Summer Travels and such

This summer was the first summer since I was 16 that I have had less than 40 hours a week of work/school commitments.  After the first few weeks of stir-crazy boredom, I got used to a more typical college summer.  Working only one job with very flexible hours gave me the opportunity to do many things that I normally wouldn't have time to do.  Around the area, I went to the East Lansing Aquatic Center and the Potter Park Zoo for the first time ever (and we managed to go to the zoo on a promotional day so it was only $1!).  My roommates and I also went to a 60's Music Concert in the Park and a Lansing Lugnuts game.

I spent most the time at the aquatic center reading

Lansing Lugnuts vs West Michigan Whitecaps

Joe and I took a short trip to Battle Creek in June for two good friends wedding.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding and reception!  Plus this was the first time Joe and I had taken (part of ) a weekend together that didn't involve staying with family.  We took the time to have lunch on both Friday and Saturday at Michigan Micro-breweries.  Gotta show the Craft Beer Industry some love!

And then I spent the next day figuring out this pic-stitch thing

This summer I was also able to go on the annual camping/canoeing trip for the first time in 3 years.  We had to wait til Joe got out of class at 9pm before driving up there but it was worth it to see everyone and go camping.  Many people kept saying that being in a canoe together for 5+ hours is a big test on a relationship but we were still talking by the end of the trip (which is a good thing since I was able to introduce Joe as my fiance to people I haven't seen since Joe and I have been together).

I was also able to do some traveling with friends this summer.  My roommates and I finally made it up to Frankenmuth (finally for all of us being there together, I had been home 10 days earlier) to have a tourist day/sleepover night at my parents.  It was nice to walk around town on a weekday and know that I didn't have to serve chicken dinners later in the day.  The pre-planned trip ended up being perfectly timed as I was able to see my parents and grandparents the day after I got engaged.

This is the only picture I took in Muth.  Didn't feel the need to take more; something about living there...

A couple days after our Frankenmuth trip, we went camping in another roommates backyard.  It was a lot of fun even if it rained almost all night so everything was damp and it got windy enough to pull a pole out of the key and collapse part of the tent.  The great thing about camping in someones backyard is you can go and sleep inside!

The final "friends" trip I took this summer was going down to Bloomington, IL to visit a friend from high school who had moved there this summer.  Since many of my other friends from HS didn't have big people jobs yet, we were able to have a car-full (4 of us total) driving down there which made the drive a lot of fun.  We had a fun day in Bloomington and hanging out together.  It was just like a girls night in high school only we were in a different state.

Lunch from a Double Decker bus in Bloomington.
I didn't want to be a super-tourist and take a close up picture but then we took a group pic in front of the bus

That just about sums up my summer thus far, with the exception of family vacation that is!  But that post will have to wait for another day.