Even better!

Thanks to Dan Falicki for his mad photoshop skillz.

Josh's Modeling Career

I would like to know where the money from this gig went.

A birth.

This afternoon I realized that the new Plainfield Meijer had opened today. I happened to be talking to Melissa right then and did my usual rubbing-in: "Melissa, I'm going to BRAND NEW SHINY MEIJER RIGHT NOW." See, Melly lives in LA and misses her Meijer desperately. I let her live vicariously through me, but I'm not always nice about it. Anyway, it was decided that I would go and take covert photos. The place was teeming with smiling staff in new shirts, which made the photography endeavor difficult. All the Holt Swimming girls can tell you that Meijer no likey cameras in their store. Somehow I made it out of there without criminal prosecution...



They built the new store behind the old store, which closed yesterday...obviously, they're not using this entrance yet...but soon the parking lot will be a whole lot bigger!



Hello, Hay Fever!



Very covert shot of the "WOOHOO we opened a new store!" balloon sculpture. This shot demonstrates about as much photography skill as what is possessed by my three-year-old nephew, Preston...



Lotsa meat. Satisfactory.




And these two are especially for Melissa...today we decided that the quintessential Midwestern diet consists primarily of hot dogs and chicken pot pies, as opposed to organic arugula (as is the case in LA).


Random. Nice lighting, I guess?



Mission Accomplished! I love my blue "green" Meijer bags.

It was nice, it was shiny, it smelled like fresh paint...but I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed. It was smaller than a lot of the other stores in the area and there wasn't anything particularly special about it. (Aside from the special Pot Pies section, that is.) My current ranking for the area:

1. Cascade
2. Knapp's Corner
3. Caledonia
4. Rockford (this would make #3 if I didn't feel like it was totally backwards)
5. Lowell (It's really very nice! I was surprised!)
6. Grandville
7. Plainfield
8. Jenison
9. Alpine
10. 54th/Clyde Park
11. 28th/Kalamazoo (otherwise affectionately known as "International Meijer")

Honorable Mention goes to Greenville, though I don't really consider it Grand Rapids-area.

And yes...I really did just write a big long blog about Meijer. What's more amazing is that I didn't do it for Target first. Maybe some other time...I'm still hoping that they'll open one in the Knapp's Corner area. Oh, a girl can dream...I love you, big box stores.

Ketchup.

I haven't written anything substantive in awhile, I know...I'm sorry. Things have been a little topsy-turvy at times, and just generally busy all the time. I guess I'll start with the biggest topic...my Grandma R passed away two weeks ago after a very short stint with hospice. S'ok, really. She was 89, and it was time. It really was, and she was ready, both mentally and spiritually. We had a nice memorial service in Rochester Hills last Monday, and it was the first time that many members of my dad's family had been together since Gpa died in '93. It was really a great time...emotional, yes, but very good. Plus, we had Greek food for the luncheon...spinach pie, chicken and lamb kebabs, pita, cucumber sauce...from Gma's favorite local restaurant, The Crazy Greeks'. And and and I reunited with my cousin Lucas, whom I had not seen since 1990. I mean, really. My family is ridiculous like that. I kind of wish I had a big tribute, some sentimental words, some photos...but I don't. Almost doesn't seem fitting. Grandma was a very practical woman, and I think she'd want us all to be a little sad, but then just get on with it...and that's all I have to say.

While all this was going on, I had some very persistent stomach pain that, for awhile, appeared to be gallstones. It wasn't, and it's subsided, but it was still weird and scary. I decided that I don't ever want to have gallstones. My gallbladder stores the bile produced by my liver, and I think it's doing a damn fine job of it, so I'd like to keep it, if that's okay.

Hmm, what else? Today I became the most bizarre kind of grown-up and bought professional liability insurance. Yeah, you know, like what doctors get in case their patients sue them. Because, let's face it...my very livelihood entails that I spend time with some people who...erm...have some problems. And some of these people have the potential to engage in projection and transference and all kinds of other fun stuff that could put my professional reputation in jeopardy, through no fault of my own. Did you know that the State of Michigan considers me a Health Professional? Uh-HUH.

And that is all. (This is how one of my young clients ends every story she tells me. It's cute.)

****UPDATED...FOR JON'S SAKE****

Yesterday I went to the Knapp's Corner Meijer and bought ketchup and Saran Wrap. I went home, put the ketchup in the fridge, and put the Saran Wrap in the drawer. The End.

Regrets are for horseshoes and handbags.

If Josh hadn't gotten to me first, I would happily marry this man, roaming the Lower 48 in his Nissan to do God's Own Work.

Thanks, Anne, for the link!