out early

last week dianas best friend from college, lissa, came to visit. shes from out of town, she currently lives in detroit, but she had some time off so she stayed with diana for the week. i was able to go over and meet up with them for a while last weekend. she is a lot of fun, and its really funny to watch her and diana play off each other- they are hilarious together! i had met lissa once before, but that what a while ago, so it was nice to see her again.

saturday i was planning on meeting up with diana and lissa for her lunch break from work, and then doing something together that night. but things didnt exactly happen like that... after about an hour of work she called me and said 'so, you want to come pick me up?' what?!? it turned out that they had too many people scheduled and it was a slow day, so they offered to let her go! this was great considering it was lissas last day in town! the three of us went out for lunch, then lissa headed out. diana and i had an unexpected day to ourselves! we went back to her place and hung out with her dog for a while, then we went to niles to wander around the bluegrass music festival for a while. it was rather small, so we didnt stay too long. we found our way to south bend and went to the mall. she got her ring cleaned (oh so shiny!), and we went out to eat at hacienda (my personal favorite). on their soda cups they have little slots on the bottom and figured out what they are for- you can balance them on each other! quite handy for the servers im sure...

it was great to be able to have such an unexpected and beautiful day together. what fun!

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seasons change

the end is near. we are coming to my favorite time of year: when school is out for the summer. it always feels so far away, june feels like an eternity away around march, but then before you know it: its the end of may and theres only a couple days left! this year in particular has felt like its just blown by! God blessed me with some really great kids this year, so that helps with making it go so quickly!

this past tuesday we had our 8th grad graduation. i was excited because the end of the year is almost here, but i was also a bit sad because i really loved this class! there are a lot of kids im going to really miss. and matt is leaving this summer, so its going to be the last year with him too. its sad to see things change, but im also excited about the new changes in my life since i met diana.

some things end as others are beginning. elton john was right, its just the circle of life...

new friends

last weekend i went over to see diana and spend the night hanging out with some of her friends. ive met a few of her friends, but this was an opportunity to meet a bunch of the people that she works with. we drove over and met everyone who was getting out of work at closing time and we headed downtown south bend. there is a place down there thats a three story pub that they go to sometimes, so i tagged along. it was fun getting to meet some of the different people that ive been hearing stories about for the past few months; put faces to names. soon after we got there a few of the guys went over to play pool and darts, so i figured id join them. they were very cool about including me, and by the end of the night i was feeling like i fit right in. its really cool to be able to meet people diana spends her days with and to find that they are really nice and funny.
also, our plans for the wedding started to feel more real. we sat in dianas living room with barbara and worked through a list of who we would like to come to the wedding. we figured that we would have to make a list of who we would like, and then have to painstakingly whittle it down to a manageable amount, but it looks like we might be able to include everyone we want to. score!

sharing the news

on sunday, the day after she said yes, we met up again with my family at sandy pines. we stopped in for a little bit and had lunch. but we didnt stay long, diana had a family that wanted to see us as soon as possible! so, we headed back down to buchanan and went to her moms house for a grill out. her dad and sister were there too, so we got to see everyone in one place. they were very excited for us and eager to see the ring and hear the story, and we were eager to oblige.

the meal was great, and it was kind of strange for me, because for the first time it started to sink in: these people are going to become my family too. yikes! a bit scary, but really cool.

as the evening continued on we sat and talked. barbara had noticed that they had a strange looking contraption next to the house, left over from the previous owners. it was a bike, but it was built onto pontoons. we decided that she should give it a try, and surprisingly she went for it! so we carried it to the water and she hopped on. it was really funny to see her out there pedaling this crazy bike boat amalgamation thing.

it was a great time, and i look forward to getting to know them better as my family.

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the search

i finally found her. ive been looking for almost ten years, but i finally found her. i figured id find her in iowa, but after four years of looking, she was nowhere to be found. so, i went a bit farther away, to utah, but it turned out she wasnt there either. about five years ago i came to indiana to track her down, but still nothing.
who would have thought? how was i to know? she was in michigan the whole time! in fact, for about five years, she was looking around for me in my own hometown of grand rapids! yeesh, it would have saved a lot of time and gas money if i had known she was going to be so close.
oh well, all that is water under the bridge. because when it comes down to it, i did eventually find her: i found my wife.

the setup

we headed out to sandy pines to see my parents and show diana the place. we got there and met up with my mom, jill, and the kids at the flea market. after wandering around there for a while we stopped over at tim and jills trailer. we went back to my parents lot and hung out. we had lunch and chatted with my mom (dad was out golfing). i wanted to show her around so we got in the golf cart and i took her on a tour of the place. we drove by all the cool places, we even checked out the new water park that they just put in. i showed her the lake, the golf course, and the beautiful scenery and she was quite impressed. we ended our tour, and by then my dad was back so we talked with them for a while.
diana said she would love to take another cart ride and mentioned that she wanted to go stop at the beach and check it out. everything was going according to plan. i had a little something in my pocket and the perfect place to take her. everything was going to work out just as i hoped...

the question

we drove over the the sandy pines chapel and took the trail right behind it. it lead to a nice and secluded little beach. we got out and sat on the sand and talked for a bit, enjoying the perfect weather and the beautiful scenery. after about ten minutes i was ready to ask the question, but just then a bunch of kids came and crashed the place. two carts full of kids came barreling in and they all jumped out and stormed the beach. shoot! we sat and talked for another ten or fifteen minutes as i tried to wait them out hoping that they would leave. they didnt. diana, oblivious, says 'im getting kind of warm, how about we get out of here.' dang! i reluctantly agree. bound and determined though, i drive down a little ways and head take the cart down a trail that politely put, was rough terrain. it was not meant for riding on, but i had a mission that i was not going to fail on.

we stepped out. the view was still beautiful, but not nearly as nice as the beach we had just been forced out of. as we stood there i put my arm around her and she put her head on my chest. 'wow, your heart is beating really fast!' she said. 'i think i might know why...' i admitted. i got down on one knee, asked her if she wouldnt mind hanging out with me for the rest of her life, and she said ok! (i was actually a bit more eloquent than that, but thats just for me and her).

we had talked about it a lot before, but she was still very surprised and very excited! she loved the ring and, much to my continual amazement, she loves me too. which is a good thing, because she is the love of my life. now comes the good part: the rest of our lives...

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getting the blessing

last wednesday i went to go and get dianas parents blessing. i called up her mom and step dad david to meet with them tuesday late afternoon, and called up her dad to meet with him in the evening. im pretty sure they all knew what was up considering its kinda weird otherwise to make plans to visit your girlfriends parents without her...

i was a bit anxious about the whole thing. as i was driving over to their house the nerves started to build. i knew that i needed and wanted to talk with them first, but to be actually doing it was a completely different thing. every couple of minutes my mind would make another strange realization: im going to ask her to marry me?! im going to have a wife?! these people are now going to be a part of my family?! the weight of it all slowly set in.

i got to her moms place around 4:15. she wasnt home yet from work, so i chatted with david. they were in the process of moving, so we talked a bit about that and the summer plans for the new lake house. we both chatted about our families and stuff. finally, around 5:30, her mom arrived. after a couple minutes of light conversation, i began to ask the question i had come there to ask. 'well, as im sure you probably guessed, the reason im here is to ask for your blessing to...' thats as far as i got. i had a whole little speach planned out, but her mom interrupted me with exclamations of 'yes! yes!' before i could quite finish it. i shared with them a bit of what i was planning for the weekend, and both were very excited for us. they both had great things to say and heaped praises on diana. im sure she would have felt embarrassed if she had been there. after that they both shared some great bits of advice for me about her and about the whole marriage thing. it was very encouraging and helpful stuff that im sure will come in handy.

after the hugs and happiness, i went to go see her dad. i wasnt quite sure how to get to his house, so he met me and we drove together to a restaurant. we sat down and immediately he asked 'so, whats this all about then?' yikes! i didnt even get to warm up with him! hes very direct, but in a good way. so i asked for his blessing, and he said yes. hurray! two for two! im batting 1000! we then had a very relaxed dinner as we talked about diana, work, art, and everything else. he too had some great things to say about her, and gave me some tips for keeping her happy.

now, only one thing left: asking her...

poolhall flunkies

this weekend diana got it off, so we headed up to grand rapids. we had a lot planned, starting with hanging out with the guys friday night. we drove in and headed over to jeffry lees. we chilled there for a bit. once aaron and rexy showed up, we headed out to grab a bite to eat. jeff had some movies he rented that he wanted to burn (hes so naughty), so we waited for that to get done, then went to bw3. we hung out there for a bit, enjoying the conversation and food. rex and jeff were a bit too focused on our waitress, but we were able to change the topic periodically...

after dinner we decided to play some pool, so we went to the chicago drive pub and grill in grandville. aaron ditched us to go see his bro and sis, but the rest of us wanted to shoot some stick! when we got there there werent any tables open, but after a while we got a table and played for the rest of the night. jeffry lee was a bit rambunctious, which always makes for an interesting night... after a short stop at the convenience store and blockbuster to drop off the videos, we ended the night as we started it, at jeffs talking about crazy stuff. most of the last bit jeff doesnt remember, and that makes it even more fun!

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clean slate

last weekend i headed up to grand rapids for a quick visit (roughly 7 hours). i went and ate dinner with the family, then went to go get something, and then stopped over to see jeffry lee. we hung out and as we were talking he wanted to keep picking up a little. now heres the truth of the matter: jeffs apartment is a pig sty. thankfully hes good about cleaning up food and dishes and stuff, but the place is a mess of papers, computer stuff, car parts, and other assorted junk. hes been complaining about cleaning up ever since he moved in to that apartment (last june...). ive been telling him that if he just cleans up a bit he will be a ton happier. ive always felt better when i come home from work to a clean place. whenever i have a huge mess in my living room i feel defeated and lazy the rest of the day.

well, i figured enough is enough, and i started cleaning up for him. i started organizing his cds and putting them back on the cd rack. he continued cleaning as well. after i finished with the cds, we moved on to everything else in the living room. after a couple hours we had the place looking pretty good! after moving the furniture a bit and vacuuming, the place looked like new. and jeffry lee agreed, he did feel better!

memorable memorial

im really looking forward to this weekend. its going to be a very big one. ill explain more later...

banquet

this past friday we had our graduate banquet. all the kids really love it and go all out with dressing up, renting tuxs and everything. i usually enjoy it too, getting to see the kids in a different setting where i can just chat with them instead of always being in teacher mode. i made a poster for it, so it was cool to see it on display, it turned out fairly well (pics here).
we got a tasty dinner, and after the meal there is always a video and a couple students who go up and speak about their time at our school, its often quite funny and the kids really love it.
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diana's b-day

yesterday was dianas birthday, so i made plans to surprise her. i saw her sunday and she mentioned that she was going to go out to eat with her mom and stepdad. i wanted to see her and go out with them, but i figured it would be fun if it was a bit of a surprise. so, monday i talked with her and, through a little bit of sneaky means, got her moms phone number. i called them up and asked if i could tag along. they thought that was a great idea, so we planned that they would be at their new house with her around 6:00, and i could just meet them there and then we would go out to eat from there. it worked perfectly- she didnt suspect a thing and was quite shocked when i came walking in!

my mom even planned it out and called just as we were getting ready to go and eat. she had jills kids over and they all sang happy birthday to diana over the phone! it was really cute, and she totally loved it.
we ended up going to this really cool place called 'kate o'conners irish pub' in new carlisle. the food was really great, it was authentic irish food. diana got a shepherds pie and i got fish and chips. while we were there we gave her the birthday gifts we had brought. her mom and stepdad gave her a card with a bit of help inside, if you know what i mean... my mom and dad had gotten her a little bag and a devotional book, and i gave her a pink 8gig ipod. she loved them all and felt overwhelmed by all the birthday love!

we went back to her moms place and diana and i went out on their row boat. we rowed into the middle of the lake and enjoyed the evening. it was so beautiful!

it was so great to be able to spend time with her. dang, i really love that girl!

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with the guys, part 2

saturday afternoon my mom, sister, and i went shopping for something. later that night i met up again with jeffry lee, this time aaron came along too. we went out to eat at chilis in the mall where we had a blast! the waitress there was a lot of fun and quite silly. afterwards we went to see speed racer (which i talk about here).

after the movie aaron wanted to get going, but jeffry lee and i were still in the mood to chat, so we headed back up to fridays. we talked for a couple hours; i even got to see judd, chads friend, and ask him about his wedding and stuff.

as we were leaving at 1:30am i realized that i hadnt gotten my mom a mothers day card yet, so jeffry lee and i headed over to meijers to pick over the last of their selection. after pestering each other and everybody else who was there with our commentary on the generally lame card selection they had, we walked through the store a bit. i found a fun hat and a strange incredible hulk fist. i didnt buy them, but i enjoyed doing a little moonwalk and punching jeff.

a happy uncle

saturday morning i got up at a reasonable time because i wanted to go with my mom and watch jacksons soccer game. there are very few things quite as strange, silly, and cute as a five year old trying to play an organized sport! but, as one would expect, i grew bored of the game quickly and instead went for a little walk with tweeter and aves. we walked to the edge of the woods and picked some flowers (weeds).

after the big game, we all headed over to mcdonalds for a bite to eat. it was a crazy mess of french fries and none of the kids were really very interested in eating, they preferred to just play...

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with the guys

this past weekend i got to go up to grand rapids for mothers day. it was kind of strange, its the first time in quite a while that ive been up there without diana. i had a great time, on friday night i headed over to jeffry lees where we met up with rex and jeffs dad too. from there we headed over to the mall to catch a showing of 'iron man' (which i talk about here). i had seen it the weekend before, but those two were still uninitiated. after that we did our usual routine- we headed over to fridays for a bite to eat. it was fun seeing the guys again and chatting with jeffs dad. he has a passion for movies too, so its pretty easy to talk with him. well, except that he kept bringing up crazy movies like 'earth girls are easy'. huh?

poco

the only thing better than having a girlfriend is having a girlfriend with a dog! diana has a cute little chuahua named poco. he is really tiny and adorable! hes brown, and unfortunately a bit yippy, but not too bad for a chuahua. i totally love little dogs, so this is a big bonus for me- i totally love that little guy!

(here are a few more pics of diana, just because i can)

getting pretty

last weekend i went over to dianas because her moms family was having a get together and it was finally my turn to meet her extended family. it was fun to meet them, she has a very small family, only one aunt and uncle and a grandma so i wasnt too nervous at all. it wasnt like when she came and met the hundred or so people on my moms side of the family!

we went over to her moms house and had steak on the grill. it went well and they seemed to like me (thankfully...). we talked and hung out with her family for the rest of the night.

her aunt is starting to sell beauty products from home and she wanted to try out a few things, so she offered to diana and barbara a facial, which they both accepted. it was fun to see them put all that crazy stuff on their faces, and then see them really mad at me for taking a picture of them like that. hee hee hee...

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jills bday

saturday night when diana and i were in grand rapids we wanted to celebrate jills birthday, and she decided she wanted to go to logans steakhouse for dinner. so we went and met up with tim, jill and the kids, and my parents. we had a great time talking and enjoying the chance to see her kids.

one of the things logans has now are these little dessert type things that come in a little metal bucket. they are very tasty, especially the chocolate and peanut butter one. jackson started playing with the buckets and decided to hang one on each ear! it looked hilarious. he tried it on papa and he busted out laughing and then had to try it out on every one of us, giggling the whole time. boy, that kid is silly. i wonder where he gets it from?

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anne brink

april 23 my grandma passed away. she was 92 and lived a full life. i was able to come home, with diana, for the funeral and got to see all my family on my dads side. i havent seen many of them for five or six years, so it was really great to be able to see them again. the funeral was very nice. i was able to go up and speak about her a bit and just share some of the memories i have of her and id like to recount them a little bit here.

there are two things i remember when i think of gramma: places and joy. i think of the home that she lived and raised a family in in lansing illinois every time i drive through there and the joy she must have taken in her family. i think of the house she lived in on 68th and division for all those years. the tire swing, the countless games of uno and dominoes, her pet bird sonny, the mountain dew she always stashed away for whenever us grandkids would come visit, the cookoo clock chirping the time, the german chocolate cake she would make for my dads birthday. and i saw the joy she found in our visits and in her expanding family. i think of the condo she lived in at silverleaf and the pond she loved to look out on. and still her contentment and joy at all the blessing she had been given. then i think of her time in the home where she still found joy in the little things- being able to crochet blankets, and her continual amazement that she didnt even have to do the dishes after dinners! now, i think of her in a better place, a perfect place in heaven. and i imagine her joy as it has now become fulfilled and endless. and ill bet when she saw jesus she even got his name right the first time...

we miss you gramma.