp, covered with soapy water, which made it incredibly slippery! The object of the game was to try to score on the other team with a watermelon as the "ball".
It was possibly the most hilarious thing I've done in a long time! We slid around that tarp, laughing all the while!
I must have been cheering because Shaun blocked a potential score!
As you can imagine, we were all drenched!!!
But was it ever rewarding to have beaten the boys team!! That's right! Amanda and I are FAR from wimps!! (And of course, thanks to Shaun, our goalie!)

And the Watermelon challenge continues...!!!

This is definitely how I got the big blue bruises on my arms and legs! But it was WELL WORTH IT!
Shaun being a fabulous goalie!

That's right..dive for that watermelon Amanda!!!
And slide....!!!

PASTOR Mitch at Camp!

No husband at home = THIS!

Shaun is always teasing me about my poor cutting abilities! I always cut cheese on a diagonal because I am trying to slice it so thin! Well, this is the state of the cheese when he arrived back home, after his 2 day trip to Halifax!

Camp Fire & Swimming at the Pond!

Yes, this is me! Fully clothed in jeans, but deciding last minute to swim! I know that platform does not look high, but trust me, I'm sure it was 15 feet!! But I FINALLY jumped! I have a video of it, if I can get this computer to cooperate with me, so it will load!
To jump, or not to jump!
Ashley, swimming next to our paddle boat!

Camp Fire & Swimming at the Pond

Paddle boats!
Katherine & I chilling by the fire :)
Joanne..chowing down!
Ashley brought lots of great treats for us!
Kat!

Camp Fire & Fireworks

I think this was Pastor Nathan & Pastor Brent trying smores for the first time?
This was definitely me trying smores for the first time..but have to say, I wasn't thrilled with them! Then again, I don't like graham crackers, so that's probably a good reason why they are not my favorite snack :)

Picnic

Our beautiful countryside!
At the Detroit river for our picnic.
Needed a few zzzz's!

Picnic Day & Essex Fun Fest

We went for a picnic about 30 minutes away, by the Detroit river.
Beautiful day!
This is Shaun taking a picture of me trying to put the blanket down, but it was too windy! And silly me, didn't think to just turn around, so it would lay with the wind! LOL

Outside at Essex Fun Fest!

My Birthday "SURPRISE" Day!

Shaun took me out for dinner at East Side Mario's (my favorite restaurant). He went ahead of time, and set up a beautiful table with flowers, a card, and candles!
At dinner :)
He also bought me this dress!
And look at the time he took to wrap my presents!! Good job Shaun!

My Birthday & Bev & Todd's Wedding

Shaun & I at Bev & Todd's wedding reception. It was also my birthday :)
Juli & Hanna brought me a beautiful birthday cake and pop to the office! They are so sweet!

Essex Update!

Well, it's a beautiful day here in Essex, and the weather network is forcasting that it will be 39 degrees here on Saturday, with the humidity, so it will be a hot one! But I am definitely not complaining! I love the heat..and we haven't had a really hot summer here yet, so I am thankful! I hear in Halifax it has been pretty rainy..gotta say, I am not missing that!

Well, we had a great time in Alaska - many pics below. We are now in full summer mode at the church. Gearing up for VBS, and we're also running a Wacky Wednesday program every couple of weeks, which are just fun nights for the kids. It's been great. Last night was a water night...we were both soaked!! But it was well worth it! It was so great connecting with the kids on a fun level!

I'm still teaching piano during the summer, which is great!

I will be going to Halifax in October to help Diana and Paul move into their new home, so I am really looking forward to that! Plus, my Mom is coming for a visit for just about one week at the end of August, so that will be something to look forward to!

So life is good! As of July 1st, we have been here in Essex for one year, and WOW have we enjoyed our first year! The people we have met are just amazing. We feel at home and very welcomed. Couldn't ask for a better group!

Well, I'm signing off for now. Time to think about what to eat for lunch!

Happy Thursday!

Michelle