So I had to split up my posting because I didn't want you guys to fall asleep on me !
The list of FIRST continues!
One thing about my sisters and I is that we are very active. We like exercise, sports and things like that so of course when we get together we're kind of like guys, we show each other workout moves and videos and talk about how "cut" we're getting lol.
Jillian Michaels!!!
I don't really like work out videos but as you may have noticed from my blog i'll try anything!
My sisters having been doing Jillian's DVD's for a while so I wanted to give it a try too. I'm not going to lie the first round I was left not very convinced but the next round I was convinced! I was sweating ! Like horribly and whining and groaning but I stuck with it.
The one thing about her videos is that they are 20 minute workouts and while they are good they leave me feeling like I want to do a bit more once a finally catch my breath (she doesn't allow resting).
If you are into workout DVD's try hers they are good and get results.
Oh I also noticed I'm a bit more diesel then I thought. I was lifting 8 pound weighs for most of the workout!
SITUATION!!
Like I said above her DVD left me wanting a bit more so I looked through Netflix and found The Sistuation's Workout. It was hilarious! I mean the guy is a total TOOL and can't form sentences too well lol. Although he is a tool his video did teach me a few new moves that I will incorporate in my work out.
I got myself into a SITUATION Y'ALL!!
Salmon Burgers and Mint Syrup.
I get sudden burst of culinary inspiration and I had one while on my Michigan vacation. Although my sister's weren't too much help when it came to making a menu Leysis and I went to D&W to get our ingredient.
We switched the menu several times and finally agreed on Salmon burgers and they were delicious Leysis and I are pretty kick ass in the kitchen! This was my First time making and eating Salmon Burgers and I was surprised at how easy it is!
You bake the Salmon, break up the meat, add bread crumbs seasoning and anything else you want, make them into patties and flip them around in a skillet for a while. That easy and SOOO good.
Since I wanted a "fancy" dinner I had to make a cocktail and we were going to make Bellinis but when we looked up a recipe it called for 2 cups of sugar and we agreed on HELL NO!
Instead we made a Guava, Ginger Ale and Mint syrup cocktail. It was REALLY good and complimented the burgers very well. I would however try to lessen the sweetness of the cocktail next time because it was a bit too sweet for my liking.
KUNG FUUUUU 2!
I love kid movies! I enjoy taking my daughter and nephew but I refuse to pay for a full priced ticket so we went to Woodlawn Mall and went to the theatre that charges $4!!!!
We watched Kung Fu Panda and I really enjoyed!!! The movies are so cute and Po was kicking some ASS! I'm pretty sure there is going to be a Kung Fu Panda 3 by the looks of the ending of the movie.
Harry Potter 7 part 2!!!!
Yes I am a member of the Potter Clan! I was actually lucky enough to attend a lecture he was at!!! My Post about Daniel Radcliffe (The boy who lived)
I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone but I will say I got pretty emotional. lol
I had tons of fun before even seeing the movie with my sisters! Lo minee COOkee! (insider)
Wow I think that covers all my FIRST for my Michigan Vacation!!
Thank you for reading and putting up with me! :)
Saturday, August 6, 2011
July 30th- August 2nd
The list of First continues :)
San Chez
On of Isabel's (my sister) good friends was getting married and the bachelorette dinner was at San Chez in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I wasn't really hungry but I still ordered some very over priced appetizers and had some of their sangria. It was nice to see her friend again and she looks HOT after having her baby and very happy!
I don't really having anything good to say about San Chez so I'll just say that I wouldn't go again.
Bachelorette Party!!
I wanted to have a themed party so I staged a fake bachelorette party and who would be the bachelorette other than, ME!?
Yes I had a fake bachelorette party :)
It was fun and I did feel a bit bad for "lying" to all of the people that congratulated me on my up coming wedding...lol but it was fun and kept creepy guys away but also kept the hot ones away :( lol
McFaddens- Grand Rapids
The music was...
The drinks were...
The crowd ... gave off the vibe of a bunch of teenagers that into a club for the first time of their lives or a young frat party. There was this really fun group of guys that just didn't give a ___ at who was watching or not and did whatever their feet desired. If I didn't have heels and my bachelorette get up I would have definitely been jumping around with them!
Red Headed Slut
The shot was good but taste a whole hell of a lot like juice... lol
Taco Boy
Two of my sisters, daughter, nephew and myself planned on going to the Grand Rapids Public Museum but when we got there the line was way to long, only had one person at the front desk whom worked very at her own pace and if we stayed in the line we wouldn't have made the planetarium show:( so we left and promised to come back another day.
We were all kinda hungry so we walked into downtown Grand Rapids for some food and we went to Taco Boy The service was quick, the food was good, the restaurant was clean and the prices were very reasonable. I had a burrito with refried beans and it was yummy!
Ming Ten
My mom and step father took us to Ming Ten a chinese buffet to meet his extended family and to eat!
The food was SOOO good they even had sushi that didn't look scary to eat. Their Miso Soup was also delicious! I would have took the seaweed home with me in my purse if I could. I tried Korean Mussels and seaweed salad for the First time and they were both very good. I will definitely go back to Ming Ten when I'm in Grand Rapids again the food was sooo good. I ate so much that I was probably full for the next eight hours!
I also enjoyed meeting my step father's family! His family is so sweet I see where he gets it from now!
Thank you for reading.. the First keep coming!
July 27th- July 29th
Okay back to the bulk blogging! I really should have been blogging on my vacation but I was having too much fun doing nothing and everything at the same time. Its not often that ALL of my sister's and I are together! With our mom and kids!
Okay I'm just going to start listing my First.
Prickly Pear!
One night my Lillie, Isabel and myself decided to go to Meijer for an Oreo run and breakfast foods... what else would we go for? We looked crazy! My hair was EXTRA BIG! Isabel looked like a beat up cast member on Little house on the Prairie and Lillie looked like she jumped in a pile of laundry and emerged with whatever she had on. That's how we roll though lol
After walking around in circles, talking Lillie into putting back at least one of her 5 packets of cookies and asking everyone available if they had Canadian Bacon I saw Prickly Pears! They were two for a dollar and Baloo (The Bear) taught Mowgli how to eat them and he never led him stray so I had to get some! I love the Jungle Book :)
I also got Yellow Watermelon but never ate it :"( .
I ate my Prickly Pear the wrong way, yes I said the wrong way, and I had to Google how to eat it! I know pathetic but peeling the Pear, cutting it down the middle and biting into it is WRONG! Lol don't do it. Once I spit out all of the seeds and ate the "meat" of the Pear it was good. I would like to eat one from the Cactus because the one on the video was straight from the Cactus and looked extra big and juicy.
Acai Berry.
I know this was a huge trend a few years/ months ago but I never had it until now. I'm late I know lol I still don't know how to pronounce the name of the fruit. Anyhow I tried Acai Berry juice for the First time. To me it didn't taste like much... but the one I had was pretty cheap so maybe if I try a more expensive juice it might taste like something. Personally not sure what the hype is all about...? It was good though...
Meijer Lake Park
My daughter is THANKFULLY getting over her fear of water!! WHOOOO HOOO you have no idea how wonderful that is considering I love the ocean <3
Well it was really hot one day and my mother told me that Meijer's Lake was right down the street from the house so Isabel, Leilani (my daughter), Damien and I went to check it out. The park was nice and full of people enjoying the weather, water and one an other. It was a drastic change in water temperature from Lake Superior to Meijer's Lake, the water was perfect for the kids but a bit too warm for my liking. However, having the lake so close was a huge convenience!
Okay I'm just going to start listing my First.
Prickly Pear!
One night my Lillie, Isabel and myself decided to go to Meijer for an Oreo run and breakfast foods... what else would we go for? We looked crazy! My hair was EXTRA BIG! Isabel looked like a beat up cast member on Little house on the Prairie and Lillie looked like she jumped in a pile of laundry and emerged with whatever she had on. That's how we roll though lol
After walking around in circles, talking Lillie into putting back at least one of her 5 packets of cookies and asking everyone available if they had Canadian Bacon I saw Prickly Pears! They were two for a dollar and Baloo (The Bear) taught Mowgli how to eat them and he never led him stray so I had to get some! I love the Jungle Book :)
I also got Yellow Watermelon but never ate it :"( .
I ate my Prickly Pear the wrong way, yes I said the wrong way, and I had to Google how to eat it! I know pathetic but peeling the Pear, cutting it down the middle and biting into it is WRONG! Lol don't do it. Once I spit out all of the seeds and ate the "meat" of the Pear it was good. I would like to eat one from the Cactus because the one on the video was straight from the Cactus and looked extra big and juicy.
 |
| The Prickly Pear. Whole. |
 |
| The WRONG way... oops |
Acai Berry.
I know this was a huge trend a few years/ months ago but I never had it until now. I'm late I know lol I still don't know how to pronounce the name of the fruit. Anyhow I tried Acai Berry juice for the First time. To me it didn't taste like much... but the one I had was pretty cheap so maybe if I try a more expensive juice it might taste like something. Personally not sure what the hype is all about...? It was good though...
Meijer Lake Park
My daughter is THANKFULLY getting over her fear of water!! WHOOOO HOOO you have no idea how wonderful that is considering I love the ocean <3
Well it was really hot one day and my mother told me that Meijer's Lake was right down the street from the house so Isabel, Leilani (my daughter), Damien and I went to check it out. The park was nice and full of people enjoying the weather, water and one an other. It was a drastic change in water temperature from Lake Superior to Meijer's Lake, the water was perfect for the kids but a bit too warm for my liking. However, having the lake so close was a huge convenience!
 |
| Meijer's Lake |
 |
| The water and my daughter and nephew in the foreground |
Friday, August 5, 2011
July 26th: Monte's
After sleeping on a BED for a change that night my sister's Leysis, Isabel and I went out for some fun and dancing!
This was the First time I went out with Leysis and Isabel and I was very excited!!
We got ready which took longer then girls always think it will take and then we were off to Monte's for $2 you call its, being the economically savvy girls that we are!
Going out to Monte's was my First of the day!
Upon arrival the line was LONG too long but we finally got in and made our way straight over to the bar for our $2 drinks :) One thing I noticed while in line and while inside Monte's was that girls in Grand Rapids have/like horrible unkempt Jersey/ Dallas big hair. I mean I can appreciate big hair in fact I LOVE it but what some of these girls had going on was treacherous to look at! Their hair looked like it weighed more then them!
Anyways back to Monte's I will say that the bar was fast, the crowd was nice and the music was lots of fun!
Now I'm the type of person that when I go out I don't take myself too serious. Why go out if you are just going to be so uptight and serious? I was jumping out on the dance floor and just having fun I even danced with a guy who looked really sad just for the hell of it!
It was nice to go out and not have men trying to hump you. FYI guys humping is not a dance it is a form of harassment so if you ever see me out please don't come "dance" with me if you "dance" this way. Although this one guy did get a bit fresh and he got elbowed and talked to like a puppy that just peed on the carpet. I gave him a stern NO!
Overall going out to Monte's with Leysis and Isabel was a success!
Total First 1!
Thank you for reading! :)
This was the First time I went out with Leysis and Isabel and I was very excited!!
We got ready which took longer then girls always think it will take and then we were off to Monte's for $2 you call its, being the economically savvy girls that we are!
Going out to Monte's was my First of the day!
Upon arrival the line was LONG too long but we finally got in and made our way straight over to the bar for our $2 drinks :) One thing I noticed while in line and while inside Monte's was that girls in Grand Rapids have/like horrible unkempt Jersey/ Dallas big hair. I mean I can appreciate big hair in fact I LOVE it but what some of these girls had going on was treacherous to look at! Their hair looked like it weighed more then them!
Anyways back to Monte's I will say that the bar was fast, the crowd was nice and the music was lots of fun!
Now I'm the type of person that when I go out I don't take myself too serious. Why go out if you are just going to be so uptight and serious? I was jumping out on the dance floor and just having fun I even danced with a guy who looked really sad just for the hell of it!
It was nice to go out and not have men trying to hump you. FYI guys humping is not a dance it is a form of harassment so if you ever see me out please don't come "dance" with me if you "dance" this way. Although this one guy did get a bit fresh and he got elbowed and talked to like a puppy that just peed on the carpet. I gave him a stern NO!
Overall going out to Monte's with Leysis and Isabel was a success!
Total First 1!
 |
| Me, Leysis and Isabel |
 |
| Homeboy having a BLAST |
 | ||
| Us again. |
Back to bulk. Hiawatha
My dates are getting all MESSED UP!
So back to sorta bulk blogging! I have so many First its hard to keep them all in line with the date.
July 22nd - July 25th
July 22nd- 3!
So back to sorta bulk blogging! I have so many First its hard to keep them all in line with the date.
July 22nd - July 25th
July 22nd- 3!
This was the First day of Hiawatha and my First time being at Hiawatha.
Hiawatha is a Tradition Music Festival or what some would call a Hippie Fest. Lovers of Traditional music and good times camp out and enjoy the whole experience and event. Upon arrival the park looked soo different from the park that we first arrived to, there were tents everywhere, food vendors and performers all over the place!
After my sister Raven's flight from hell! It was time to pick her up at the Marquette, Michigan airport. This was the second First of the day and boy was it a journey. Leysis and I went to pick her up from the airport and got lost in this small neighborhood that was made up of circles and the GPS was absolutely no help we finally got on track to the airport and saw the ski slops which looked very different with no snow on them. The airport is on an Air Force base but it looked like it was in the middle of Jurassic Park! From the road it was 2 miles before we got to the airport!
When we arrived to the campsite there were plenty of friends new and old and many more on the way! Instruments were being unpacked and memories and life milestones were going to be made but I had no idea yet.
The First day of Hiawatha, all of the sisters were all together finally and the good times began!!
That night the festival had a welcome/ get acquainted dance and the music was all traditional. I had so much fun! I didn't know how fun it would be to dance to folk music but we were all on the dance floor having a blast, all my sisters and even the kids!
This was the segway to my second First of the day listening to Harmonious Wail and they were great dancing music. If you hear their music you have to be a statue if you are not dancing.The dance made me feel like I was at the Weasley wedding... lol a Harry Potter reference The dance area was under a tent with a wooden dance floor in the middle of the field dancing under the stars and with great voices and instruments and people were playing to play not for money or record labels but for themselves and the crowd that was enjoying them.
July 23rd- Total 3!
This was the second day of Hiawatha and my daughter's First time riding a bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!! I was so proud of her and like usual when it comes to her I got all emotional but I didn't cry. She did a great job and would stop by crashing into things lol.\
Like I stated above the festival had tons of food vendors. While I was really hungry one day Leysis and I slipped away and I bought some Crawfish Ettouffee which was delicious and my First time having Ettouffee. One food vendor even had Basil Lemonade which was really good and something I will be making in my own kitchen, of course that was my First time trying it.
Later on at night my sister Isabel, a friend Steven and I went to the main stage to hear Le Vent de Nord a French Canadian traditional band that rocked the stage and had my jumping and enjoying it all night long. The band was great and had wonderful energy and every member was playing an instrument at all times. All of the music was in French but I enjoyed it non the less!
This was my First time hearing the band but certainly will not be the last! After the concert we went back to the campsite for more fun and listening and making our own music!
Their website Le Vent de Nord
Sorry It was taken on my iPhone in the middle of the crowd but you can still hear them:)
July 24th- 1!
My First and only First for this day was watching the Ebony Hillbillies perform!
I missed their first performance because I slept through it but I was determined to make the second one. The Ebony Hillbillies are a New York City based band that play traditional Folk music. Their energy and artistic ability was wonderful and a joy to watch and tap my toes too.
July 25th- 2!
This was the last day of festival and the First time I took a tent down...lol Needless to say I'm not going to include this as a First because Isabel did most of the work :)
We began our drive back to the lower peninsula and stopped at Shell City but it was closed:(
my First First of the day was eating at Culver's a burger joint thhat is a chain in the Mid West. Both the food and custard was really good! I enjoyed my burger and they had a great raspberry vinaigrette dressing for my salad!
My second First for this day was eating at Ponderosa in a new city... sorry I know its weak. But its all I got lol.
Being at Hiawatha was such a wonderful experience! I learned that I love the fiddle and banjo more then I could ever imagine! It opened my eyes to new music and not being so judgmental of other's at first appearance. You often times see people and judge them because of how they look and would never imagine that they are kick ass traditional music instrument players or great dancers! I also learned that Michigan is BEAUTIFUL! Like most of the country I saw Michigan as a dying state, but its not is so beautiful and inexpensive a great place for a family vacation.
Thank you for reading!
That night the festival had a welcome/ get acquainted dance and the music was all traditional. I had so much fun! I didn't know how fun it would be to dance to folk music but we were all on the dance floor having a blast, all my sisters and even the kids!
This was the segway to my second First of the day listening to Harmonious Wail and they were great dancing music. If you hear their music you have to be a statue if you are not dancing.The dance made me feel like I was at the Weasley wedding... lol a Harry Potter reference The dance area was under a tent with a wooden dance floor in the middle of the field dancing under the stars and with great voices and instruments and people were playing to play not for money or record labels but for themselves and the crowd that was enjoying them.
July 23rd- Total 3!
This was the second day of Hiawatha and my daughter's First time riding a bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!! I was so proud of her and like usual when it comes to her I got all emotional but I didn't cry. She did a great job and would stop by crashing into things lol.\
Like I stated above the festival had tons of food vendors. While I was really hungry one day Leysis and I slipped away and I bought some Crawfish Ettouffee which was delicious and my First time having Ettouffee. One food vendor even had Basil Lemonade which was really good and something I will be making in my own kitchen, of course that was my First time trying it.
Later on at night my sister Isabel, a friend Steven and I went to the main stage to hear Le Vent de Nord a French Canadian traditional band that rocked the stage and had my jumping and enjoying it all night long. The band was great and had wonderful energy and every member was playing an instrument at all times. All of the music was in French but I enjoyed it non the less!
This was my First time hearing the band but certainly will not be the last! After the concert we went back to the campsite for more fun and listening and making our own music!
Their website Le Vent de Nord
Sorry It was taken on my iPhone in the middle of the crowd but you can still hear them:)
July 24th- 1!
My First and only First for this day was watching the Ebony Hillbillies perform!
I missed their first performance because I slept through it but I was determined to make the second one. The Ebony Hillbillies are a New York City based band that play traditional Folk music. Their energy and artistic ability was wonderful and a joy to watch and tap my toes too.
July 25th- 2!
This was the last day of festival and the First time I took a tent down...lol Needless to say I'm not going to include this as a First because Isabel did most of the work :)
We began our drive back to the lower peninsula and stopped at Shell City but it was closed:(
my First First of the day was eating at Culver's a burger joint thhat is a chain in the Mid West. Both the food and custard was really good! I enjoyed my burger and they had a great raspberry vinaigrette dressing for my salad!
My second First for this day was eating at Ponderosa in a new city... sorry I know its weak. But its all I got lol.
Being at Hiawatha was such a wonderful experience! I learned that I love the fiddle and banjo more then I could ever imagine! It opened my eyes to new music and not being so judgmental of other's at first appearance. You often times see people and judge them because of how they look and would never imagine that they are kick ass traditional music instrument players or great dancers! I also learned that Michigan is BEAUTIFUL! Like most of the country I saw Michigan as a dying state, but its not is so beautiful and inexpensive a great place for a family vacation.
Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
July 23rd: Holiday Inn Marquette
** If you go back to my Cliff Jumping post you can click the link to my video on YouTube, which also has videos of PAST FIRST**
Not really a big first but on this day we stayed at the Days Inn Marquette. Our mother put us in a room because the Festival and the park have two very different sets of rules and there wasn't going to be any where for all of us to sleep AND my other sister was flying in so there would definitely be absolutely no room. Unfortunately for my sister her American Airlines flight was a flight from a bad vacation movie. Complete with mice, delays, cancellations, late shuttles, horrible customer service and a dying phone all the while having a rambunctious 4 year old boy in tow!
Anyhow on top of trying to figure out what was going on with my sister, I shopped! My daughter needed a different pair of shoes for the woods because her Nikes were getting TORN UP and because her feet grow like weeds so the pair she had where barely fitting, we found the Marquette "mall" and went to Payless. Now usually I can't stand Payless because they are so over priced for cheaply made shoes however I didn't need any thing fancy for her and although this is another "weak" First I shopped at the Marquette Payless and got 8 pairs of shoes for $13.75!! Amazing right!?
They were having some crazy amazing sale that took fifteen dollars off of a twenty dollar purchase so I got my daughter a few pairs of shoes and got myself 2 pair of flip flops.
Total First: 2!
Not really a big first but on this day we stayed at the Days Inn Marquette. Our mother put us in a room because the Festival and the park have two very different sets of rules and there wasn't going to be any where for all of us to sleep AND my other sister was flying in so there would definitely be absolutely no room. Unfortunately for my sister her American Airlines flight was a flight from a bad vacation movie. Complete with mice, delays, cancellations, late shuttles, horrible customer service and a dying phone all the while having a rambunctious 4 year old boy in tow!
Anyhow on top of trying to figure out what was going on with my sister, I shopped! My daughter needed a different pair of shoes for the woods because her Nikes were getting TORN UP and because her feet grow like weeds so the pair she had where barely fitting, we found the Marquette "mall" and went to Payless. Now usually I can't stand Payless because they are so over priced for cheaply made shoes however I didn't need any thing fancy for her and although this is another "weak" First I shopped at the Marquette Payless and got 8 pairs of shoes for $13.75!! Amazing right!?
They were having some crazy amazing sale that took fifteen dollars off of a twenty dollar purchase so I got my daughter a few pairs of shoes and got myself 2 pair of flip flops.
Total First: 2!
- Days Inn Marquette
- Payless Marquette
I know theses two are weak but I've seemed to have misplaced my notebook that I wrote all my First in and could only remember these two First :)
Thank you for reading and remember sharing is caring!
Monday, August 1, 2011
July 22nd: Cliff Jumping!
This day was a bit cooler then the previous and I heard a few days before getting to the Upper Peninsula that there was a cliff that we could jump off of and land in Lake Superior, so I was really excited to try.
To get to the cliff we biked to Presque Island from the campsite, which wasn't far at all and had great views of the lakes. To be honest this trip to Michigan showed me that Michigan is beautiful place. When you think of Michigan you, well I thought, Uh... but now I realize the beauty of the state and all the wonderful scenic views.
Being in Preque Park was the the first First of the day.
Then my next First was CLIFF JUMPING!! I'm not even going to lie, I was all really pumped and ready to go UNTIL I got to the cliff. It literally took me and my sisters like 45 minutes to jump.
After a lot of screaming, people staring at us and just basic fear we, my sister Lilly and I, finally agreed to jump. However, I didn't realize we were counting and just jumped like a crazy person! Lol
I jumped one more time but that time I landed really bad and her everyone on the rock go: OOOOHH!! and feeling the pain shoot through the left side of my body. I literally had pain in my leg for the next day.
I would definitely do it again but I would have love to have WARMER water because the water was COLD!
The moment you've all been waiting for!!! (Not really, but here you go anyway....)
Total First: 2!
To get to the cliff we biked to Presque Island from the campsite, which wasn't far at all and had great views of the lakes. To be honest this trip to Michigan showed me that Michigan is beautiful place. When you think of Michigan you, well I thought, Uh... but now I realize the beauty of the state and all the wonderful scenic views.
Being in Preque Park was the the first First of the day.
Then my next First was CLIFF JUMPING!! I'm not even going to lie, I was all really pumped and ready to go UNTIL I got to the cliff. It literally took me and my sisters like 45 minutes to jump.
After a lot of screaming, people staring at us and just basic fear we, my sister Lilly and I, finally agreed to jump. However, I didn't realize we were counting and just jumped like a crazy person! Lol
I jumped one more time but that time I landed really bad and her everyone on the rock go: OOOOHH!! and feeling the pain shoot through the left side of my body. I literally had pain in my leg for the next day.
I would definitely do it again but I would have love to have WARMER water because the water was COLD!
The moment you've all been waiting for!!! (Not really, but here you go anyway....)
Total First: 2!
- Preque Island
- Cliff jumping
Thank you for reading! :)
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