4th of July Weekend!

Mike and I had our first weekend home in almost two months this past weekend. It was incredible!! We had a date night Friday night, slept in, lounged around and ran errands Saturday. It made us appreciate our time at home so much more! Later that afternoon, we attended the 3rd annual Johnson/Sabelhaus 4th of July Party. It was so much fun and wonderful to hang out with friends!!

They had a great turnout with dozens of kiddos running around. Mike and I, once again, got our fix of children and were happy to go home just the two of us.

We just love the Mayer kids (and of COURSE Jen & Kevin), and Jennifer sent us some good pictures from the party:

Future couple, Brady Sabelhaus & Averi Mayer

Jennifer & Me:

Kye & Colby looking pretty ornery:
Jennifer with her little Clemson tiger, Averi:

Fourth of July pictures from the Campbell house to follow soon!!

BIRTHDAY!

I completely forgot about the important day of the last month--- MY BIRTHDAY! I'm one year closer to being able to rent a car. HA! I spent the day at work, and my mom came to take me out to lunch. It was strange to have to go to work on my birthday, but there was no way around it this year! I felt like a little kid when my mom came, though-- she brought me presents to open every hour of the day, brought me roses and took me for a brief shopping trip, too. Such fun!

That evening, Mike and I went to Greenfield for a birthday celebration, Campbell style. Mom made a delicious steak and twice-baked potato dinner plus my all-time favorite dessert: mom's strawberry cheesecake.

Still the royal birthday treatment!

The McNulty's

Following the Shaver wedding, Mike spent a weekend at the lake with the McNulty men for Sean's bachelor party. I was supposed to go to Missouri for Sarah Hummel (now Young)'s wedding, but work kept me from going. Instead, I finally caught up on housework, etc, before another 2 weeks of 12-hour days began!

One weekend passed, and we headed to Fort Wayne for a party-filled weekend celebrating Jacki & Sean! Friday night was a blast at Opus 24 for the rehearsal dinner, dancing and great food. It ended at a piano bar across the street from our hotel. Saturday was the big day! Beautiful wedding, perfect weather, and handsome groomsmen! :)

Following the wedding, the wedding party and dates took a trolley on a tour of Fort Wayne. For about an hour and a half, we danced, enjoyed some beverages and celebrated the McNulty's! They throw quite the party!!!

Mike & Me on the trolley ride:

Jacki & Sean on the back of the trolley!

Kelly & me being blown away on the trolley

Barefoot, Brandon & Mike-- lovin the black on black!!Some of the FIJIs with Mr & Mrs Sean McNulty!!

Where did the time go?

It's almost the end of June, and our weeks are just flying by!

The end of May was Bob & Lea's wedding. We spent race weekend in Crawfordsville, IN catching up with friends who so graciously fly in for every FIJI brother wedding! Allison Clem & I served as pseudo-wedding planners-- creating bouquets, finishing boutionnieres, running errands, etc. The weekend was crazy! The guys had to stay in the dumpiest "hotel" we've ever seen, while the ladies were pampered at a local B&B:

It was so much fun to see the crew again!

Nick (our roommate for the month of August) & Mike:

The beautiful Couple:

The other beautiful couple :) :

Happy Birthday, Colby!

We've had a great weekend!! Friday was fantastic as we celebrated Bob & Lea one last time before their wedding. We were officially donned "married couples" as Bob noted after standing around with drinks and chips, chatting together--- being married people. ha! We grilled out, played cornhole, opened gifts, passed around baby Isaak, drank around the fire pit and ended with a few rousing games of Win, Lose or Draw, where the girls creamed the guys!


Yesterday, Mike and I celebrated the Colbster's 5th birthday with the Mayers. We quickly realized we were the only people there without children. Then Mike jumped in the bouncy house to rough house with the five year olds, and we realized that we are the children. :) We had so much fun! Mike and I also got to try out the new Wii video game system, which was a riot! At one point he and Brad Sabelhaus were on their knees, boxing at the air. A seven year old had to drag them away from the game to sing to Colby.

It was wonderful to catch up with Kevin & Jen! Here are a few favorites from the Mayer house...

Colby (right) thinking hard about his wish.

Us with Averi and Colby. Aren't their kids BEAUTIFUL?

Long time, no blog!

So, we've been MIA on this blogging thing! I've been working 60 hour weeks for the last few weeks, and prior to that was preparing for these weeks of events. It's been crazy, and it's only going to continue!


Easter was so much fun at the Campbell house--- All three girls, one boyfriend, one husband and the parents spent the weekend together. Mom made us Easter baskets one last time (dad has decided no more Easter baskets, but we'll see if that sticks).

So Easter ended and we celebrated Rachel's graduation from college! She's officially a graduate of IWU and hoping to go to med-school in the fall. We're still waiting to hear where, but she'll probably end up in either Pennsylvania or IU Med. She's such a rockstar and a brilliant girl, we have no doubt God has great things in store for her!







Now, May is here! We are staring down the barrel of 8 weddings this summer.... We had the pleasure of Bob & Lea's fine cooking two weekends ago and spending an evening sampling champagnes for their wedding, which is in just a week and a half!! We can't wait to celebrate with them, then Sarah Hummel and Paul and then Jacki & Sean.... three weekends in a row!

Beside weddings, Mike and I have done an overhaul on our yard. It was beautiful to begin with, but it now has a decorative red brick retention wall around the gardens, a new beautiful layer of mulch, no weeds, some serious trimming, and pretty pink hanging baskets on the porch. Pictures will need to follow! We've worked our butts off and are quickly learning the joys and pains of home-ownership.

This weekend the Clems and we are throwing a party for Bob and Lea to celebrate their engagement. Following that, we're celebrating Colby's 5th birthday Spiderman-style on Saturday! Next week I'm jet setting off to LA for two days. Then, come the 30th I'm turning the big 2-4!

Life is good, God is wonderful, and we're happy as clams to be enjoying it together!!

Thornburgs!!!

The groom-to-be the night before the wedding! We headed to Jillian's with Brandon after the rehearsal dinner. Check out his shirt (that Kelly did not see him in that night).

The rehearsal!

The beautiful bride & groom! The Macks :)

Thornburgs!

This weekend was a whirlwind of wedding.... We headed to Evansville Friday afternoon to pick up Mike's tux and get settled in at the Holiday Inn Express. We went through the rehearsal and then enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner downtown Evansville. To be followed by a little partying and celebrating with the groom-to-be, Brandon Thornburg! Between skeeball, basketball, racing arcade cars and buying Brandon all the cheap crap we could with our tickets, the night was a blast.

Saturday, the guys spent the day together at the church while I spent our money at the mall. :) The wedding was beautiful at a quaint church surrounded by stained glass windows. Brandon, if you remember, was the groomsman who passed out at our ceremony. We're happy to report there was no passing out at this wedding!

The reception was, of course, the best part of the weekend. It was at Mike's old stompin' grounds, Cambridge golf course in their Country Club. We were so excited to see all the FIJIs who came and the FIJI women, too! With three FIJI weddings in the next two months, it's tough for those world travelers to make it, but we loved seeing everyone who did.

After a few hours of kickin it on the dance floor, I headed to the bar for a refill. While I was there I commented to an older gentleman, probably about 65, about his dance moves. He and his wife were rockin! Turns out, she's an Alpha Chi alum from IU! No WONDER she was such a good dancer. So I made a new friend that night, too.

CONGRATULATIONS, Brandon & Kelly!

Stay tuned for a few good photos from the wedding........

Connersvine

The Sunday before last, Hunter Smith (punter for the Colts) and his buddy, Chris Wilson, came to visit The Creek for worship! Mike and I arrived super early to be sure and get a good seat (or any seat) because we knew it'd be a crazy Sunday. Because of our excellent planning, we managed to get in line before it was too long to meet Hunter and Chris, who have created a Christian band called Connersvine.







Hunter and Chris were fantastic! They played a few of their acoustic songs and sang along to them. Then Gary, our minister, and the guys sat on stage talking about Connersvine and Hunter's platform as an NFL player who loves Jesus. Very cool! Hunter was intimately open about his relationship with the Lord and his struggles in life.





The Creek incorporated church member's life experiences and changes into one of Connersvine's songs that brought most of the congregation to tears. It was an incredible morning, and I know the room was filled with non-believers who had to have been moved by such a touching message.

What an awesome pair! Check out their website at www.myspace.com/connersvine.

Ms. Hailey Eve

Last month we made another trek to Butler, Indiana for a family wedding. Mike's mom and sisters came home, too, so we had some quality time with the whole family. This includes, miss Hailey Eve who is about 20 months and a whole lot of attitude. She's also a giant ham for the camera!

Unca Mike & Aunt Biz think she's just the greatest thing!

SNOW

I know that the snow in central Indiana has come and gone, but I neglected to put our great snow photos up! So, while we're basking in the 80 degrees and beautiful that it has been lately, here are some friendly reminders of why to love spring:

TEN INCHES!!!

Aren't we cute?

Snow MAN

Snow Bunny!

Lindsay is coming!!!

LINDSAY is coming home!!! It's just for a few days, but she's still coming!! I miss this girl terribly.... She's living in Haiti for two years, and it's Spring Break time where she's teaching.

She'll be coming home this week and making a trip to Indy on Saturday. We're planning a day full of girly things like boutiquing, going out for a nice lunch, shopping, our mandatory trip to Palomino, going out, etc. If anyone is in the area and wants to meet us out on Saturday night, I'm sure she would love it. Give me a call on the cellular, and I will let you know where we'll be!

.......and have a terrific day!

Reminiscing

It's March! We're in our sixth month of marriage and couldn't be happier! I felt a little reminiscent this morning, so I flipped through the wedding photos I have on my desktop...

















My mom!















Fun shot!






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So, I just wanted to share some fun photos that always make me smile! I have good pictures that need to be posted soon, but they haven't made it off the camera yet.


To be continued...

Lindsay

If you haven't looked at Lindsay Downham's blog, you must! Lindsay is one of my best friends and is living in Haiti for TWO years! She has a generous and loving heart with a desire to serve as a missionary.

Lindsay took it upon herself to find someone who works in the missions field in Haiti, build a relationship with them and then find work for her to do there. She's teaching English to adults, helping women learn fundamentals to being self-sufficient, teaching and caring for underprivileged children and so much more. I think her role is continually changing and developing as she continues her stint there.

Many churches and groups stateside have been collecting shoes to send to Lindsay over the past few months. It was an effort organized by the Groves to bless children Lindsay encounters who cannot afford shoes. What a thought-- no shoes!

Doesn't this picture just speak volumes and pull at your heartstrings? Lindsay was on my heart this morning, so I wanted to share her work with you. Please team with us in prayer for her continually over the next year and a half.

Bowling, Anyone?

We had a Campbell & Co. family night to get everyone together after my parents returned from Mexico and before my mom left for Florida for six weeks. It was quite the entertaining evening! First of all, we met in Anderson! For everyone besides the Fergusons, this isn't the ideal location, but it was half way between the college girls and the grown ups. hehe.


We went out to dinner, hit up the sweet bowling lanes for some good family competition and then topped it off with DQ to feed my craving.


Mike & Me showing our nice faces















My mom & dad















Abby, Rachel and me with our "Strike" poses

















The Campbell & Co. clan.... it's growing! The newest face is Rachie's new beau, Shaun! He's a trooper to put up with us.

















If anyone dares to take on Mike & me, we're quite the bowlers! and we're fun, too!

February fun

February! We're already to February.... I cannot believe it!

Mike passed his Series 66 test this month, which was an amazing achievement! Three guys he works with took it earlier in the day, and only one of them passed it. So, Mike's wonderfully thankful to be done studying for a while!

Following the tough testing was the SUPER BOWL!!! What an awesome weekend. I'm sure everyone else shares our joy that the Colts WON!!!!!!!!!! We had a blast at Damon's with a few couples from our small group. Mike and I played card games starting at 1:30 while holding our table for the rest of the group. A little heated competition between spouses is always fun.

Then the Colts smoked the Bears. WOOHOOOOO! Here's a fun shot of our group:















I've had a few events this month and am currently looking out over the ocean on South Beach Miami. It's for work, once again, but it is beautiful! I'm hosting a hospitality suite Tues-Thurs, and Thursday evening is our reception at the Casa Casuarina, better known as the Versace Mansion. Rollin' with the big timers I am! I hope to have some good pictures of the mansion this year--- last year I hadn't figured out my camera, yet.

Regardless, right now the entire city of Indianapolis is snowed in, and I went out at 9am in my capris and tank top to enjoy the sun. I could go for a snow day, though, to sleep in and hang out with my hubby!

I will return soon, and I promise to be better about keeping up with this. Hopefully work will settle down post-Miami!

Give us a buzz...... our schedules are settling down, and who wants that?? We have a 21st birthday party for Rachel, a family wedding, and a weekend ski trip on tap in the next month, but we'd love to see you too! (Especially those of you out of the country who we miss terribly)

Much love to you! xoxo

January with the Macks!

January was quite the whirlwind for us! We thought the holidays would end and life would settle down, but not in January!! It was so much fun, though.....





New Year's Eve was spent with two other Jones couples at our home. We made a fancy filet mignon dinner, complete with shrimp cocktail appetizers and plenty of wine. After that, we entertained ourselves with games for the rest of the evening. (Never a bad time for game playing!) This picture, although not a fun party picture, is my favorite. It's our beautiful new china place setting that we served dinner on. I'm such a girl!

















After New Years, we had the exciting countdown of the Colts season! For the AFC Championship game, we had a prime spot downtown Indianapolis with the rest of Indianapolis cheering on the Colts. After the awesome win, we ran around the streets of downtown in the drizzle and cold screaming, chanting and celebrating the victory. Fans were running up and down the sidewalks, streets and driving with people coming out of all windows of their vehicles. It was AWESOME! Here's our picture with the hot off the presses Colts win in print:

If you had x-ray vision, you could see our super fan Colts gear, but instead check out those excited smiles. :)

Following the Colts game, I spent 5 days in Las Vegas working at the World of Concrete Convention. I know, I know--- exciting stuff. It wasn't really vacation material, but it did let Mike test out his bachelor skills. He tells everyone that when he'd get hungry, he couldn't figure out why dinner wasn't sitting on the table. Well, his freezer was well-stocked, and while I was eating amazing dinners on the company dollar, he managed on frozen pizzas, chicken meals and jimmy dean breakfasts. We're not really cut out for long periods of time apart!

Long time, no see!

We're baaaaack! So sorry for the long hiatus from blogging. Work has been crazy, so I haven't had the luxury of blogging/e-mail time as usual. Of course, I don't want to spend my home time online, either, so poor blogger was neglected.

What's new with the Macks? First, Christmas was wonderful! It was a whirlwind of family, traveling and celebrations. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Christmas:

Hailey, our beautiful niece and me in our Christmas pajamas!

Mike being sweet with Hailey Eve :

(We can't publish Mike in his Christmas pajamas--ha!)

Our stockings hung with care:

Mike and I had a wonderful Christmas celebration. It happened a few days after Christmas, but it was nice. Prior to that, we were in Connersville, Butler and Greenfield within three days and then Kokomo the weekend after.

Now on to the next month of blogging I missed! (See next post)