The little red head girl (that's gonna be my sister)

Most of you are aware that my brother moved out to Oakland, CA last year to work for the Oakland A's. At the time, my family and I, and even Mike, weren't sure what would come out of this. I mean, what else would you expect moving across the country to a town where you have no friends, connections, or a clue? There was a reason Mike was hired, and God had a plan for him. We just didn't know what that was yet. However, knowing my brother, he made this work for him.

And in comes the little red head girl from California (if you're a fan of the Peanuts comics like I am, you'll get the reference). My brother met Marissa about a year ago, and have been officially dating since March. I remember when my mom and I were first introduced to her. It was during the Winter Blast from last March when Leelanau County got dumped on with 2 feet of snow in one night and the power and cell towers were out everywhere. We texted Mike a picture of how much snow there was, and how "jealous" he should be of us. He called later that day saying he was at the zoo with Marissa, and put her on the phone to talk with my mom. He also sent a picture later that night, and my mom and I weren't really sure what to think of it.
It was a completely new concept for my brother to have a girlfriend. I don't mean this to be insulting; it is more of the fact that I wasn't use to my brother having a girlfriend he was so smitten with. It was interesting hearing about their dating adventures, especially since Marissa has a large family that is super close. It was also weird that she was calling him her 'Prince Charming'.

Well, after about 8 months in Oakland, Mike finally decided to come back to Leelanau County because he missed his little sister too much (okay he actually came back for a friend's wedding, but I imagine that he missed me too). I wasn't sure what to expect that he wanted Marissa to come and visit our family. This was my first time truly meeting her. She felt like a member of the family immediately. There were some instances where we clicked as if we were actual sisters, even pointing out my brother's cheesy lines to try to impress Marissa! We even went to Mackinac Island as a "family", and she actually tolerated traveling with my family. A good sign so far.
I've also been talking with a lot of my friends about my brother and his girlfriend how smitten they are with each other. I figured my brother was going to ask her to marry him sometime soon, and by soon I mean around the summertime. Much sooner than my parents were expecting. Boy were we wrong.
When I was on Facebook last night, I noticed an ominous status update from my mom on her Facebook (which served as a spoiler alert):

"Dear Facebook Friends - I need your help . . . Where do I buy a mother of the groom dress?"

I figured my mom was trying to get ahead of the game. However, it puzzled me as to why she would post something like this. I called her and she told me the news. Unfortunately my mom spoiled the surprise for me, since Mike was going to call me later that night. Needless to say I was speechless, and pleasantly shocked! I called my brother and talked with my future sister in law as well! All I could say was how happy I was for them and I can't wait for the wedding! I was speechless and like "holy mankind I'm going to have a sister!" I then proceeded to text pretty much everyone in my phone to let them know I was finally going to have a sister.

Based on this picture alone, my brother knows how to pick them. Not only the location, but the ring and of course the girl! Also, wise decision on his part having someone take a photograph; I'm impressed he thought of that! This just proves that although you don't know what God has in store for you, he knows what is best for you and he will not let you down. I wish the very best for both of you, and I can't for Marissa to be a full member of the family. We need more women in the family to balance out the sport watching, hunting crazed men in our family.

Thanks for making me a fighter

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post, and I'm sorry for that. One thing I hate about being up north is the lack of Internet. But, there's also another reason as to why I haven't been updating as much:

Time is Love

Since it is officially summer, that means my love for country music is evident! No matter what, Kenny Chesney's "Summertime" is on my playlist each summer. I have a pair of cheap shades on hand, a spirit of adventure, and, as of the end of this summer, possibly a tattoo.......

I Know How you Feel (or Do I?)

"Every cloud has a silver lining"
"It gets better"
"I'm here for you"
"I know your pain"
"Man that sucks"

Playing Fudgie

Yesterday I had a day off, and what better way to spend it than going to Mackinac Island for the day?

The Orphan Pact

Day 9
05/14/12

Oh, there goes a window....

Day 8
05/13/12

Balog vists Africa

Day 4
05/09/12

For those grumpy gills about there....

As mentioned earlier this week, I just got back from my bike retreat. Honestly, everything and anything that could go wrong pretty much did. Rain came, I found a hole in my water bottle, lost one of my keys on my keyboard, and a rosary I hung in a tree for good weather was stolen :(

What can you do in 20 seconds?

In my humanities class we just finished reading a narrative called "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass". The narrative is about the life of a former slave, Frederick Douglass, in the 1800's and how he became a powerful leader of the abolishment of slavery.

Arete 2012

Rain or thunder couldn't stop me this weekend! I managed to bike over 40 miles and grow personally not only in my own life, but in my life with God.

Rain rain stay away

I will be leaving for the weekend on a bike trip to a nearby town called Rockford. This will be the second year I've done Arete, which  is an annual bike retreat possible through Aquinas College. Arete means excellence of any kind or being the best you can be.

10 Canine Commandments

I received some terrible news today: my dog Mac who's had arthritis for a few years was put to sleep this morning. He couldn't even stand up. My family first got him in 2007 when one of my classmates couldn't keep their dog anymore. My family adopted Mac and he became a part of the family just like that.

Muli bwanji?

Today I had another meeting for my trip to Malawi, Africa in May. We had two guests visit the class: Provost of Aquinas College Chad Gunnoe and Rev. Gerald Guduli. The Provost wanted to speak on behalf of the college how excited they are for us to be given such a unique opportunity and wanted to wish us safe travels.

How short is too short?

My senior prom (I'm in the short blue dress). Hopefully you don't think my dress is too short or tight 

Africa is a continent if you're a geographer

Happy Palm Sunday! And Happy April Fool's Day. Can you believe it's already April? Lent has gone by so fast. Not that I'm complaining, I decided to give up coffee realizing that being more empathetic wasn't enough.

Do Not Be Afraid

Happy Sunday! Not only is it the last performance of Arab/Israeli Cookbook, but also the last week of classes before Spring Break. Not only does this mean March is getting closer and I'll have a life again, but it also means that my trip to Malawi is getting closer and closer as we speak. We haven't technically started the actual class for this Study Abroad trip, but we didn't realize how much details were needed to be figured out before we traveled. And thank god we did!

Jeremiah 29:11

Lately I've been evaluating my life and what the future has in store for me. I feel like I'm so behind compared to everyone else. It seems like I was missing on that one day when everyone decided what they wanted to do with their life.

Keep Calm and Have Faith

Lately I've seen a bunch of images and renditions of "Keep Calm and Carry On". I will admit, I have one of those shirts. It's from a Team Starkid concert I went to in November with my friends Marissa and Rachel. In case you can't see it in the picture, it says: "Keep Calm and Tour Space"

A person's a person, no matter how small

This week at AQ we're celebrating St. Thomas Aquinas Week, where we celebrate his birthday all week with various events. That's quite the birthday week huh? I love the free cake in the lobby they have on Mondays. But, today is also another important day.