We Mayed

So May came. And it rained. And rained. And rained some more. We had a birthday. And a couple of school performances. And a visit from Alisa and Erwann. And then one day we woke up and the sun came out and it was June. A solid month of rain was fantastic and unique, and very needed but I feel slightly cheated. May in Utah is generally a gentle, lovely, breezy introduction to summer. I missed those blue May days.

Anyhow, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit, right?

On Memorial Day, one of the few days it did not rain,  since Alisa and Erwann were here, we drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon to check out their wedding venue.  Took a million pictures, mostly for my own use but feel free to take a peek. There is still a LOT of snow up there- it's getting patchy, but in some spots there are still several feet- but the caretaker said this is the least amount of snow he has ever seen at this time of year.  So it's kind of hard to catch the vision with all the snow, but trust me, this wedding is going to be a blast.  The place was just SO MUCH BETTER than I had pictured.  I almost don't care if it rains on us that day because the inside of the lodge is so charming and cozy- the perfect place to spend a rainy day.  Hopefully though, the sun will shine and they can get married in the pine trees.

 

 

 



It's not too often you get to have a snowball fight on Memorial Day.

 

 

 

I thnik it was the Saturday before that we drove up to Snow Basin just to kill some time. Of course it rained a little bit on us, but it sure was pretty up there.

And the Saturday before that, there was a birthday in which my baby attained double digits in age.  I am now a whole decade post partem.  Since her birthday was on a Sunday, we celebrated on Saturday with a trip to Build a Bear, where she made a bunny named Eve, because she was "born" on the eve of Olivia's birthday. I can't believe I don't have a picture of the two of them together yet!

After Build a Bear, we grabbed our buddy Ella and went out for a birthday lunch.

with Audrey too of course.

And after lunch, all Olivia wanted to do was have a really long play date with Ella, so it was back to our house for the afternoon.

Then on Sunday May 17, she was awoken with breakfast in bed, as requested, with Cookie Crunch cereal for her breakfast. This would be come a later point of contention in our family, as Olivia went to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa, and when she got back, some thoughtless sibling (or three) had eaten all of the Birthday cereal.  She only got one bowl and she is still mad about that. I'm pretty sure it will become one of those traumatic childhood memories that turns into a lifelong grudge.

And after church we had pizza and bithday cake. Another birthday well celebrated.

And the Thursday before that, was Audrey's Broadway Musical Review- the big finale to her year in Musical Theater.  And she had a solo. And she has a lovely voice and should definitely sing more.  And these pictures are extremely blurry, for which I am very sorry, but it's the best we've got. Jackson's mother was sitting next to us with this amazing camera, snapping away, and she promised to send me pictures but she has not.

Audrey and her musical amigos. Amigas?

I must also mention that the night before this, Audrey went to the award's assembly at her school and picked up some awards for scholastic achievement, and a President's award I do believe. We have been blessed with a talented and intelligent daughter.

Will also had his last ever orchestra concert on May 20. He is not taking orchestra next year, despite my begging, bribing and groveling. It's a shame, because he has gotten very good at the violin lately, and I know once he drops orchestra he will never really play again.  Life goes on though. Digital media and yoga classes are calling to him this year, more so than music, and who am I to dissuade him? I have no pictures of the orchestra concert. Dan has pictures of the orchestra concert, if he cares to contribute.

And finally, a few more pictures of  our Big Cottonwood excursion. We stopped off at Silver Lake and strolled around the boardwalk. Met a cute squirrel that chewed us out. Enjoyed some long lost sunshine even though it was cold and windy and we were all starving.

And to round off the very merry month of May, my triumphant retail find of the month was this gorgeous little columbine. We found him at Walmart on clearance for $1.66, along with some yarrow that was on clearance as well. It was only a few days earlier Alisa was pining for some columbine and yarrow in her wedding bouquet come August. And now with a little luck, we will have some growing in the yard! And, the columbine just happens to be the perfect colors for her wedding. Yes, serendipity rocks!

And now, on to a hopefully productive June, full of wedding plans, gardens, swimming, and sun.