Graduation, Grandma Thompson, and Aunt Charlene

 We headed to Boise for Memorial Weekend so we could be at Megan's graduation.  For some extra fun, Megan planned a family hike to her favorite spot, Jump Creek Falls.  It was a short, easy hike, and the waterfall was beautiful. 

 Since we knew Grandma and Aunt Charlene weren't doing well, we decided to make a quick trip to see them, too.  Grandma was tired and slept a lot, but she was able to share some fun memories with us.

 Mom gave her a haircut while the girls rode Aunt Denise's horses.

 First they combed and braided their tails and gave them a little pampering, and then they rode them around the ranch for an hour or so.

 As usual, Brent and Janette always have new kittens, and Anna found one to snuggle.

 I've always loved watching my mom with her sisters.  They have so much fun together, and you can tell how much they love each other.

 We made it to Baker on the way back from Haines and stopped in to see Charlene and Jerry.  She had recently fallen and had surgery, and she wasn't feeling great, but she still seemed to enjoy our visit.  It was great to visit but sad to see how badly Parkinson's has affected her body.  She still had a sunny smile, though, and had us laughing a few times.  I sure am grateful for family!

Chris in Ireland

 

So Chris gets to go on my dream vacation---6 weeks in Ireland!  How exciting!  He's going with his Gaelic class at ISU and staying in a small village where they still speak Gaelic. He makes me rethink taking a practical language in college.  This sounds much more fun!

New floors!

After 10 years we're finally redoing the basement floors!  I'm so excited I could scream!

Canning

My mom is awesome!  She just helped me can 120 jars of strawberry rhubarb jam, with no complaints. It doesn't matter that she didn't need jam, she was just ready to help me out.  Thanks, Mom!  Ready to help me do the chicken?

Best Mother's Day Ever!

Most moms would probably say that Mother's Day often  isn't their favorite day, but today was my best Mother's Day ever!!!

 

 First Emma serenaded me on her ukulele and tried to get Devin to sing along.  Del and the kids gave me chocolate, great books, and the promise of the time to read them.

 And then best of all, we got to Skype with Maren.  We invited my parents and siblings over to talk to her with us.  We got to see her cute face and hear that everything is wonderful in Kazakhstan.  She had a cold and was a little hoarse, but her cheery smile made me feel great.  Best Mother's Day present ever!

Storymakers 2016

I absolutely love going the the LDS Storymakers conference.  I learn so much every time and I am inspired to write more.  One of these days I'll know enough and be good enough to have something published, or so I hope! The conference is huge, about 750 people, and there would have been more if they didn't have to cap it.

 

I went with Mindi Quail and intended to stay with Rebekah Call again in her apartment.  Unfortunately, she had to move out just a few days before the conference and move in her brother's small apartment.  She's resourceful, though, and immediately found us a couple of rooms in someone's house through Air B&B.  I was impressed, and I think I'd travel this way again.  We only paid $20 each for two nights, so it was a real steal.  The owner was very friendly and wanted to talk to us about our lives and the church and all kinds of other things.  He was from Israel and had joined the church but gone inactive when his wife didn't join the church.  It was great to be able to share our testimonies with him and encourage him to go back because the ward needs him.

 Storymakers partnered with Catholic Charities to collect school supplies and children's books for the refugees in SLC.  I gathered lots of supplies I'd had in storage and then went to DI and bought boxes of books.  I also posted it on Facebook and ended up with $300 to donate, and it felt really good to help.

 The classes are always wonderful, and I really enjoyed Jennifer Nielsen's 2 hour intensive.  The slide on the screen says, "Do not give up.  You are closer than you think." 

 My friends, Wendy and Marcy, each won the 1st chapter contest for their category.

Rebekah took me to a fun candy shop in Provo that specializes in candy from all over the world.  I loved this chocolate Santa because he looked like he was about to pick his nose. I bought some Russian chocolate since Maren bragged about how good it is.

 

 
I also made time to visit Kathy Broberg while I was there and have lunch at Guru's restaurant.  The sweet potato fries and sauce were the most amazing things I've ever had, and catching up with Kathy was awesome!

One cool guy

 Alex Boye recently came to ISU to perform at an event to raise awareness for diversity and tolerance and then held a concert a couple of days later at the Stephens Performing Arts Center.  I was so excited to be able to attend both.  Del, Emma, and I loved the concert (sorry, no picture), and it was fun sitting with great friends, Farhana and Michelle. Boye is not only amazingly talented, but he is also quite a comedian.  He had us thoroughly entertained all evening!