The Final Countdown...

Marty is coming to visit on Friday! I am so ready to see that man again...

A Wedding on the Lake

I'm finally finding some time to post pictures and stories from my long weekend in Holland, Michigan. The highlight of the trip was definitely Aaron and Sarah's beautiful wedding (the whole reason we went out there), but it was really fun to show my friends around Holland and to have a few chances to play outside.

We left on Wednesday night at 7 and booked it to Michigan. We only stopped for gas... and one Starbucks stop in Iowa. Driving through the night wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. And driving with 5 people in my CR-V wasn't as bad as we expected, either. We laughed a lot, rocked out to Dan's awesome iPod playlist (including Michael Jackson and Seal), played 'get to know you' games and tried to sleep as we could. Not much sleeping happened that night and so Thursday night in Holland was brutal.

While in Holland, we visited with my grandparents and also hung out with another camp friend named Jess. She got a kick out of playing hostess for the weekend -- we went kayaking and boogie boarding (yep - in Lake Michigan - the waves were huge!), out for dinner, played games, and walked around the Holland farmer's market.

The wedding was on Saturday afternoon. It was a great wedding! Both the wedding and reception were at Sarah's grandparents' house in Grand Haven. They live on a hill right next to the lake, so the views from where the ceremony was held were breathtaking. It had rained all day in Grand Haven, but as the bridesmaids started walking down the aisle, the sun came out and it ended up being perfect weather for a party.

Bill and Dana Darrough, the founders and owners of Camp Timberline, also came to the wedding. They were fun wedding guests and it was great to share a table with them! The reception was under a tent in the front yard. Dinner was amazing... tapas! It was a fun night.

I'm glad we went. I know it meant a lot to Aaron and Sarah and the trip was a nice little vacation to end the summer well.

I took a ton of pictures. Most of them are on facebook. Click this link if you'd like to see all of them. Here are some of my favorites*...

and we're off!

a little picnic before kayaking

the kayaking crew! 4 boats... 5 people... can you guess who flipped?

farmers market flowers for my grandma. dahlias may be my new favorites!

dan brass. great guy!

my friend jess... we were in the same small group all summer last year at camp!

all set for the festivities. thanks for having us over, grandpa & grandma!

all the kids

dan, dana and bill before the ceremony

amazing setting for a wedding!

aaron and sarah making their vows

the crawfords - i love that they took pictures with their lucy dog!

camp timberline love in michigan. how fun!

i didn't actually do it. thought about it, though...

glad i was there!

dana and bill... a great couple!

sarah: "we don't know what we're doing"
aaron: "keep touching!"

the men of camp timberline

best. picture. ever.

the wedding was up under the white tent

what a sweet friend!

oh how excited we were to see that sign... the trip home was tooooo long!

*I'm terrible at narrowing them down... I should've just made a slideshow... :)

Road trip 09... The starting lineup...

Tomorrow night I'm driving to Michigan with these crazy people...

To see these crazy people get married...

And we're staying with these crazy people...

We're leaving Colorado at 7 p.m on Wednesday, driving through the night, hanging out in Holland for a few days, watching the nuptials of Aaron and Sarah, and driving home on Sunday.

5 people in the car for 36 hours... I'm sure I'll have plenty of stories to tell!

Happy Anniversary you two...

Eric and Danielle just celebrated four blissful years of marriage. I think this video best showcases their relationship. Congrats E & D!

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Roma... the artist :)

I got this letter in the mail from my sweet niece, Roma. Thanks, big girl!!

Brown Bananas

I have been buying bananas lately, but not eating them quickly enough. What do you do with brown bananas? Bake this bread. It's great!


Banana Bread

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped (optional)
  

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour

Time wasters.

Some people have too much time on their hands and blog about everything. Like me.

But then there are some people who have taken blogs to the complete next level... their blog is their passion, their baby, their heart and soul. They're funny, sarcastic, satirical, and let's face it -- they make this whole internet thing worthwhile.

There are three that I get a kick out of.

Cake Wrecks
This blog's tagline is "when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong..." I guess you have to give the cake decorators credit... at least they tried...

Awkward Family Photos

This blog brings laughter to the Versluys home weekly. We laugh because we can admit that we've had our fair share...

Probably Bad News

Aren't typos awesome? Especially when they're printed on something for the whole world to see...

Just another Wednesday night

Pick up dinner at Chipotle. Drive up into the mountains. Enjoy good conversation. Listen to Mom freak out about mountain lions and sing "Hi Ho" to distract them. Check out beautiful things that God created.

Remember how thankful I am for those parents... even when they sing Disney songs on the trail.

Sweet Summer

Life is about to get crazy. But it's all exciting stuff, so I'm glad. Here's what's coming up on my radar...

Playing at church, driving to Michigan for a wedding, Marty's visit, leading with Young Life at CU, my birthday, playing at church again, volunteering in my friend's 2nd grade classroom, a weekend retreat in the mountains with Young Life, a bridal shower for my best friend, my trip to St. Louis, welcoming little miss Nora (my newest niece), and my best friend's wedding. All in the next 8 weeks.

Whew.

Marty's getting his classroom ready, things are getting busy, school supplies are nearly sold out at Target... the summer is coming to a close. But wow, it was an amazing summer. I loved being here and enjoying the Colorado summer. I especially enjoyed cultivating friendships with the people who are closest to my heart...







I'm looking forward to what's next. I want to take steps of faith this fall and to embark on new adventures. I know we still have a month of summer left, but bring on the fall!

Story time...

I posted about the Lessmann family the other day. Now I'm going to tell you just why I'm so fond of them... especially one of them.

Meet Marty Lessmann. High school Math teacher. Bass in the church choir. Baseball & golf coach. Expert fly fisherman. Nature lover. Captain of this summer's sailboat down in the Caribbean. 25 years old. Youngest of four. Resident of St. Louis, Missouri. Nicknamed "Moose" by everyone around him. Praises God often. Great, great guy.


Marty and I met last summer at Camp Timberline, where we both worked as counselors. A friendship quickly grew, but things happened that caused us to not make much contact for a year. Fast forward to July 2009. I was online and saw that Marty was too, so I said "hello!" He told me he'd be in Colorado that next week and asked if I'd want to get together. We ate ice cream and talked about the past year, reminisced, and shared stories of exciting things coming up.

Over the course of the ten days that Marty was in town, we got to see each other a bunch of times: at church (where after meeting Marty, my Uncle Steve whispered in my ear, "Ok... I approve"), while I watched Bjorn one day, at his brother & sister in law's house, and during a nice drive in the mountains. The more and more we hung out, the more and more we started thinking, "hmmm... what's this I'm feeling here?"

After driving up into the mountains, we sat outside of the Best Western hotel while drinking chai tea and coffee (Mart wasn't really drinking his, he was more so spilling it on his white polo shirt). It was on that bench that we were really able to talk about what was on our hearts and confess to each other that we were way interested in getting to know the other person. No pressure, no agenda, no rushing, just experiencing who that person is.

Marty then left for Michigan and Indiana for a week for his friend's bachelor weekend and wedding. The week that he was gone was a great time for us to pray, think, talk, and wonder what could be next. I just remember thinking about how excited I was to see him again -- he'd return to Colorado after the wedding to go backpacking with his dad, whom he calls "Pops". It was also good to know that he was surrounded by people who love him so much and to hear him tell story after story of conversations with those people.

This is going to be a long post. Bear with me.

After he returned to Colorado for round two, Marty and I got to see each other again. Paul (Marty's best friend) and his wife Kara needed a ride to the airport, so we drove them to Terminal West -- and laughed the whole way there. On the drive back, M and I were able to talk about the past week and to share our fears, but also our excitement. We agreed that love is a risk... one we're both willing to take. He made me blush when he slyly asked to hold my hand. After getting to his sister's house, hanging out with the family, and walking his sister's dog, we sat at a little park until late late at night... sharing, talking, laughing, praying, and realizing God's hand in all of it.

Marty and Pops then ventured out into the mountains and to the Continental Divide for a few days. He had told me "look at the moon and know that I'm looking at it, too"... as corny as I thought it was, I found myself (and still find myself) glancing at the sky thinking of this man I'd met a year ago. After a few days of backpacking, Marty returned and I picked him up at a nearby Panda Express (don't ask why, that's just where Pops dropped him off). We got to finally spend the afternoon together and enjoy how comfortable it was. We ate macaroni and cheese for lunch, looked at pictures on my computer, watched Marley and Me and shopped for some new school clothes for Mr. Lessmann. We ended the day by spending time with his family and eating yummy halibut, steak, parmesan risotto, brocolli slaw (from Costco -- good stuff!) and fruit. I love sitting around the dinner table with the Lessmanns!


The next day, Thursday, was our last together before Marty had to return to St. Louis to get ready for his students and the school year. We knew it would be a bummer to say goodbye, but we also know we'd be seeing each other soon. We ventured down to Pearl Street to go to happy hour at West End tavern. That was when we both really started to feel like a couple. We cooked dinner at my house, enjoyed a good bottle of wine, listened to music, and simply enjoyed time together.

So, you may ask.... who really is this Marty Lessmann to you, Annette Versluys? Marty is my man. My main squeeze. My boyfriend. And that's fun! The last three weeks have been completely unexpected. We agree that we would have NEVER expected to be reunited and to start dating. Sure, it's long distance. But I told him last night "those 843 miles are 843 reasons to praise God for what He's doing in our lives." Plus it helps that we've both booked plane tickets to see each other... he's coming out here again at the end of the month and I'm headed to the 'Lou on September 17. Like I said before, it's a risk... that we're willing to take!

People, I'll tell you... it's easy. Natural. Fun! I don't have to strive when I'm around him and I don't have to be anyone but me. The huge amount of grace that Marty extends is inspiring. It's obvious that he trusts God and recognizes Christ in his life and mine. He points me toward the Cross. But along with that, he's real. Authentic. He does little things that impress me in huge ways. I appreciate him even more this year than I did last. The past year has been one of growth and recognizing my need for the Lord, and it's so good to know that this man is going to always encourage me as I walk with Jesus and try to live life the way He intended.

::thank you, self-timer for these fun shots::

Bailey Baker

A few months ago, I joined a new Bible study. I love it. I'm thankful that I get to call everyone in the group friend. Sometimes we hang out outside of Tuesday nights and last night was one of those nights.

Courtney and Brian, one of the couples in the group, just adopted a little Chocolate Lab named Bailey. He's two months old, a little shy, likes to lick faces, and attacks his squeaky sheep. Last night a few of us got together for a "Welcome Bailey" party. It was fun to meet the pup and great to hang out with friends!

Courtney got all creative and made a "Welcome Bailey" cake. Cute!

Austin's Bug

I've gotten to hang out with almost all of the Lessmanns lately (more on why later)... I could say things like these people are so warm and awesome, but that wouldn't do them justice. The big brother of the littlest Lessmanns, Austin, is an absolute crack up. He loves talking about mowing the lawn and pretends to shave his legs with a crayon. Big imagination! We found a praying manitis on Wednesday night which quickly became Austin's pet. When asked what he wanted to name his bug, Austin responded, "Tigger!". We eventually let Tigger go into the wild (I mean the backyard), so this picture is for Austin to remember his new pet for an evening.