what a fun labor day weekend! we spent it with Jes, Deb, and the kiddios! they sure are fuN! i posted some pics on my facebook, but for some reason i'm having trouble posting on this... i'll work on it. so yeah we had tons of fun and wished we could have stayed longer... but that darn school and work we had to come home to. haha aka the real life kicked back in. but we are going to try to visit them more. we feel bad for not doing it more often, but we are gonna try to now!!

anywho, so after we got home, and real life kicked back in, tim started school and work back up and i, well i just keep working at the salon... but yesterday Tim had a mtg. with a prof. to talk about Grad. Schools. the end result is kinda fun. He got a list of different schools that would be awesome for him to attend, but we have a lot to consider. we'll probably be taking a few years off in between the time he graduates MSU and the time he starts up Grad. School. we want to stick around home for a while and save up money before we become more in debt. haha actually we also find out that most colleges will pay us $15000 a year for Grad. School -- it's not much but it's something to get us going on. so that's awesome. but we have to think about the places we are looking into, the cost of living and just moving there, and the fact we have a dog now and who knows by the time we actually get to Grad. School maybe even a kiddie in tow. :) so we have a lot to think and pray about. but it's SO fun to think of where God may take us. Yes i'll be the first to admit that i'm a very big homebody. i LOVE home and my family and hate being away from them. but i'm growing more accustom to the idea of moving away... i mean i'm not gonna be jumping up and down or anything and there will for sure be tears. but i think God is slowly working on me. preparing me for it little by little. it's going to amazing to be able to spend the time we are going to get, starting in Dec., with our families and hometowns. but i also know it may not be where God wants us to spend the rest of our lives. and as hard as it is for me to say it and even think it, i have to give that to God and let HIM take control and show me where Tim and I are suppose to be, where we are suppose to raise our children and what'll be right for us. so yes, as we pray for this wise decision in our lives, here are a list of possibilities::::
University of Chicago
University of Toronto
Duke - NC
University of Virginia
UC Berkeley - CA
Yale - Conn.
Princeton NJ
Boston College
Harvard - Boston
Emory - Atlanta GA
University of MI
Clermont - Cinn. OH
University of Wisconsin
Indiana University
University of Minnesota
whoa, that is a lot to consider and type. haha so that is an update from where we stand as of right now. Tim is working with the University again for this semester and it worked out wonderfully with my schedule so i basically drop him off and pick him up before and after work. perfect. a little more gas and stops the agrivation of the city busses.
ZuZu is getting BIG. she's now 8 months old. wow! we had a battle with fleas a few weeks ago, but we are hopefully over it. she's on frontline and will never again skip any months! ha! and will be getting regular baths and brushings. it wasnt' that she was dirty... everyone keeps telling me that. but i still feel dirty and horribly bad for it. i felt like i didn't take good care of her... which i know is a lie. but you know... she's better now and pretty sure she has forgotten about it. but i haven't and keep watch over her and check her all the time for them.
anywho that's it for now... gotta get back to work. :D

Wow does time ever fly! i can't believe summer is almost over! we only have a few days of August left and then Sept. starts.... which is the start of school, new schedules and a count down to the big move! unbelievable! not really looking forward to the whole school thing for tim, but at least there's an end in sight. we're almost done! and even closer to being done with East Lansing! amazing!! so i guess to just catch up with things....

we spent most of August on vacation. amazing! we had our first anniversary on the first! we spent the weekend in Chicago. Tim planned quit a weekend. it was so fun and relaxing! we then got to return home for only a few short days and then we headed back to Kzoo to pack up with the Keith family... we headed up to the UP. WAY WAY up to the very tip... it was fuN! and pretty nice. cold at times, but started to warm up once the week progressed. it was a fun week. all the married couples were able to make it. (but we all missed our Nicole dearly!!!! can't wait to see you soon Nicole!!!) but the down side, well it was entertaining... we had a one bedroom cabin for 14 people! kind of cramped, but it was just fine. once we worked it out, we got use to it. Tim and I had to take off a day early to head back for Grant's wedding! it was SO fun! and when we made it back to my parents house, not only were we greeted by our overly excited dog, but we had the cutest niece and nephew there too! :D it was a great way to be welcomed back. Alex broke/fractured his foot so he was in a big blue cast and Danica, well she's growing and just the cutest little thing ever!! it was so much fun having them around. three days just isn't enough time! wish we lived closer to eachother... i'd love to spend more time with them all. Jess was in the wedding so he was gone on and off but for the most part it was a very fun family weekend. and Deb and i spent evenings together when the kiddies went to bed... she even let me feel her belly when Extra was moving and stretching. it was amazing! what a cool feeling. we had a Bonhomme family get together on Saturday ... mostly we ate and fished. haha not a bad way to spend time tho. haha

so now that we've returned home it's been kinda lonely. i'm use to the hub of lots of people and little people. even ZuZu misses the craziness. she really loves kids! but has to learn to control her tail and excitement. she almost knocked the kids down... silly dog. OH and to be welcomed back home... we found out ZuZu has fleas. so we've been dealing with that. well mostly me... Tim's been a big help but he's on another turn for painting. so he's working 12 hours or more a day. and so it's been me home cleaning, and freaking out. haha i don't do well with creepy crawlys. i do so so so much better with blood or vomit... but don't give me bugs! ha! (that's a great thing to say for a girl who's about to move to the country!) so Tim and I have been getting a hold of it. it's not bad (knock on wood) right now. there were only a few, so we caught it fast and in the first stages. good thing! i can't imagine a whole house full of these ugly little things... makes me itch just thinking of it. which i have been since we found out she has them. hahaha and i take lots of showers! shocker!!

well... an update on the move!!!!
we know it'll be in December! :D and before Christmas! But we're waiting till we know when Tim's finals are. He's gonna try to move them to an earlier date if they are too late in the month. Kerry (my father in law) is working hard on getting the place back in order. and we talked while we were on vacation and i think i'll be able to paint most of it with the color schemes i pick!! wowzers! this just gets better and better! haha my mom and i have been discussing what colors should go where and i think i have it down now! i'm so excited! the bathroom is what Kerry is working on now... and i haven't seen it lately, but he said it's coming along. woot!
As far as jobs go... that is a blessing beyond blessings! God is SO good!! i'll be working a few part time jobs to start... but my main focus will be on photography. Melissa Gregersen of Gregersen Photography (http://www.gregersenphotography.com/) is going to take me on parten time as an assistant! i'm STOKED!! and very honored to able to work beside her! i'll be helping her at the studio with appointments and editing. and i'll even be taking some shots for her! i'm SO SO SO excited to see where God is going to take both her and I in this great adventure! God sure does work in amazing ways! What a blessing! and while i'm not working/helping Melissa downtown, i'll be either A.) at a salon (Great Clips) or B.)waitressing at Scooter D's. haha amazing!! Mom, Dad, and I were down there this past weekend and the owner asked me when i was moving back to town and if i had a job lined up... i said well i part time one. and Andy (the cook) said, well the other part time is filled for you... and he went on to say he'd like me to come back there and this time be learn to be a waitress!! how cool!! i'd love to do that!! it'd be so fuN! and i really do miss working down there... it has such a hometown feel. haha cheesy i know. but still i love it! so yeah i have lots of options and praying to do. Tim is still looking and will probably be working on campus somewhere or at least that's what he's thinking of trying to do. we'll see tho. So keep us in prayer... we have a lot to still do and pray about!!! Life is surely great! and even greater when God is in control!!

so there's a recap of life for Tim and I. pretty busy and exciting right now! can't wait... i've started a count down to the big move! i think we're down to 113 or 114 days... something like that.
i'll try to keep it updated more this fall, but i can't promise anything. hahaha