Fun with Friends from Afar!

On the Fifth of July, we had our biannual get together with all our friends who've moved all over the place! Phil and Liz come from Rochester, NY; Mat, Tonya, and Jeremy all come from Chicago, IL, and Erin and Brad come from Ashley, ND. This Fourth of July weekend was super special because we were also celebrating a bunch of people's birthdays! On the fourth, Liz Busscher had her 30th birthday. Linda (whose house we partied at on Saturday) celebrated her 60th today, along with Liz Perez and my mom who also have birthdays today. And Jeremy turns 33 tomorrow! That is a LOT of people sharing a birthday with America!

Anyway, we gathered at Linda's house on Lake Michigan for some good food and good friends. Phil, Cort, and Mat relax before dinner below. Mat and I hung out inside and discussed paintings and T-shirts.
Tonya and I spent some quality time together...much needed time together!
The weather was so beautiful! Not hardly a cloud in the sky and the lake was gorgeous! Ken goes down to check out the beach this year...which was more beach grass than sand, I'm afraid!
Mat disappeared for awhile...but then we found him lounging on the beach toys enjoying the lake.

Jeremy was just glad to be in Michigan where he could enjoy some Bells Oberon...there is a LONG story behind this, but basically it is not available in Chicago anymore. Yeah, we bribe our friends to see us with beer. Don't judge us!
We even saw someone flying one of those motorized glider things...he buzzed right by us and almost landed in the lake before pulling up. Not my cup of tea, but it was fun to watch!
There were also dogs everywhere! Phil and Liz brought Farely. He loves Linda's house! Erin and Brad brought Morgan, and their new puppy...I mean cow dog...Daisy.
There is nothing like a Lake Michigan sunset to make the day complete!
Tonya and Jer enjoyed the sunset and all the fun on the beach deck.

Friends since middle school: Erin, me, and Tonya!
Once the sun went down, it got pretty chilly, so we all headed inside. Brad cuddles up to his dad-in-law, Paul.
Brad was in rare form, that's for sure! He even sang the Ton Ton song to Tonya. He claims it's a real song, but I have a sneaking suspision he made it up. Good times with good friends! Me, Brad, Linda, and Tonya We won't see the whole group together again until Thanksgiving, so hopefully everyone has a safe and happy summer and fall!