I Guess It's Official....

I guess it's official, because it will be going in the paper!

"Rachel Marie Hamberg and David Andrew Schwartz were united in marriage on May 31st, 2008 by the Rev. Dr. Daniel Gillette, at Dimnent Memorial Chapel in Holland, MI. Parents of the couple are Scott and Jean Hamberg of Holland and Alec and Joanne McC. Schwartz of Conifer, Colorado. Katie Hamberg was the Maid of Honor and Christopher Sisco served as Best Man. Also attending the couple were bridesmaids Mealea Chhong, Dana Taylor and Jamie Vandenbrink and groomsmen Christopher Gall, Michael Powell and Christopher Waco. The flower girl was Macey Burgess, and the ring bearer was Jacob Adrian. Assisting as ushers were Keith Hollenkamp and Dan Nykerk. Also assisting the couple as mistresses of ceremony were Brenda Hollenkamp and Rachel Nykerk. Music was provided by Deb Koopmans. Following the ceremony, a reception was held at AlpenRose in Holland. The couple honeymooned in Spain. The bride is a graduate of Holland High School and Western Michigan University and is employed at Avenue A/Razorfish marketing agency in Chicago. The groom is a graduate of Oak Park & River Forest High School, the University of Minnesota and the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, and is employed at Orbitz Worldwide in Chicago."

By the way, to now reach Rachel at work, her "new" email address is:

rachel.schwartz@avenuea-razorfish.com

Time To Catch Up....

This is my dear friend, Lynne - We went for manicures (at "Smooch" in Holland) - for her birthday. Girls! It's a fun place - we should all go! In this pic, we're having dinner at Alpen Rose - that brought back wonderful memories for both of us, as our Rachel and her Katie both had their wedding receptions there within three weeks of each other!

How's everyone? Summer is flying by - I've been negligent in posting lately, so really can't even remember what I've told you recently. A couple of weeks ago I had a bridal shower at our house for my niece Megan, who is getting married in a couple of weeks. (Ahhhh, I think a few of you heard the stories about that one....) Anyway, it turned out really well, and Megan seemed pleased. Below are a couple of pictures.

Last weekend we were in Chicago for an art fair in Oak Park (Dave's hometown), while he was actually up north with some of his friends at a cottage. So it was us and the girls - as "per normal" we totally enjoyed the weekend and spending some time with them. Scott sold one of his original paintings (the one he called "Cottage Row" - based on a picture he had taken when we were at cousin Dave & Mary's cottage for one of our Nykerk reunions). So that was very nice! Speaking of Dave, he is in town again - he called me last night and is going to try to arrange another get together at the cottage for a week night sometime in the next couple of weeks. I think they have use of the cottage until the end of August. So stay tuned on that one....

He is interested in having Scott paint a picture of their cottage, so we'll see how that goes.

When we were in Chicago we were delighted to see Katie's new apartment! The Katie Kat has done well for herself - her place is beautiful! She is now in the process of decorating, unpacking, etc. Scott left for home on Sunday morning (we took two vehicles), and Rachel had work to do, so Katie and I had a fun day together going to IKEA to pick up a few things for her apartment. She called me later that night to let me know that she had already put together a red metal stand that we bought for her kitchen. Carol - she called to get your address last night and will be mailing you a key to her apartment in the next day or two (Carol will be spending the night there when she arrives in Chicago in Sept - meanwhile, we'll all be in Holland at Megan's wedding).

We've been lucky lately to see the kids quite a lot. In fact, the girls and Ally are driving home tonight because they are both standing up for Jamie (remember her as one of Rachel's bridesmaids?) at her wedding this weekend. It's in Ludington, but they'll be spending the night here tonight and driving up there tomorrow (and Dave will join them on Saturday).

OK, that's enough for now. I'm thinking of all of you - REALLY looking forward to our trip up North!

See below for a few pics of "this and that" from the last few weeks.....(I CAN'T believe I forgot to take pics of Katie's new apartment! Kate - you'll have to post some...)

At the bridal shower - Megan and her mom, Shelley (Scott's sister)

My sister-in-law, Julie, her daughter Amanda, Megan and Me

A couple of pics from the Block Party at First Church - look at these beauties!

Look at this little doll. She's saying, "where's all the candy?" (Cool shoes, Mace!)

How about this get-up that we saw at Art in the Park? Check out the doggies and their matching sweaters. Ha Ha.

Weekend: Art in the Park = Good; Tigers = Bad

All in all, it was a lovely weekend. Picture-perfect weather for Art in the Park, and as usual, it was fun to be there and visit with lots of people that we don't often see. Sales were also pretty good, especially considering the economy. Many people ask us if we have a website, and I have to confess, "my bad" (that's the current lingo, right?), in that I haven't gotten around to doing that yet (I promised Scott I would). We want to be able to post new artwork and let people know about shows we're doing, etc. We also may eventually try to sell online, or maybe put a link in our site to http://www.etsy.com/, the site where tons of people sell their homemade wares online. You can set up a site there for free. I think Carol is thinking of selling some of her crafts on etsy.com, too - right, sis?

Rachel and Katie made a "pitstop" at home late Saturday night. They had been in Kazoo for a bachelorette party, and then had a bridal shower in Zeeland on Sunday, so they spent the night at our house. It's always so great to see them! Rachel N. was nice enough to drop Dad off at our house after church (we had "skipped" to spend some time with the girls in the am), and so he had blueberry pancakes with us and was able to see the girls for a little bit before they had to leave.

I'm already looking forward to Carol's visit! She will be arriving in Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 13 and will spend the night in Katie's new apartment. The kids will all be Holland that day for my niece Megan's wedding. We'll drive back to Chicago (I'll take my own car) and then I'll spend a day or two in Chicago with Carol prior to driving back to Holland. We'll be attending the "Renegade Handmade Craft Fair" on Sunday, located right around the corner from Dave and Rachel's condo. http://www.renegadecraft.com/# Carol will be staying for about a month, so that ROCKS!

Do I REALLY need to say anything about the Tigers? I think not.

"Top Flight" Weekend in Chicago!

What a Super Sister - She Made Katie a Cake!

Just returned from a wonderful weekend in Chicago - as my dear sister, Carol, likes to say, "It was top flight." First off, our host and hostess, Mr. & Mrs. David Schwartz, were delightful. Not only did they open their home to us, they also cooked for us (delicious salmon that Dave caught in Lake Michigan, a yummy fruit salad, and other goodies, including a chocolate cake that Rachel made to celebrate Katie's new apartment (see pic above. You will notice I went a little nuts with the pictures in this post....) Next, we also had the company of our sweet Katie all weekend. And to top things off, the weather was great and Ally went everywhere with us!

We got into Chicago early Friday evening and met Katie at the Dick Blik art store on State Street (Scott wanted to check out that store). From there, we decided we wanted to eat outside, so Katie suggested the Park Grill in Millenium Park. Great fun and good food. The Tiger/White Sox game was on, and fortunately for us, we left before the disastrous last couple of innings. Next, I talked Katie into showing us her office in the AON building, right next to the park. That was great fun - she works on the 10th floor, and has a great office space - I kidded her that it's even bigger than her boss'. Ha Ha. I am so proud of her!

Then it was on to Rachel and Dave's place, where we were welcomed with open arms - their condo looks so beautiful, and we were able to see all of the lovely wedding presents they received. They also bought a terrific new china cabinet to hold all of their china and silver and it looks gorgeous sitting in their living area. Miss Ally seemed very happy to see us, too!

Most of the weekend was spent relaxing and enjoying the Wicker Park neighborhood. We drove past Katie's new apartment on Saturday. She showed us some pictures of the inside - it looks great! - but we weren't able to go inside just yet because she won't be moving for a couple of weeks. But, we saw it from the outside, and it looks very, very nice. I am just tickled with the location, because she is just a few blocks from Dave and Rachel's place. Then we walked around at a neighborhood sidewalk sale and street festival. We took Ally to a dog park on the way back to the condo. That evening, Katie left to attend a going away party for her friend Leslie, who will be moving to L.A., but Scott and I spent a lovely evening with Dave, Rachel and Ally. After the delicious dinner on their rooftop deck, we watched the fireworks from the Venetian Festival. We could see them quite well from there!

This morning, Dave drove all of us (including Katie) to a dog beach on Lake Michigan, not more than 15-2o minutes away from Wicker Park. What a sight to behold! Tons of dogs from all over, all shapes and sizes, were scampering in the sand and swimming in Lake Michigan. Of course Ally was in heaven. She fetched her ball until she could hardly swim anymore, and then of course we knew it was time to go. She will sleep very well tonight, I'm sure. We ended our visit by going out for brunch at a resturant right around the corner from the condo. What a totally fun, enjoyable weekend we had! It was just great.

The older I get, the more I treasure family times together. We are so blessed to have such wonderful children, and extended family too! Love to all of you!

"The Bean" at Millennium Park - picture taken from our outdoor table.

Katie with Dad.....

"Here Dad, see the pictures of my new place!"

Katie Kat and Me.

Ms. Hamberg, at your service...

Anyone who has their own printer must be someone special!....

Sidewalk sale in Wicker Park....

That Dave - he fits right in with the family, doesn't he?

Lucky me.

Dog Beach

Ally could stay here all day....

Fun times.....

Awwwww......

One of the "apples of his eye..." (brunch at "Moonshines")

The other "Apple of her Dad's Eye". What does that make Dave? The core? Ha Ha. We love you, Dave!

I did it! Below is my first attempt at posting a video.....

It's Been A Weird Week.....

Sleeping like a baby at the Stafford Bay Inn in Petoskey - does he look comfortable or what?

Scott and I enjoyed a pleasant few days "up north" last week, and returned to work this past Monday, as usual. Things seemed kind of quiet in my department at Haworth, and the few people who were there seemed a bit subdued. I didn't think much about it, until my manager walked in and stopped by my desk to ask about my weekend. I told her it was nice and then asked "did I miss anything while I was gone?" She gave me a funny look and said, "let's talk." So, she took me aside and filled me in on what everybody else already knew - she was going to resign that day. This is a person who has worked at Haworth for 21 years (she's 49), and has been the only manager I've had since I've worked there (her name is Beth Straebel). She made the decision after much soul-searching, various life-changing events, and other stuff that's going on at Haworth right now. I think she just realized that life is too short and she needs to follow her heart (she's really a free spirit, and she's married to an artist), so she's stepping out on a limb and going for it (no kids, so that helps as far as finances). Anyway, we're all in a state of shock, and today was her last day. She was a great manager, and I'm going to miss her, but beyond that, our department is in kind of a mess, now. None of us know where we're going to end up, so that's a bit unnerving. We'll probably all end up working in different parts of the company, but we really don't know. Hopefully things will become more clear soon, or I may just follow her out the door. Ha Ha. Time will tell...

On a much more cheerful note, I'm happy to report that the lovely Miss Kate has just found herself a new apartment! It sounds beautiful, and she is very excited. It's in an older building but it's been completed gutted and rehabbed (3 apartments total, one on each floor). So it has hardwood floors, all new appliances, etc. I'm glad that my girl will have such a nice place! She will be able to move in in just a couple of weeks. Also, what's really nice is that she'll be living in Wicker Park, just a few blocks from Dave & Rachel! OK, girls - time for a road trip!

We're looking forward to seeing the kids and Ally. We'll be staying at Rachel and Dave's, and they are even going to make us a nice dinner on Saturday night. It happens to be the Venetian Festival in Chicago this Saturday, so we'll be able to watch fireworks from their deck. Fun times!

Meanwhile, the Tigers are making me very happy - they are really on a roll. Keep it up boys!

Hope all of you have a great weekend!

My Boss and Friend, Beth (Going Away party at Holland Brewery tonight)

We both stopped by to wish her well...

My goofy friend, Claudia....

Tears were shed (Beth and her husband, Phil)

No Matter the Score, What a Fun Day!

Cute Tiger Fans Who Sat Next To Us!

Scott and I thoroughly enjoyed taking in the Tiger's game with Keith and Brenda yesterday! As Brenda says in her blog, we also stopped at Tiger Stadium on the way to Commerica Park, to take some pictures. After the success of his Wrigley Field print, Scott is planning on painting pictures of both ballparks. I must say, it was sad to see Tiger Stadium being torn down and looking so poorly, but it brought back memories of great games I've seen there. With Yankee Stadium being torn down after this year, looks like Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are two of the last old ballparks still around.....

We had great seats (thanks, Rachel, for finding them online for us!), along the 3rd baseline, 35 rows behind the Tiger dugout. A group of six guys from Connecticut sat in front of us - they were a lot of fun. Every year this group of guys goes to a different ballpark together, and this year it was Commerica Park. They each had $5-10 bucks (all dollar bills) that they bet on different plays ("I say 3-1 that this will be a double play", etc.) and I took my little $5 in bills and got in on the action, too. Ha Ha. It was fun, even though I lost my money in the end. One guy in the group (who wasn't playing) said, "just watch, by the end of the game everyone will end up with the same money they started with", and I think he was right.

The people next to us were fun, too. It was a couple who had three teenage girls who had dressed up as the ultimate Tiger fans - see picture above. They were really cute, and spent most of the time walking around the stadium.

PAWS, the Tiger mascot, spent a lot of time in our section, and for a time he was right behind us. After he patted Scott on the head, I took a couple of pictures.

I'm writing this blog after Sunday's game and I'm happy to say that finally the Tigers beat the Twins! What a struggle. I was glad to see that this time Todd Jones was able to finish the game and not blow the lead. Let's hope they get on a major roll after the All Star break.

Looking forward to this week, only two days to work, then we head up to Petoskey....

This Website Made Me Laugh Out Loud

I was looking online today at a website about a craft show in Chicago, called "The Renegade Handmade Craft Fair" - it's taking place right around the corner from Dave & Rachel's condo, on Sept. 13 & 14. Sounds like fun.

http://www.homecompanionmag.com/help_me_find_it/worth_the_trip/craft_for_cool_customers.asp

Anyway, while reading their website, I came across this company from Chicago that makes handmade items - it's called "Mr. Pickles." The name intrigued me. I visited the website. I proceeded to almost die laughing. It's probably my warped sense of humor, but I thought the descriptions of their "friends" (click on the "Friends" tab) were hilarious. We can all use a good laugh, right?

http://www.mrpickles.com/

Oh, and by the way, I WASN'T laughing after that Tiger's loss, after being ahead 6-2 for most of the game. Ahhhhhhhhh, wha' happened? (Carol, I think they actually sent "Jethro Bodine" back to the minors..)