Life on the Runn...

 Some people come into our lives by chance; and sometimes it turns out that those individuals have the greatest impact.  For me, that happened approximately 29 years ago.  That was when I was introduced to the Jarvis family - Cliff, Maureen, Lynn, Elaine and Anita.  Over the years, their family has grown and each new family member - Jay, Sam, Rachael, Chad and Chelsea - became a member of my own extended family.  I love all of them dearly and cannot imagine life without them.   Today, however, I want to take the time to celebrate one specific Jarvis, the birthday girl herself, Elaine!  As I worked my way through the enormous collection of photos, it wasn't hard to find ones of Elaine.  She has been such a fundamental part of my life and has been with me for all of my most significant moments, much like a big sister or a very best friend.  When I was little, Lainey would take me shopping for my first-day-of-school ...

This past weekend, a baby shower was held in honor of my cousin Kassy, who is expecting her first child in September. She and her husband Ben chose a butterfly theme for baby Lyla's room, and that theme was carried over to the shower.  Guests were able to write a 'butterfly kiss', a wish or hope for Lyla, on a paper butterfly when they arrived; all of those wishes will be turned into a decoration for Lyla's nursery - what a sweet idea.  It's obvious that Kassy cannot wait to be a mommy, and I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job! opening gifts - Kassy took time to carefully read each card, which was very sweet Before leaving, Kassy asked to take a picture with all of her guests, and she is absolutely glowing, so it was a definite must to capture that. Congrats to Kassy and Ben...we all are very excited for Lyla's arrival! the Unti ladies 

Happy Birthday to one of the most amazing individuals I know, my dad!  As long as I can remember, my dad has been providing for his family in so many ways, be it working hard to support us all or providing unwavering support for my brother and me in all of our endeavors. When she sees me arranging and rearranging things or working meticulously on some task, my mom jokes that I am my father's daughter, and it is so true; the older I get, the more of him I see in myself and the more of my personality I can attribute to him.  And it's an honor to me!   Love you, Dad.  I hope you have a relaxing, enjoyable day. It was so nice to spend time with you yesterday.   Dad and me doing a little fishing  a moment with my dad I will never forget  Disney World  sharing our love of the Badgers and Camp Randall   My dad is truly the very best. 

A few weekends ago now, the Runnells crew gathered at Miller Park to take in a Brewer game as we do every summer.  Unable to join me due to surgery, Brian missed out on lots of fun.  I was sure to snag him a few of the tasty treats, such as the coveted blonde brownies and butter horns.  Despite being without the hubbers, I had a blast, and I was lucky enough to find a date for the evening -  don't tell Brian or Mike, but Christina and I had tons of fun without them. Per usual, the day was great -- and the Brewers even won, which rarely happens when we are there for a family game, so hooray for that and for all the fun we had! Yep, we had a chocolate fountain - it turned into a chocolate sprayer when the wind blew Nathan and KJ - stylin' Christina (my date), Curt and me  Katy having Auntie Jo tend to her wardrobe malfunction Jessie, Shannon and Rhiannon (oh, and Corey) with their sausage pals KJ and her 'updated' jersey T

There has been plenty to chat about, but the end of the school year is here and Brian is recovering from surgery. That means I'm uber busy and my tech guy hasn't been able to take care of his photo uploading dutiesbin a bit. I promise pictures and a legit post will be coming soon!