Grandpa Dick's Birthday

Finals. Graduation. Mother's Day.

All the activity of the last few months built up to a final accumulation of what is called finals week.

As it turned out, my finals were scheduled 10 minutes apart.  On two different campuses.

Luckily my Spanish teacher let me join another of his classes on a different day to give me some slack, so I took my Spanish final a day early.  Which was good because as it was, after taking my math final I would have had exactly enough time to then drive to my Spanish final, but the stress of standing up from finishing one final just to sit down and take another would have been intense.  Also, there wouldn't have been time for one last glance at notes and flashcards.

Thankfully it all went well and I was able to pass both classes with A's and graduate.

Spanish final on Tuesday.  Check.
Tayler's orchestra concert on Tuesday.  Check. (More on that tomorrow).

Math final on Wednesday.  Check.
Graduation on Thursday.  Check.
Casidee's orthodontist appointment on Friday... well, four out of five isn't bad.  Though I did manage to make my appointment to donate platelets at Red Cross on Friday.  For the first time ever.

Saturday had Tayler's soccer game and was full of errands.  Grocery shopping, Barnes and Noble, Target, and Hobby Lobby.  One of our new friends that we've taken to riding with in Moab has been diagnosed with cancer.  The only thing I can think of to do for someone when I hear they have cancer is to make them a really soft, warm blanket.  I heard somewhere that you get really cold when going through chemo. Unfortunately this isn't the first blanket I've made for such an occasion.  Hopefully the gesture is enough to let them know they're not alone while facing it.  "It" being either cancer or chemo.  I think they both sound miserable.

I enjoyed hanging out with my crew for the week while The Man was away for the week, attending a training in Colorado for work.

Though we sure did miss him.

Sunday dawned on a very rainy Mother's Day but we got to have all six kids at home, and The Man was finally home, so we made good food, including strawberry shortcake, and watched a lot of TV.  I was determined to do as little as possible, enjoying my last day of "nothingness" until school resumed on Monday.  But this time at the U of U, which makes me smile a great a deal.

I want to express how thankful I am for the support and love that was shown to me on my graduation day.  And though receiving my associate's degree is not the final destination, it was a milestone that represents no more general classes and I was excited to celebrate that.

The support the surrounded me filled my soul with love and appreciation for the family and friends that surround my life.  Though The Man was in Colorado with work and wasn't able to be there, I certainly wasn't alone in my day.

The kids and I made a trip to Hobby Lobby (how did I survive before that store?) and found some sparkly letters for the top of my hat.  We wanted to make sure they'd be able to find me in the sea of black hats.

Turns out, it worked better than I could have hoped for.  The Circus spotted me the instant I walked in and had no problems keeping track of me in the crowd.

 

My dad, Brent.

My dad, Dick, West's dad, Mike, my mom, KC.

My brother, Bill.

 

I could not have asked for a better support system than my husband and our kids.  They have never complained once about my schedule or my need to do homework.  They've been excited for me the entire time.  And they've calmed my self-doubt with words like, "You can do it.  You always do."  Even though those words might have been accompanied with an eye roll as it was said.

Casidee, Jayme, and Brynn surprised me with some awesome glasses.

I sent a text to the man at one point while I was waiting to enter in the procession, telling him there was a guy that looked just like Big Hoss from that pawn show.

Some time passed, as The Man was busy in classes, but he eventually replied with, "Is your ceremony today?"

He was answered with this picture.  "You could say that.  Like, right this minute."

He then expressed some very kind words about how proud he was and how much he loved me.

Like I said, I couldn't have asked for a better support group.

The One Where I Save My Nephew From Quicksand.

Have you ever seen the Mythbusters where they test Pirate tricks?  The one in particular where they talked about how Pirates would bury people up to their necks on the waterline so they would drown come high tide?

Did you see it?

I saw it.  And I happened to remember it because I just knew at some point that was going to be pertinent information in my life.

Okay, not really.  I have no idea why I remembered that episode.  Probably because it had to do with pirates, and since my high school mascot was a pirate I find myself loyal to all things pirate.

"Cyprus pride.  You are deep in Pirate territory."

The Mythbusters built a large box contraption filled with sand and buried Grant into the sand up to his chin.  They found that he was able to dig himself out again.  But they found when they added water to the sand, to simulate being on the water's edge, the situation changed.  When Grant made movements to wiggle out of the sand, the space he made in the sand around him would immediately fill with wet sand, unlike the dry sand which stayed where it was.  The Mythbusters realized that the Pirates were pretty clever to bury their victims at the water's edge.  Wet sand meant it wasn't possible to dig yourself out. (Check it out on the Mythbusters site here.)

Seeing this Mythbusters episode solidified my place as favorite Aunt for a lifetime.

At least for one nephew anyway.

in the summer heat of the desert

In the morning heat of the desert I ate my breakfast on a condo patio.
I could get used to this view.

I could get used to this view too.
He's a good looking man to be sure.

What's up with the velociraptors?

In the summer heat of the desert our family gathered.

In the summer heat of the desert we listened to our respective dads, or uncles, play their cowboy guitar songs. 
No one can play a cowboy ballad quite like they do.

Those grandpas are growing quite the following.

In the summer heat of the desert I got to see cousins I haven't seen in forever.

In the summer heat of the desert the kids tried to cool off in the splash park.
Some crazy forgetter mom forgot to put her kids in swim suits.  She was too distracted with buying a new car and still making it to the park on time.

The Circus didn't mind.  Cooling off in their clothes was just as effective.

In the summer heat of the desert The Man starting feeling a little bored.

To be very clear on this matter, when The Man starts to feel a little bored he'll hatch a plan to un-bored himself.
This plan usually involves me.

In the summer heat of the desert I ended up with a wet butt.

In the summer heat of the desert we cousins continued our play at the condo's pool.
I think it baffled my kids when I told them that every person in the pool on that afternoon was a cousin of theirs.

After the summer heat of the desert, we decided to join some the cousins at a buffet for dinner where I got to watch Cali and Tayler be this child as they wiggled outside while we adults continued on as adults do inside.

In the summer heat of the desert I got to reconnect with my family. 
And I can't wait to do it again next year.