One of my failures with this blog has been neglecting to log all the awesome things I do and include pictures.
Let's catch up and continue as planned... shall we?
Summer:
Summer began with a trip to Portland, Oregon for the American Peony Society National Convention. Louie got to come with me, which was really awesome! We stayed at the Holiday Inn where the convention was being held. The food was surprisingly delicious for a Holiday Inn! They even had a really neat coffee maker in the lobby where you could choose all your coffee options, and it would customize a drink for you!
We also toured a number of peony and perennial growers including Adelman's Peony Paradise. On our one free day, we toured some gardens in Portland including the Japanese Garden and the Lan Su Chinese Garden. I wanted to go to the Zoo, but Louie wasn't up for it.
All in all it was a great time!
Then, there was my birthday. Our friend's, Ed and Vicki, came up from Indianapolis for that AND the Peony Festival. It was great to see them, and we had a blast.
Later in June, I went to Bonsai in the Bluegrass, a symposium held by the American Bonsai Society and Bonsai Clubs International, in Louisville, KY. I went with a co-worker of mine which I was nervous about at first since I didn't know her that well. We had an excellent time together! Our eating/sleeping/exhaustion threshold are very similar, so that made everything easy! I learned a TON and saw a bunch of cool trees and met a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people. It was a great introduction to bonsai!
In July, Louie and I traveled up to Ludington to put in a perennial garden for his mom. I pre-ordered a ton of plants and had them mailed to her house. We had to haul and spread a TON of good topsoil into the garden area. Of course the truck that delivered the soil dumped it 20 ft. from the garden instead of IN the garden. And it was 90 degrees. We did it though. Everything got planted and mulched. It needs to grow into itself (almost everything was in 4" grower pots), but next year it will be spectacular.
Unfortunately, Louie and I didn't make it to the Plymouth Art Fair this year. That really bummed me out because that is where our relationship bloomed and where we got engaged. We go every year. This year, though, it coincided with the trip to Ludington, and it would have been too much to try to do everything. Oh well. Next year.
At the end of July, I helped to throw a baby shower for my Aunt Patty. It was so much fun to plan and decorate! Execution of the party was a little stressful, but everything went well. It is so exciting that she is having a baby because she has always wanted one. I'm so happy for her and Uncle Sam!
Two weekends ago - the middle of August - Louie and I went to Indianapolis to visit Ed and Vicki. They just got a new house! It's SO amazing! Three bedrooms, hardwood floors, AMAZING kitchen and big back yard. We got to explore downtown Indianapolis as well. I never thought much about Indianapolis, but that's because I'd never been there! It was clean and trendy and FUN! It was a great trip, and I can't wait to go back :)
OK - those are the highlights. Much more happened, but I don't want this to be TOO long of an entry. Upcoming events in my life include a vacation, the renaissance festival, and visits with family.
Let's see if I can keep updating so we don't have to do a "Fall in Review" entry!
