August Events

August went by quickly as all the summer months do. For half of the month we visited our friend Kirk in Florida, which we have several posts about. We spent another full week in the Quad Cities along with a quick visit to the Iowa State Fair. I guess it's good that August is a long month with 31 days, because somehow we fit the following in as well. 


Visiting grandparents

It had been too long since we'd seen my grandparents in Kalamazoo, so we made a trip down there to see them. It was nice to catch up while sitting on the deck and then over lunch. 
When we visited the Quad Cities we were able to see both of Brandon's grandmas and catch up a bit as well. 


A stay at the Blanski's 

We were able to house-sit the Blanski's house for a few days and water their plants while they were away. Really they were just being nice to us, since we're still homeless and need places to stay. It was great to be back in the neighborhood, and I must say that Alex's kitchen set-up is very well thought-out and perfect for guest use. But, we really missed hanging out with our friends while staying at their house. It wasn't the same without Alex, Tabitha, and two little girls. 



Continuing to climb, climb, climb

We've continued our climbing training in anticipation of a trip to the Red River Gorge in September. We even found a great deal at a Florida climbing gym and kept up our training during our two weeks there. I'm sure our normal climbing partners in Grand Rapids will be happy to have us back though. Honestly, not being able to climb with them consistently throughout the year has been one of the toughest things about being nomadic. 


Colin visits Brandon in Grand Rapids 

Brandon got an unexpected call from a Chicago friend who was driving through Grand Rapids on his way up north. They were able to meet up for a couple hours and catch up on life, which was a welcome surprise. 


A wedding dress search 

My mom, sister, and I went on a quest for a bridal gown for my sister's upcoming wedding in December. We discovered that apparently looking for a bridal gown in August for a December wedding is nearly too late due to ordering, alterations, etc. Who knew? Not me. Brandon and I did our wedding in a rather non-traditional fashion. No worries. My sister found her dress and will look beautiful as always. 



The babies keep getting older

Our friends babies just keep getting older. I had to miss out (bridal dress shopping), but Brandon was able to attend August's 1st birthday party, eat delicious birthday donuts, and hang out with friends. 


Meeting up with friends over food

The sushi place in Holland knows our friend Zuri by her voice when she calls for take-out. She's the person to have sushi with. It was wonderful to meet up with her and catch up on life. 
That same day we were able to spend time with our friend Jack over Chinese food. He always speaks such encouragement and wisdom into our lives, and it's always fun to hear what he's doing in retirement. 
I also got to see my friend Kendra on her lunch break and finally hear about her May honeymoon. 


Hitting up some Holland favorites

We made it to the beach a couple times, and Lake Michigan never fails to impress. It's so beautiful. We're definitely going to miss living as close as we were. We also had to stop at Taco Fiesta and enjoy their al pastor tacos. These al pastor tacos are seriously the best...we would know. Unfortunately, also in August, an attempt on our part to try to replicate the al pastor meat and flavors failed miserably...we'll keep trying. 

Enjoying the lake at Saugatuck Dunes

Appreciating Lake Michigan

Taco Fiesta's al pastor tacos

Canadian Lakes with the Barnetts 

The Barnetts rented a cottage on Canadian Lakes and invited anyone in our friend group to come out for a couple days. Being homeless, we happily obliged. We had a great time enjoying the lake, drinking wine, spending time around the fire, watching Olympics, and just hanging out with great friends. 

Three men and a baby

5 year physical therapy class reunion

It's been five years since I survived and graduated from PT school. It was fun to meet up with some former classmates at a park and hear what they're doing now. We should probably meet up more often then every 5 years. 


Quad City visit 

We spent about a week of August in the Quad Cities. Besides spending time with family and going to the Iowa State Fair, we were able to catch up with friends and eat quintissential QC food. We met Auzzie and Kristy and their boys for time in the park and some Whitey's shakes. We had a good time grabbing Hungry Hobo's subs and Whitey's with Mike and Anna and bringing it back to their place to watch some Olympics. We tried to go to Habanero's with Christian and Liz, but it's closed on Mondays, so we tried out La Rancherita #2 which turned out to be a delicious decision. And, we still got our Habanero's fix in with Matt and Rose. 


As aforementioned, for more on the Iowa State Fair and visiting our friend Kirk in Florida you can check out some other blog posts. And, that was August!