fun reportings

The 4th of July weekend was fun. On Friday the 4th I made a birthday cake for Veronica, my Goddaughter's little sister. It was her first birthday! What fun! I was informed while dropping off the cake that it only had 40 stars and 9 stripes. Twice. :) Now I know.

For dinner, my sister, her boyfriend, and Ryan and I went to a park to have a picnic and play croquet. Ryan snuck up and beat me at the last minute. Poor Emily lost horribly. Actually, she never finished because everyone else was done and she still had two more rings to go. I think it was due to the "Emily Swing". [This unique swing involves locking your arms and violently swinging your entire torso and arms in one swooping motion. Usually, unfortunately, the Emily Swing does not hit the ball very far, despite its fierce momentum.]

The next day (on the 5th) we all went to Christina's parent's house for our traditional 4th of July party. Always a good time. And I got to meet Chrissy's new boyfriend Jon! (Not pictured, sadly.) Quality guy and a great couple! So happy for you Chrissy!

This past Wednesday, Emily, Grant, Ryan and I went on our second double date to the Zoo Brew at Blank Park Zoo. Before that, however, we ate at Spaghetti Works.

Ryan ordered the sampler platter of all the pasta sauces. It was a serving platter and he ate it all! He was so proud of himself that the waitress wrote "All Gone!" with a smiley face on his receipt! So funny!

More fun Spaghetti Works moments: There is a "Love Strength Tester" machine there. As we were walking by on our way out, Grant challenged Emily "I bet you can't get past 'clammy.'" Never challenge a Balch woman. She got "Hot Stuff" and Grant got "Clammy."

I hadn't been to the Des Moines Zoo since I was probably 6 years old. It was a lot smaller than I remembered, but still fun. My favorite thing to do (then and now) was play in the prairie dog crawl space.

Jesus, Thank you for good times!