Bomb squad

This is not something you like to see at work.  Apparently, there was some sort of suspicious item looking like a homemade pipe bomb by the loading dock.  We were not allowed to leave the building.  We heard a controlled detonation (boom!), but no one ever told us what it was, who the target was, whether it was 'real' or not.

A legit shiner

Lizzie and I were playing on the floor.  I had a lion.  She had an elephant.  As the elephant was running away from the lion, it crashed into my face.  Hard.  I was hoping it would not leave a mark, but immediatley afterwards, there was a hard lump.  Then as the day wore on, a nice purple/black ring under my eye.

It looks like I have to explain why I have a black eye to everyone I see this week.

Summer nights

This past weekend, we hosted two parties.  On Friday we wished our friends kim nick and sebi a good year in singapore and watched the many fireworks shows from the deck.  On saturday, a group of friends (the ones I went to hawaii with) and their families came over.   We watched star wars under the stars.

How do I forget to take photos?  Probably because Friday night was a big crowd, and Saturday night was pure chaos and mayhem.  

Summer camp

Carolyn left today for camp.... a full week!  She and her friend Elise were silly in the car on our way there. 

Unfortunately, as we got through all stations for check-in and were ready to say goodbye, her friend got really nervous and sad.  This shook Carolyn's confidence a bit.  I encouraged a camp counselor to help me separate the girls before carolyn had the same nervousness.  Carolyn then said a reluctant goodbye to me, while her friend and her mom went a different direction.   By the time I left a few moments later, she was playing a game of "chicken baseball".... I her friend agreed to sit down and watch the games.

Let's hope I do not get a call this week!

This is a horseback riding camp, so she needed a pair of boots.   Check out her new kicks.  Who knew cowboy boots could be so cute?  Lizzie got some too.

Craft group

I occasionally attend a crafting group -- it is kind of like girls night out but always includes some sort of diy activity. 

I hosted this month.  We made terrariums.

Look at our cute little gardens.

A fun Sunday brunch.

Un-Pause

Let's rewind and see what has been happening in our lives the past few months.


* Easter was spent on top of the mountain and in the valley with friends.

 

 

 

 

* I had a birthday.  It was a big one -- 40 -- so we decided to host a party.  It was at a ballroom dance studio. We hired a food truck to feed us, and we attempted to dance. The big surprise of the night was that my parents came.  I did not think anyone would ever be able to surprise me (I have been known to open my Christmas gifts and rewrap them!).  How exciting it was to see my parents walk into the door.  How special it was to celebrate my birthday with me and to introduce them to our friends. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve's gift to me -- a new ring. 
4 silver bands (representing each of us) tied together with one gold column.  
The tag read "Better Together."

* The girls took swim lessons. Carolyn is mastering freestyle and back stroke, but I cannot find the videos of her swimming. Lizzie is learning to float on her back and roll over.

* Lizzie had a birthday.  She turned 3.  She had her first birthday party.  It was at Little Gym. She insisted on a pink cupcake for her, with blue cupcakes for her friends.  (I lost the video of her talking about her party and birthday.  My phone experienced a major error which required a full reboot where I lost all data,  Some photos had not yet been uploaded anywhere other than my phone.)

* Carolyn had an end-of-year music performance, as well as an Art Night where the entire school was set-up as a gallery to showcase the work done by the students.  She also achieved her Excellent Eagle medal, meaning that she completed 10 extra projects during her first grade year.  (These pictures and videos are also lost!!)

* My department hosted a Senior Prom.  The graduating seniors brought in a big band to a local senior center.  So fun.

* Graduation is always a part of my spring.  This year, I received an award -- "Excellence in Mentoring" -- which bestowed upon me the honor to deliver the commencement address.  What would you say to a group of graduates and their families?  Despite the fact that there were two jumbotrons hanging in the arena showing me with my funny hat, I was not all that nervous delivering the speech, but I had a hard time writing it.    The link below has a video of the full commencement; skip to minute 17 for my speech.

 

https://utah.equella.ecollege.com/items/d64a8ab4-c5c3-483a-b818-73d958e882dc/2/viewcontent?_sl.t=true

 



 

 

* The whole family went roller skating to celebrate the end of first grade for Carolyn. 

    

 

I did something like this and had a very bruised and very sore tailbone for a week after.

 

 

 

* Of course, there was plenty of time spent messing around with friends.

 

 

* In June, we made our annual summer tour of the Midwest.  We were gone from June 5th until June 22.  (like other events this spring, I lost most of the photos from this trip!!)  We started in Centerville where we celebrated Addie's 13th birthday.  Kristin came to visit from Chicago.  We then went to Cleveland, where we took the girls to see Grandpa Harry at the cemetery, we visited the old house on Partridge Trail before the new family moved in, we visited Grandma Carol in her new apartment, we enjoyed a birthday dinner with Scott, Char, Bill, Liz and their kids, and we also had an evening to visit with Kristin and her kids.  Next, we stayed with Katy and Dave for a few nights in Hudson, where we enjoyed a cookout with the cousins (Lauren and Landon) and took a long bike ride on the towpath.  Then, we headed to Ann Arbor for a few days to visit with Joerg, Ann, and Oliver.  This leg of the trip included a canoe trip with the kids and a night out for the parents.  We then went back to Centerville, where we enjoyed our time with Grandpa Mike and Grandma Lynn, as well as Uncle Jason, Aunt Heather, Addie and Emerson.  For Carolyn's birthday, we spent the night at Great Wolf Lodge.   This is such a fun-filled family vacation.  Too bad I do not have many photos to document these memories.

* One rainy day this spring, we went with Michelle and her kids and Kara and her son on a daylong road trip adventure to see the Spiral Jetty. It is a landscape sculpture on the north side of the Great Salt Lake.  While making the trek to nowhere, we stopped at the Golden Spike monument, the spot where the steam engines met to create the transcontinental rail line.  We also stopped at a rocket display.  The day would have been better without the rain, but I doubt I will ever need to make this trip again.  These sites are now checked off my list.

* Steve finished a patio in the backyard.  Not sure why we did not do this home improvement until now.  We use it all the time.

* And, last but not least, the girls did a triathlon.  The distances were short, determined by age and the child's abilities. The finish line was a slip-and-slide down the hill.