Zellie, stop letting in the heat!

I have four full days left in this apartment. My dining room table has been sold on Craigslist, and other furniture needs to find a new home before the move. While I'll miss being able to safely walk to the shopping center next door -- a real rarity in modern car-centered suburbia -- I will not miss the rickety wooden stairs or my noisy upstairs neighbors.

Rob and I are moving into an apartment next weekend that will be new for both of us. It will also be a new neighborhood. And we've both been living alone for a long time -- me for almost ten years and him for at least that long. Let the change begin!

... and, the DC weather has turned on its sauna just in time for packing. Today's high in northern Virginia was in the lower 90s! As always, Giselle does her best to thwart my attempts to keep my apartment below 80 degrees.

Wow, do I feel silly . . .

A couple of months ago I switched to a new blog template. At home I use either Chrome or Firefox for an Internet browser, so I had no idea that my pictures were not showing up for readers who use Internet Explorer.

So I've switched again! I hope this one works for everyone. And I can't think of anything else to make amends and lure you back, than a picture of this neat-o mutant flower. And by "mutant", I mean very special.

A BIG surprise for us both...

After a long week of traveling, planning, and celebrating, Rob and I were looking forward to a quiet late lunch on Sunday. My parents had made the 200-mile-drive from Gaylord to see us while we were in Detroit, and Rob was going to meet them for the first time. We were turning the corner to my Aunt & Uncle's house when I said to Rob, "It's really nice that you get to meet just my parents and my Aunt and Uncle now, instead of all of my sisters at the same time!"

Boy were we surprised...

My Aunt had planned a surprise engagement party for us. The first surprise was when we were standing in the kitchen chatting over a suspiciously large quantity (in hindsight) of food. My nephew ran into the kitchen and then three of my four sisters appeared out of the living room. Instead of lunch for 6, it was a party of 13. The next surprise was when we went to the basement to eat and there was a cake and a present! It was a great afternoon. Rob also has a large family, so he took it all in stride.

They got us a wine fridge for our new apartment, which raised a bit of a logistics problem. On the trip to Michigan, we thought we did pretty well to cram into the Beetle all of our clothes for a week, including a couple of sets of dress clothes for the wedding. On the way back, we learned that we still had room for a wine fridge, a case of wine, and a couple of potted plants -- even a very elegant orchid that rode right behind the center console and survived the trip unscathed.

We didn't drive home with the top down, but it sure helps with loading and unloading!

Congratulations Seema!

My friend Seema got married this weekend, and I was lucky enough to be there. In the first picture, the priest is explaining to everyone the meaning of their first seven steps together as husband and wife. In the second picture, Seema and Saurabh are happily greeting their friends and family after the ceremony.

I've known Seema for about 4 years now, and two years ago neither one of us would have thought that we would be getting married three months apart from each other! She's been a constant source of encouragement and support for me. She's finally found the person to spend the rest of her life with, and I couldn't be happier for her.

And after three days of partying, she's really earned that honeymoon. :-)

Baby Honkers!

It's gosling time in southern Michigan! Yes, the Internet does need more pictures of baby geese. That is all.

Would you like a pop with that?

This morning I introduced Rob to that most Detroit-ish of eateries, the coney island. Coney islands do serve chili dogs, but to Detroiters they are also places where just about everyone can find something on the menu -- and it's not too expensive.

We were there for breakfast (which you can get anytime) when I looked up and saw this sign. I have managed to teach myself to say "soda" now that I live in Virginia but I'm glad this little microcosm of language remains unchanged.

Rose Hill Inn

Today we finally visited the 150-year-old inn where we are getting married. Formerly the summer home of the founder of the Boy Scouts, it is now a 6-room B&B filled with antiques and owned by a former music teacher and his wife. Marshall is an adorable little town just outside Battle Creek.



Yesterday we drove here from Virginia. What a long day! But Rob manages to look rugged in the girliest of cars. He even willingly drove it for a few hours, despite its dearth of horsepower compared to his R32.