My Life, My Sweetness, My Blog

Happy Anniversary Little Blog. I've loved growing with you. I've loved sharing my life with you. Mainly I love stalking you to reminisce on the photo collages past and present. It doesn't feel like it's been a full year of blogging. But I really am grateful for the opportunity you gave me to blab.

So one year later and this was a huge one. It was providence that I started blogging at precisely the moment I did. I was thus able to document the end of my DC summer, my senior year, getting engaged, excitement to wedding plan, stress about wedding plan, leaving my city, graduating, moving to a new city, getting a job... It really was a big one.

When I started this blog I thought it would be to share my life with those I love, now I realize that I am the majority of my own page views. It's really just a way to say, "Hello world, meet egocentric Rylee." You're welcome. This is why I get giddy when I receive a text or phone call or in life conversation that starts with, "read your blog and..." or "don't find this creepy but I actually read your blog..." or "your latest post..." or "I told someone else to read your blog..." these are all ways in which I am affirmed that my life is of some interest to someone other than me, and Tim who reads primarily in fear of how I will respond if he doesn't, and that maybe it might be worth it for more than just me. 

So, thanks for stopping by and stick around if you'd like. I'd definitely like. It's going to be a big year around here, getting married, starting my first big kid job, moving to a new city, living the newlywed life. You know ya know? Just every major life change for your twenties all at once? So blog year two, let me at it!

Our Lady of the Blogoshpere, Pray for us.

Love Ludington

For my family, summer means Ludington, Michigan. It's real pure up there so we try to head north as much as possible, ya know?

It's Murphy's favorite thing ever. He's a lake pup so you start loading up the car and he will sit there waiting for you to leave because he refuses to be left behind.

It's a great small town full of family members which means many, many, many family parties.

My Aunt Kelly has taught me the ropes of all things garage sale-ing. It's good going with a professional who maps out her morning and know a deal as soon as she walks up the drive. We've been buying wedding things and apartment things and things things all summer for super cheap and it's the best. I've always said frugal on the side of cheap.

 Kitchen chairs? Check.

Frames? Check.

Notre Dame glasses? Check.

Cake stands? Check.

Really awesome coffee tables? double check. 

But seriously I got this Lane table for $20 and I am obsessed. It might be my favorite thing that I own. It's so heavy and sturdy with the fun spindly legs and a washed antique gray look. Happy. Joy.

The problem with garage saling in a small town is you can happen upon some very disturbing location and items. The freakiest one from this summer? Wandering around an abandoned storage unit to find the sale.

Maddie let me style her, inspired by STB in all ways.

But no weekend of this summer will be void of wedding planning. Not a second of this summer was void of wedding planning really. And not just for me. I guilt most everyone I can into helping all the time.

Maddie is our Cricket Queen. All hail the Cricket Queen.

Playing tourist in your own small town is simply wonderful. I highly recommend. And if you don't live in a small town? Leave for the day and find one because it is one of the most refreshing things you could do. It's sad because it took me leaving the country to realize that. So many of my best European adventures were off the beaten path at a slower pace of life. Now I'm appreciating America in the way I did in Europe. Make sense? Probably not because at this point I am just rambling.

Moral of this blog post:

Plan your next vacation for Pure Michigan, more than just Tim Allen recommend it.

July 4

This holiday is our family's holiday. I know it is big for family time for a lot of families. But really. This is our family holiday, over Christmas and Easter and Flag day. We choose Independence Day.

I already posted about our early afternoon here. So now, more pictures of our day:

Little ones make cousin time even more fun.

We spent some quality cousin time out on the lake at the dunes (not pictured for fear of dropping camera in said lake). All the aunts and uncles were waiting on the back porch for us to return home for dinner, so we came back singing. Except for Murph who was so over it.

And the boys who were too far behind the boat to hear the music...

The winners of the Independence Day Open needed a winners team shot. 

Ronni showed her true feelings for her dad and sister winning bragging rights for a year...

The next day and we are back on the boat again.

When we started slowing down to get to the dunes Murphy showed just how nervous he was for those of us on the tube.

So he jumped in to try and save us. And almost killed himself. But we succeeded in pulling him onto the tube with us and he succeeded in looking like a drowned rat.

Every year there are fireworks on Lake Michigan. I didn't take photos, whoops. But the following night there are more fireworks on our lake. We head to Upper Hamlin and eat and roast and gaze and ooh and ahh with the Hankwitz's. As I said, cousin time is our thing.

At the end of the show, my uncle shows his gratitude with his train horn hooked up to the air compressor.

Love my family. Love this holiday. Love being home for it.

But I was a bit nostalgic about last 4th of July with these two beauts and ice cream shots and celebrating our great nation in the capital. Miss you.

Independence Day Invitational

The fourth annual Firecracker Open was celebrated 10 days ago now. It was the first year that my immediate family participated in the Fourth of July Magee Family Scrambles Tournament put on and organized by uncles and cousins. We la-la-loved it and I am already super pumped for next year! It will be the annual occasion of the only time Rylee golfs because there is no pressure. If you really really stink (like yours truly) it's okay because they don't have to wait for you to finish your 9 stroke hole... this always makes people frustrated, can't see why...

Most patriotic award goes to these two, complete with a light up cup!

Bryce was our A player, he was way more into than I was, not that it was hard. 

*Not pictured: Ryan barely missing this putt and laying on the ground to try and blow it into the hole.

He might be dancing, but then again who knows?

Maddie and Grandma were on the same cart all day (and Shafer rode the back which he loved) and she had her taking many, many Snap Chat selfies. 21st Century Grandma.

The matriarch and her boys.

She was our designated driver and designated booze buyer. Something about that seems wrong.

Thomas is most definitely the best of our immediate family at the sport. Which isn't saying much because compared to the rest, we are awful. But hey! On one hole they used my drive!

We might have only three way tied for third place, but we were definitely the most fun team.

Dad and Randy were perfectly patriotic while sharing a cart.

As they were starting the first hole again to break the tie, some of us really had to go to the bathroom and some of us really needed more beer. Well the whole group met up at the clubhouse and altogether became the beer cart. Ronni tossed cans to willing golfers.

 2014 Magee Family Open

Around the Clock

You guys, I've gotten really good at wearing white dresses.

Tim's family hosted yet another bridal shower for me the following weekend during their lake week. Which means almost all of his aunts and cousins were present (which is a huge number of people). The beach house was beautiful (Thanks Chris and Judy!) and the company fantastic. The gifts were so generous and the whole thing was themed. Around the Clock. So in their invitation, each family member was assigned a specific hour, starting at 6am. The gifts were clever and fun and some even required a pretty in depth back story. It was a great afternoon.

Tim brought in the first gift fresh off the beach (not in theme). 

He made these. Left: Indiana. Right: Massachusetts. Whenever we're together, you're my home.

I told them he could sell these. He kind of shrugged me off but I'm looking into getting my crafty man an Etsy site because he's been saving bottle caps for the past four years and this project barely made a dent in them. 

The shower was complete with games including putting panty hose on with oven mitts, RYLEE scategories, and Right/ Left. As is the case with Leliaert women, everything was loud and fiercely competitive. My sisters were loving it.

They were especially loving winning the prizes.

Leliaert bridal showers include everyone giving at least one pair of panties. Oddly humiliating to do with your future in-laws. But the whole thing was hilarious and I can't help but understand why it's a tradition they keep around, more of an induction really. Every time they choose a different and creative thing to do with them. As seen, mine were hung with clothespins behind my chair. I was just really happy to not have been the bride who had to break open the pinata full of them.

After making his appearance at the party he went and cleaned up so he could return to give many many thank yous and for a photo op.

Obviously, a special thanks to our moms is in order. These women are the most wonderful and most supportive of our getting married so young, with no savings, and no idea what we are doing. After all, they are always sharing their beautiful success stories and they are the strongest women we know. So if they can do it, we totally have a chance.

Missed ya Tor, can't wait for you to get back in a week. Thanks for letting me wear your dress!