And the Rest of the Trip
Alright folks, there's lots to cover so this is going to be a long one. I suggest you take a potty break and grab some cheese-puffs and Root Beer now before delving into the wonderful world of Kevin and Stephanie.
Got your stuff? No? That's OK. I'll wait................
Ready? Ok great! Let's get started. Now. Where did we leave off? Oh yes, Steph was telling you about our various Erie PA adventures. No no, Erie Pennsylvania...not creepy public announcements. That's subject matter for another post.
Well, after Niagara Steph and I went to Presque Isle and did a bit of kayaking. I prefer to have my own kayak as that allows for about 20x the mischievousness of sharing one, but alas, we are on a budget.
The next day we drove up to Dorr to spend some time with Steph's parents. August 5th was our Anniversary. 3 happy years. We celebrated at Via Maria in Holland. We've gone to eat there for just about ever anniversary event in our relationship (including dating).
We just HAD to commemorate this day with a squinty eyed photo. Nothing speaks of love and devotion like the tears of agony that come from trying to keep your eyes open and a somewhat normal expression on your face as the sun burns your eyeballs into shriveled raisin-like masses. Only those truly in love are willing to suffer such agony for each other.
When we got back Stephanie tried on her wedding dress. I am currently working on a theory about the 101 ways women assess their weight (each method falls into one of the following categories: Actual weight, Psychological weight, I want sympathy weight, Astrological weight). This is one of them. Thankfully, it fit just fine.
A few days later we went over to the VerMerris household for what always proves to be a miraculously delicious meal, a celebrate-all-the-quarterly-birthdays-today birthday bash, and swimming.
The following two pictures need no explanation as to why they are hilarious.
We then swam for a bit. Derek impressed everybody with his utter mastery of the three-quarters flip. With satellite precision he managed to land on his back just about every time. (at the bottom you see Uncle Kevin covering his eyes in anticipation of said 3/4th flip mastery).
We then had some sweet chicken fights. Tracie had to leave early so we couldn't do couples, but it worked out just fine, the record for the day was 2-2.
That night we went to the church at Gun Lake because Tracie was singing in the service with a group. The church had no A/C, but it tried to compensate with copious amounts of fans. Nate counted 63, but I'm sure he missed half a dozen or so due to pillars and corners and what not.
A Thunderstorm rolled through, leaving behind one of the largest, most vibrant rainbows I have ever seen. Much to big to get the whole thing into one camera shot.
Now. I have always said "Usher = Slave labor". The proof is in the pudding. Or on the table as the case may be. After folding paper for half an hour, I got to curl ribbon on about 200 (cans/bottles/containers...I'm really not sure what you use to describe those things) of Tic-Tacs for wedding favors. I am an awesome ribbon curler. If you would like to hire me for such purposes, just let me know.
On Thursday, Steph and I drove to Muskegon for my Grandma Johnson's 80th Birthday party. For a lot of Johnson's, it was the first time I had seen them since the wedding, so it was great to catch up with them.
The next night, Friday, was the rehearsal. woo.
So anyone else think Tracie looks a little creepy in this picture?
Much to my surprise, my wife is smoking hot in hot pink. Yikes. Of course, she's smoking hot anyway, but as much as I hate hot pink, it's a good color for her.
Skip to the wedding...or more precisely, the wedding reception. The bridal party (ushers included unfortunately) danced into the hall. It was actually quite a bit of fun. Got a lot of laughs.
Alright guys, click on this photo to enlarge. Steph, looks great. The guy she's dancing next to? Like a demon. SCARY!!!
Once everyone had danced in, we all line danced together. This was increadibly sad to me for two reasons. First, ever since I was forced to do line dancing in 6th grade P.E. at Lahontan Elementary to Achy Breaky Heart, I had sworn off the evil dance for all eternity. I was forced to break that cherished promise. Second, my hick-o-meter level was raised 34.93745 points. If anyone catches me talking about a possible hair style change to something that is business in the front and party in the back, please shoot me.
It's boogie time.
OH THE SCANDAL! AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE...oh...ah...he's just removing the garter....so...how about that...Favre?
During the dollar dance Dylan didn't want to dance with Tracie...so he paid to dance with Nate.
Derek impressed everyone with his complete lack of typical adolescent inhibition on the dance floor. Way to go Derek. You truly are worthy of that Chick Magnet shirt. Especially since he was hitting on not one, but TWO of the 20+ year old bridesmaids!
I got the dutch girls to dance. HAHAHAHA. go me.
SMACK THAT BOOTY!! GO NATE!!
Went for a walk with Sara on Sunday.
So while we were staying in Dorr, I was Harry Potter. I slept, literally, in the closet under the stairs. It was actually quite comfortable, until anything happened on the main floor. I was essentially sleeping in an amphitheater. Heard everything. You may ask why I chose to do this? Primarily because I didn't want to feel like Sinbad riding a Tsunami every time Steph or I moved a fraction of an inch. I'm not sure what idiot came up with the idea of a water bed, but BAD! BAD IDEA!
On the plane ride back, we saw a lightning storm off in the distance. I found out that a plane going through mild turbulence is a horrible place to try to take a night photo, but I managed to get a few decent pictures.
Got your stuff? No? That's OK. I'll wait................
Ready? Ok great! Let's get started. Now. Where did we leave off? Oh yes, Steph was telling you about our various Erie PA adventures. No no, Erie Pennsylvania...not creepy public announcements. That's subject matter for another post.
Well, after Niagara Steph and I went to Presque Isle and did a bit of kayaking. I prefer to have my own kayak as that allows for about 20x the mischievousness of sharing one, but alas, we are on a budget.
The next day we drove up to Dorr to spend some time with Steph's parents. August 5th was our Anniversary. 3 happy years. We celebrated at Via Maria in Holland. We've gone to eat there for just about ever anniversary event in our relationship (including dating).
We just HAD to commemorate this day with a squinty eyed photo. Nothing speaks of love and devotion like the tears of agony that come from trying to keep your eyes open and a somewhat normal expression on your face as the sun burns your eyeballs into shriveled raisin-like masses. Only those truly in love are willing to suffer such agony for each other.
When we got back Stephanie tried on her wedding dress. I am currently working on a theory about the 101 ways women assess their weight (each method falls into one of the following categories: Actual weight, Psychological weight, I want sympathy weight, Astrological weight). This is one of them. Thankfully, it fit just fine.
A few days later we went over to the VerMerris household for what always proves to be a miraculously delicious meal, a celebrate-all-the-quarterly-birthdays-today birthday bash, and swimming.
The following two pictures need no explanation as to why they are hilarious.
We then swam for a bit. Derek impressed everybody with his utter mastery of the three-quarters flip. With satellite precision he managed to land on his back just about every time. (at the bottom you see Uncle Kevin covering his eyes in anticipation of said 3/4th flip mastery).
We then had some sweet chicken fights. Tracie had to leave early so we couldn't do couples, but it worked out just fine, the record for the day was 2-2.
That night we went to the church at Gun Lake because Tracie was singing in the service with a group. The church had no A/C, but it tried to compensate with copious amounts of fans. Nate counted 63, but I'm sure he missed half a dozen or so due to pillars and corners and what not.A Thunderstorm rolled through, leaving behind one of the largest, most vibrant rainbows I have ever seen. Much to big to get the whole thing into one camera shot.
Now. I have always said "Usher = Slave labor". The proof is in the pudding. Or on the table as the case may be. After folding paper for half an hour, I got to curl ribbon on about 200 (cans/bottles/containers...I'm really not sure what you use to describe those things) of Tic-Tacs for wedding favors. I am an awesome ribbon curler. If you would like to hire me for such purposes, just let me know.
On Thursday, Steph and I drove to Muskegon for my Grandma Johnson's 80th Birthday party. For a lot of Johnson's, it was the first time I had seen them since the wedding, so it was great to catch up with them.
The next night, Friday, was the rehearsal. woo.
So anyone else think Tracie looks a little creepy in this picture?
Much to my surprise, my wife is smoking hot in hot pink. Yikes. Of course, she's smoking hot anyway, but as much as I hate hot pink, it's a good color for her.
Skip to the wedding...or more precisely, the wedding reception. The bridal party (ushers included unfortunately) danced into the hall. It was actually quite a bit of fun. Got a lot of laughs.
Alright guys, click on this photo to enlarge. Steph, looks great. The guy she's dancing next to? Like a demon. SCARY!!!
Once everyone had danced in, we all line danced together. This was increadibly sad to me for two reasons. First, ever since I was forced to do line dancing in 6th grade P.E. at Lahontan Elementary to Achy Breaky Heart, I had sworn off the evil dance for all eternity. I was forced to break that cherished promise. Second, my hick-o-meter level was raised 34.93745 points. If anyone catches me talking about a possible hair style change to something that is business in the front and party in the back, please shoot me.
It's boogie time.
OH THE SCANDAL! AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL YOU GET TO THE...oh...ah...he's just removing the garter....so...how about that...Favre?
During the dollar dance Dylan didn't want to dance with Tracie...so he paid to dance with Nate.
Derek impressed everyone with his complete lack of typical adolescent inhibition on the dance floor. Way to go Derek. You truly are worthy of that Chick Magnet shirt. Especially since he was hitting on not one, but TWO of the 20+ year old bridesmaids!
I got the dutch girls to dance. HAHAHAHA. go me.
SMACK THAT BOOTY!! GO NATE!!
Went for a walk with Sara on Sunday.
So while we were staying in Dorr, I was Harry Potter. I slept, literally, in the closet under the stairs. It was actually quite comfortable, until anything happened on the main floor. I was essentially sleeping in an amphitheater. Heard everything. You may ask why I chose to do this? Primarily because I didn't want to feel like Sinbad riding a Tsunami every time Steph or I moved a fraction of an inch. I'm not sure what idiot came up with the idea of a water bed, but BAD! BAD IDEA!
On the plane ride back, we saw a lightning storm off in the distance. I found out that a plane going through mild turbulence is a horrible place to try to take a night photo, but I managed to get a few decent pictures.
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