Meet the Parents.

Friday (July 31) I got up and got ready at Katie's again. Then I finished our bracelets. :) Yay! I had to pack to go to Grand Haven to meet Justin's family, so I made Katie help me. I was so incredibly nervous. I was so worried they wouldn't like me or that I would do something stupid. We hung out with her for a bit before heading to Grand Haven. I thought for sure I was going to throw up on the way there. I have never been so nervous in my life to meet anyone's family. And I don't know why I was. I had no reason to be. His family is great. Not at all what I expected. But that's certainly not a good thing. Justin is so quiet and reserved when you first meet him. His parents, not so much. But that made me feel much more comfortable.

Justin started teaching me the Rubik's cube before dinner started. Then we had dinner and hung out with his family for a bit before going to the Coast Guard Festival with his friends Lisa and Li Li. I had a lot of fun there. We hung out with them and went on the ferris wheel and bumper cars.

After we left the Coast Guard festival, Justin and I went back to his parents' house and played with the Rubik's cube a bit more then went to bed.

Pictures:

Day 131:
our bracelets.

Day 131:
on the Ferris Wheel.

♥ Sara
Random Fact of the Day:
The average person has over 1,460 dreams a year.

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."
-Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H

Pinata Potluck.

Thursday (July 30) Justin got up and went to play golf. I slept in some then went down to 409-4. I got ready for the day there and then Katie and I went and ran some errands. We both needed to go to the store for various things.

We went to Target first to get stuff to put in the pinata. While we were looking at stuff in the $1 aisle this guy walked past us at least 3 times and I know he totally checked me out once. Ok, let me paint a picture for you, Mid-30's, button down shirt, clean cut, khaki pants, wedding band, not creepy looking in the least. Then he talks to me. He asked me if he could and I said um, ok. And then he proceeded to give me his card and tell me that he is a freelance photographer and listed off 4 or 5 magazines he has been published in for his hot rod shoots. He tells me that he thinks I have the look to be one of his retro models for an upcoming shoot. Ah, at this point I'm looking around for cameras that are telling me this is all a joke. Me? Model? Seriously? Is this guy blind? Or on crack? He seemed genuine, talked to me about his family, told me I could bring friends with me to the shoot if that would make me more comfortable. Wow. So I took his card and I have looked at some of his stuff, but I haven't emailed him yet. I will be doing that though. I'm intrigued.

Katie and I got some awesome stuff for the pinata. Then we went to Walmart to get more stuff and return bottles. While we were there I got my own key to 409-4. I feel special. Even though the key is pain in the ass and I hope I never need to unlock the door in a hurry! When we got back Katie and Justin played tennis while I worked on our bracelets. After tennis, Katie went to work and Justin and I started the Bucket List (the movie). Part way through the movie, I got a text from Ryan (a friend of mine from high school) asking if I was in Kalamazoo. Turns out he was as well and wanted to have dinner with me.

So Justin and I went to dinner with Ryan. We had Chinese. I LOVE Chinese food. And Ryan and I caught up. It was so funny talking about me in high school with Justin. I am no where near the same person so the two of them know very different versions of me. Putting them together was rather hilarious for me. We spent a couple hours at the restaurant with him. When we went to leave I realized I was locked out of my car, yet again. My battery had died in my remote unlocker thingy and my key has never worked. Luckily, Walgreens was right across the street so we ran over and got a new battery.

We made it back just in time for Marc's pinata - potluck going away party. Marc was Justin's roommate. The pinata potluck meant that everyone had to bring something to put in the pinata. It was rather interesting the assortment of things that came out of the pinata. Everything from wine stoppers to candy to rubik's cubes to a bra and underwear set. The party was a success. When it was winding down we all decided to go star gazing at the park. Justin and I decided to go ahead since half the people were on the phone with a friend and the other half were still upstairs. We told them to meet us there, well they never came. When we got back I asked what happened to them and Jake told me that Marc and Ben had went ahead and told everyone not to go because there was a homeless person in the middle of the park. Homeless person = Justin and I under a blanket because it was freezing! Dummies. We hung out here for a bit longer then went to bed.

Photos:

Day 130:
pretty flowers in front of 409.

Day 130:
me.

♥ Sara
Random Fact of the Day:
Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung.

"When you are through changing, you are through. "
-Bruce Barton

Punkd.

Wednesday I got up and worked on my painting for a while. I finished the third wall. Then I packed my stuff to go to Kalamazoo. Justin and I came up with this long lie about how I was going out with an ex and he was upset and i made Katie promise to keep him company and keep him happy Wednesday night so he wouldn't think about it. So I knew for a fact that at least Katie would be at the Bull. I was so excited to get to Kalamazoo.

On my way down I re-started my Dreamcatcher audio-book. I love Stephen King, but I think ya'll already knew that. Once I got down here Justin called and told me that Katie was the only one he could get to go with him and that was only because of my promise that I made her make. So I told him to go ahead and just go with Katie and the rest of them would just have to find out later. Well they weren't ready when I got there so I went ahead and went in. I got a seat at the bar by the bull to wait for them. I don't think I have ever felt so uncomfortable alone. It didn't help that there weren't many people there so sitting alone I stood out like a sore thumb.

When they got there I made sure to keep my head down so Katie wouldn't see me. She got like three feet away from me before she realized who I was. It was such a good surprise! She kept saying there should have been a bunch of cameras because she felt like she was on Punk'd (see the video for her description). She was happy but she said that Justin and I are evil liars. I was rather impressed that we pulled it off as successfully as we did. The look on her face was priceless and she gave me a genuine "I'm happy to see you" hug. If you know Katie, you know that she isn't a huge hug fan.

We rode the bull and sat and talked. By the way the one guy (I call him frat boy) that runs the bull hates me. HATES ME. Justin didn't believe me until I rode. It was rather crazy and I kneed myself in the head. Don't worry Mom, I'm ok.

After the Bull we got Mennas. I love Mennas and have missed it being at home. Late night painting makes me want to call and order it. But NOTHING is open that late in Northern Michigan AND they don't have a Mennas. Then we came back to the 409 and watched some TV before Katie went to bed for night.

When Katie went to bed Justin and I went to the park at South Street to star gaze. Have I mentioned before that I love star gazing? Well I do. After that we went to bed.

Photos:

Day 129:
impressed with my packing.

Day 129:
excited to see my loves.

Video of the Day.

♥ Sara
Random Fact of the Day:
Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

"Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us."
-Boris Pasternak

Call.

Wow, so I suck at this. Super ridiculously. I am so sorry to my loyal readers. Let's see. I am going to combine Monday (July 27) and Tuesday (July 28) into one post. Why? Because my life was incredibly boring both days.

Monday I didn't do hardly anything. I watched tv and uploaded pictures. After I got done uploading all my pictures to facebook I went downstairs and drew a design on one of my walls with the intent of painting it on Tuesday. That was it. It was rather ridiculous. The most exciting part of my day was talking to Justin and Katie.

Here are the photos though:

Day 127:
Sammy.

Day 127:
in front of the red wall.

Tuesday was a little bit more eventful. Not much though. I started out by re-drawing the design on the third wall. Justin didn't like my first idea, so to make him happy I decided to change it. Why? I don't know, it's not like HE has to see it every day. lol. But I did agree with him so it wasn't that big of a deal. I just like giving him shit. :) Anyhow, I re-drew the design and then painted over the old lines. Once that was done I started painting the third wall. It is random circles with red and purple both. I really really like it. :)

Painting literally took ALL day. I also did some laundry in preparation for going to Kalamazoo to see my loves. Tuesday night everyone in Kalamazoo went to the Strutt. And guess what they did while they were at the Strutt? That's right, they called their favorite girl that wasn't in town. I was so happy to hear from them and I felt so loved. It made me even more excited to go see them. Justin and I had planned it at least two weeks in advance for me to surprise them.

After I talked to them, I did some more painting and then got ready for bed. Katie called me a couple more times. I love her. Then I went to sleep at like 3 when I gave up on hearing from that boy of mine.

Here are the pictures:

Day 128:
the two biggest circles on my wall.

Day 128:
on the phone with Katie, I think.

♥ Sara
Random Fact of the Day:
The first FAX machine was patented in 1843, 33 years before Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone.

"Constant use will not wear ragged the fabric of friendship."
-Dorothy Parker

Bears.

Yesterday was amazing! We got up in the morning and had breakfast with the family. Then we hung out with them for a bit before going to shower and get ready for the day. After we showered, Justin, Katie and I went to see The Ugly Truth. It was rather funny, but Katie and I both agree that they didn't do a good job of tying up the plot at the end.

After the movie we decided to go play putt putt. I actually got us there before Dad had a chance to tell me how to do it. I was rather impressed since I hadn't been there in probably nearly 10 years. Anyhow, we played putt putt. Katie won, and Justin lost. I landed somewhere in between. Seeing how Justin KILLED me last time we went I will take 2nd place happily.

When we were done with putt putt we went to Wendy's. It was entertaining, but I think only to us. We had about a half hour conversation on Frosted Flakes and Wendy's, then discussed piercings and attached versus floppy earlobes. I'm telling you, only the three of us would get it. When we came out we realized that it was 530. We were hoping to see the people come out of the clock at Glens, and by we, I mean Katie. So we decided to go back to the house and pack up our stuff then go back and wait for 7 to roll around so we could see the clock go off. Katie decided we should play slap or tap. Then we drove by a bear statue. And one of us said "that statue" and a lovely idea was formed! We decided to drive around Gaylord with our extra time and play slap or tap with the bear statues and take pictures of it. (Once again, for photo evidence please see Facebook). We had a great time doing so, and got back in time for 7, but the clock didn't go off!! :(

So we sat and talked for a few minutes, then they left me. Even though I know I will see them soon it's still hard saying bye. After they left I went back to Mary and Gene's and tore the tent down and packed it up. Then I got home and spent some time online and got some of the pictures uploaded. Nothing real exciting from there on out. I fell asleep working on pictures. My computer and Facebook no longer get along so it takes FOREVER to upload pictures.

Here are the pictures:

Day 126:
the falls at the Call of the Wild.

Day 126:
back in Indian River.

♥ Sara

Random Fact of the Day:
Each year, more people are killed by teddy bears than by
grizzly bears.

"The rule about bears is their unpredictability."
- Anonymous

Pranks.

Yesterday was an awesome day! We got up in the morning and we were dry! :) We had awful rainstorms so I was rather worried that we would leak, even though I knew I waterproofed it, I don't think a tent is ever fully waterproof. So on our way out to go get showers and get the food for lunch we got to laugh at Dan dumping out his lake. His tent was so full of water it was ridiculous. Katie, Justin and I went down to the house to get our showers. I made pistachio salad, we showered, and we all got to check our facebooks. We are rather ridiculously addicted. And I started my blog for Friday. Once we were all clean and presentable we went back to the reunion. They had just started eating so we got food.

After lunch we sat around and talked, took some pictures and just hung out with my family. Then we played games, well a game. We did the mummy game (where you make a mummy out of someone with toilet paper). Justin and I were partners and we totally kicked ass in the game. I was so dizzy though. I was actually shocked I didn't pass out since I seem to have that problem again.

After the game Dan, Leah, Katie, Justin and I took a trip into town to get supplies for our ambush. Then we drove to Indian River to Burt Lake State Park, where Rachel was camping. She went to Mackinac Island with the group she was with, so we decided to leave her a little surprise for when she got back. We put corn flakes in her sleeping bag, toilet papered her tent, inside and out, and inside we tore up six rolls of toilet paper and left it laying all over the tent and then we left her a sign letting her know who did it. We decided that wasn't enough and went to the store and got shaving cream for her pillow as well as nutty bars (from her nutty family) and bananas (we call her monkey woman and she hates it). Well when we got back, they were back! So we did a drive by and threw the bananas and nutty bars out the door at them and kept going! She wasn't mad and found it rather funny.

When we got back to the reunion, the kids were in a water fight and Justin, Katie and I decided to play catch. Well, the kids kept getting closer and closer to me with the water. So I threw my camera out of my pocket knowing that in just a short time I would be wet. Of course it happened, so I sent the kids to get Justin as well. I didn't want to be the only big kid in the water fight, and quite frankly I don't think I could seriously date a guy that wouldn't want to get into a water fight with the kids and I! :) Don't worry, he more than passed the test. We played with the kids for a couple hours and then we went and changed and got some food. We were both tired from running around that much.

Once we were done eating we hung out with the family for a while. Then at like 1030 I had to go get Rachel because she wanted to stay the night in Gaylord with us. So Dan, Leah, Katie, Justin and I went to get her. Then we came back and had some marshmallows. Justin and I laid out and watched the stars for a bit until Leah and Dan were ready to go to the tent. Katie went to bed as soon as we got back to the reunion, so we got our air mattress out of the tent and slept in Dan's tent so we wouldn't wake her up when we got done hanging out with them. We played cards and then they went to bed and Justin and I went back outside and watched the stars for a while longer. I absolutely love star-gazing and doing it with him is even better. After we got too cold/too many bug bites we went to bed.

Day 125:
Rachel's tent after we visited.

Day 125:
yes, I realize I am in the same spot wearing the same clothes as yesterday's. Bad me.

I had to share the video. In the future if I have a good video of the day I will share it here. :)

♥ Sara

Random Fact of the Day:
In a recent survey, Americans revealed that banana was their favorite smell.

"It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent."
-Dave Barry

Reunion.

I am going to start this today but I know more likely than not it won't get posted until Sunday or Monday.

Yesterday was great. I got up and talked to Justin and Katie via phone and internet for a while before they left Kalamazoo, then I packed my stuff, took down my tent, mixed up brownie batter and got ready to head to Gaylord for the reunion. I got to the house in Gaylord (my grandma's house that my mom inherited) just a couple minutes after Justin and Katie. I was so excited and happy to see the two of them. We went in the house and I made my brownies and gave them their thank you gifts. We spent most of the time just laying there talking and we had a mini-photoshoot. (No, you shouldn't be surprised. You can see the evidence on Facebook, of course.)

After the mini-photoshoot, we went to the Parrott Family Reunion. We got our tent set up and had dinner with the family, then we went to town to get the stuff Mom needed. When we got back we hung out with the family for a while. I helped Dan set up his tent. Then we went up to Indian River to see Rachel and scope out where her tent was for tonight. On our way up Dan saw a porcupine on the side of the road and decided he HAD to hit it. (I don't blame him.) So we swerved to the other side of the road to get it. We had hit it, but it wasn't dead, so he tried getting it again but it ran into the woods. The rest of our trip was rather uneventful, until we got there that is. We were told her campsite was number 398, there is no number 398. So we decided to try 298. Well, we made the right decision but finding it in the dark was rather difficult. But we finally did and by that time it was pouring. So we made her come out and say hi to us. She has no idea what is coming today!

After we were done visiting Rachel we went back to the Reunion and played cards in Dan's tent, which was really more of a covered lake than a tent. My pants got soaked. They seriously had a lake in their tent, it was rather ridiculous. But our tent was dry, so we went to bed there! =)

Here are the pictures:

Day 124:
our tent.

Day 124:
in Dan's tent.

♥ Sara

Random Fact of the Day:
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

"The great gift of family life is to be intimately acquainted with people you might never even introduce yourself to, had life not done it for you."
-Kendall Hailey, The Day I Became an Autodidact

Games.

Today I got up way earlier than I would have liked. So I laid in bed and messed around on the computer for a couple hours before finally rolling my butt out of bed. I spent quite a bit of the day working on a secret project for Justin and Katie. Then I went to town and got some stuff that we needed for this weekend from the store.

After I got home from the store I finished up the special projects and Dad and I went to the pole barn to set up the tent so I could waterproof it for this weekend. This weekend is my family reunion and Justin and Katie are coming up for it! I'm so excited to see them!! Anyhow, so Dad and I try to set up this tent. The area we decided to do it in was just big enough for the tent to sit, so setting it up was a pain in the ass. We finally got it done though, then we had to spray it down with the silicone stuff to waterproof it. It should be good for the weekend now. It's supposed to rain, so I guess we will find out. I don't remember the last reunion we had where we didn't have rain. One year we flooded, since then I have remembered my rainboots and coat every time.

After we got the tent set up and taken care of I played some online games. Justin has me addicted to the darn things. Then I worked on my bedroom. I got a lot of the stuff picked up and put where it belongs and I got one more wall painted. (I think I might need a third coat on some of the circles, but I'm not 100% sure yet.) I did red circles similar to the purple circles on the first wall. I'm rather excited to get my room finished!! I'm still looking for ideas for the other two walls, I have black, red and purple paint. I won't be doing any more painting until Monday so please, if you have an idea, leave a comment here or message me! :)

Now I am in bed and Skyping with Justin til I am ready to go to sleep. I'm so excited that in about 16 hours he will be here!!! Ahh!!! :)

Here are the pictures:

Day 123:
my projects.

Day 123:
painting the red circles.

♥ Sara
Random Fact of the Day:
The world's longest game of Monopoly lasted more than 660 hours.

"Our whole life is solving puzzles."
-Erno Rubik

Missing You.

Last night was the first night that I actually slept good alone here. Maybe it was the body pillow, maybe it was talking to Justin while I was laying in bed getting ready to try to go to sleep, maybe it was just sheer exhaustion. Whatever it was, it worked. After I posted and Justin went to bed I watched a bit of TV on my computer then I decided to try to go to sleep. I was shockingly successful the first time and didn't wake up until morning. Well if you consider 11 morning.

Today I got up and had breakfast then started working on my room. I tried drawing the circles by hand with a string but it just wasn't working. So my genius boyfriend said "why don't you use, like, dinner plates or something?" Um, duh, why didn't I think of that?!? So I went upstairs and gathered a wide variety of round dishes: plates, glasses, cake covers, cups and bowls. And I drew all my circles out, then with some input from Katie, Krissi and Justin I finished one wall. I'm not sure how I am going to do the rest of it. Dad mentioned freehand drawing some four sided shapes and having them overlapping and stuff. I thought of paint splatters. Or I could just stick with the circles. I have red and purple paint. Any input would be greatly appreciated. ASAP though!! =]

Anyhow, so I finished the one wall while Skyping with Justin and IMing Katie and Krissi. Such close contact makes being away not nearly as difficult. After I decided to be done with the wall I had dinner with my family and then came back downstairs and thought about working on the rest of it but instead played a bunch online games and talked to Justin. I am determined to beat him at his own game eventually. It was much more enjoyable than moving stuff and painting. I will work on it more tomorrow.

We were talking and we heard Krissi yelling outside so Justin went to see what she wanted and then he told me he was blowing me up full screen so they could see me. And then he put me in the window so I could see Katie, Brett, Krissi and Tony before they left for Wild Bull. It was sad not to be able to go with them, but it was nice to say hi!

After that Justin and I talked for a while longer, we played more games, and I took a break from game play to write this blog. So after this I will go back to playing games, and talking to him, and then go to bed!

Edit: I have one more thing to add in. Today Katie and I were talking and she told me "oh, and yesterday Krissi and I were trying to think of a way to describe life without you and Gailey, and we came up with: it's like a barn in Kansas when they're missing their two prize winning cows." So I decided that I needed to come up with a way to describe life without her and Justin and this is what I came up with:
Life without Justin and Katie is like Rice Krispies without Crackle and Pop." Seriously I feel like I'm missing my other halves, but there are two of the and I feel like more than a half of me is missing. Wait, I am missing two thirds! I get it! Never mind, I'm tired, done writing for today!!! =]

Here are the pictures:

Day 122:
my wall.

Day 122:
did I mention I found the tripod?!?

♥ Sara

Random Fact:
Only 6% of the autographs in circulation from members of the Beatles are estimated to be real.

"Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart."
-Kay Knudsen

Skype.

Today, yes that's right, two days in a row of posting on the correct day! No, the world isn't going to end, I don't think. I am actually starting this post mid-day because I am taking a break and feel like continuing to be productive in some way. Craziness. Anyhow....

Last night I didn't sleep too well, again. I actually stayed up til almost 430 watching shows on my computer, I got a bit behind and had a two hour season finale of Harper's Island to watch. It was AMAZING. And I thought the killer was the killer multiple times but would constantly change my mind because it seemed sooooo odd. Anyhow, I did get some sleep though. I got up at like 11. So 6.5 hours, not too bad. The crazy part was that I woke up with an insane amount of motivation. I spent a half hour or so laying in bed thinking about how I would organize my room and lay it out. My goal is to have my basement room done or near done today. It's looking like I am going to need a second day on it, but still!

I got up and went to town to get sandpaper and some paint supplies. My dad about had a heart attack when I left the house sans shower and makeup. He asked me if I was ok. lol. He's used to me having to shower and wear makeup for everything, like volleyball! (My Kalamazoo friends will get that.) Justin and Katie have been good influences on me in that department, I now realize that I don't need to shower to run to the store, or to play sports. And I am comfortable going out without makeup, which is an insane difference for me. Back to the real story. I went to the store and got the stuff I needed, including a body pillow. I'm really hoping it does the trick. Then I came home and got to work.

I had to sand the door and door frame before I could paint them. I painted the doorframe with magnetic paint and the door with chalkboard paint. I'm so excited for them. And they actually match my room, the gray magnetic paint is just a bit darker than the walls and the chalkboard paint is black, like my floor. Thank you Katie for the genius idea. Oh and the paint is all spray paint. And not thinking, I didn't wear a mask, so my nose is full of paint. Then again, that isn't any different than any other part of my body. I'm covered. After I am done writing this part of the blog I am going to work on the circles on the walls and as I get walls done I am going to go over the floor in that spot then move the furniture where it belongs. I'm really looking forward to getting this stuff done!

After I finished writing that first half I decided to go over the spots where the spray paint hit my wall so the walls were all the same color. Once that was done I was talking to Justin and remembered to tell him that I downloaded Skype in the middle of the night. And that I had found the old webcam. But that it wasn't very good so I wanted to find the new one before I used one. So we chatted for a bit and I went to look for the newer cam. Surprisingly I remembered exactly where it was. Then I found out I needed the software for it. And surprisingly again I found it right away as well. So I showered and ate as quick as possible while my software installed. Mom made a comment about never seeing me again, she's about right.

Once my shower was done, my food was ate and my software was installed I had Justin call me on Skype and we talked for a bit. Then Katie started talking to me on facebook chat so I told her to go upstairs and say hi to me there. So she did and Krissi came with her. I was so excited to see and be able to talk to them! They left and Justin and I talked for a while longer and then he left and I took my picture of the day and worked on writing this. He is back now, and I think I'm just going to talk to him for a bit longer and then go to bed, so I'm going to go ahead and post this now! =]

Here are the pictures:

Day 121:
Jeremiah and my feet and my one hand. that's what happens when you paint with spray paint.

Day 121:
cuddling with the new body pillow. aka Justin's replacement. =P

♥ Sara

Random Fact of the Day:
The wingspan of a Boeing 747 jet is longer than the Wright Brothers' first flight.

"Can miles truly separate you from friends.... If you want to be with someone you love, aren't you already there?"
-Richard Bach