My Annual Shopping Trip

Every year with some of the ladies in my family, we head to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I've wrote about it here before, and before that too. I of course look forward to the getaway every year. Good deals, good times, and good company. This year was no different. We spent the weekend in Chicago, and we did much more than shopping this time. We always have a few fabulous meals. We always go back to our favorite spot Quartino, and this year we tried Bandera; it's conveniently right across the street from Nordstrom. We also saw the musical Beauty and the Beast. That show was fabulous!

It was a gorgeous weekend so we decided to do something touristy that we had never done before. We took a boat ride down the river and out into Lake Michigan. I've been to Chicago countless times, but I've never done that before - very fun.

Clean Teeth

You may recall that the first time Brighton went to the dentist, it didn't go very well. I even took pictures of the appointment and wrote about it at "Doesn't Do the Dentist."

I am pleased to report that we tried the dentist again, and it went very well. Yahoo! I was worried. He is still talking about his time there and the super cool toothbrush they gave him.

July 4th Weekend

We've been so busy having other fun, it had been several weeks since we made a trip to the Raterink Cottage. We spent an extended weekend there over the fourth of July, and it was so good to be back there and experience the fun, family, and sunshine.

Cottagin' it with the Walcotts

Jon's parents rented a cottage on Hutchins Lake (Fennville, Michigan) right after we got back from Disney World. The weather did leave a little bit to be desired, but that didn't slow us down.