Finding the Dock Piece

Remember back in April when Kristen took a dip in the lake to try and find the missing dock piece?  Yeah she didn't find it then.  Misha tried again a month later and was still unsuccessful.  When Patrick was visiting for Amy's graduation over Memorial Day weekend, he spent a couple of hours trying to search for the missing dock piece.  It wasn't until he had a little help from Christopher that Patrick finally found it.  It was a lot deeper than Misha and Kristen ventured out and took Chris quite the effort just to bring it up from the bottom of the lake while Patrick tried to hold the position on the paddle board--a little harder than you might imagine with the bit of current in the lake.

The dock piece was covered in mud and a little bent, but still very salvageable.  Thank you so much to Patrick for his diligence and for all who braved the cold water.  The piece is now securely zip tied to the dock.

Memorial Day 2017

Our Memorial Day began somewhat early on Monday morning.  The Boy Scouts in our ward put on a Memorial Day Breakfast at the church (serving pancakes, sausage, and eggs) complete with a flyover and Veteran speaking to us.  Very nice event.

Badminton

Planning ahead for Amy's graduation party, I purchased a badminton set from Costco. When the weather didn't cooperate with an outdoor party plan, the badminton set was tucked away until we had guests the next weekend.

The girls set up the net and played with each other as well as with Julie and Patrick throughout the weekend.  Nice to see that it was a hit.

Evening with the Grands

The weather on Sunday evening was a lot nicer for spending time outside with grandparents.  We enjoyed sitting by the fire on the deck.  The mosquitoes weren't even too bad yet.

Letter Jacket Pins

Having raised three girls, I know a little bit about drama.  So I had this idea at least a year ago for a graduation gift to give a few extra pins for Amy's letter jacket.  She may not have earned them all at school, but she earned them.

A drama pin.

A tennis pin for three years of tennis.

A CTR pin for completing FOUR years of early morning seminary.

So proud of all her hard work...except the drama.  She could try a little less with that one.

Burning Calculus

Misha had friends over for marshmallows around the fire pit.  They hung out talking and laughing around the fire.  But before all of the friends arrived, Amy took advantage of the fire pit to burn her calculus and school notes.  It required a happy dance and maybe a little loudness.

Amy's Seminary Graduation

Maybe more than any other event, finishing four years of seminary and graduating from seminary was at the top of Amy's accomplishment list.  We attended the seminary graduation and out of all the graduates, Amy was the only one who showed some excitement by doing a fist bump in the air as her name was called.  So proud of her for finishing.  It was hard.  She didn't want to get up early.  She did it.

Chris and His Mom

Just a cute picture.

Graduation Day

We were grateful to have Grandma and Grandpa Ball, Julie and Patrick Ransom, and Grandpa and Grandma Kline come for Amy's graduation.  We had hoped to have a rain-free day, unfortunately the skies did not cooperate.  With the rain, the graduation exercises were moved in to the school.  Amy had been given four tickets for seats in the gymnasium.  The remaining guests were asked to find seats in the auditorium to watch the ceremony on screen.  A live-feed was also provided to watch the graduation exercises remotely.  Turned out the grandparents opted to stay at the house and watch the ceremony on tv.

Julie and Patrick came with us to the school and found seating in the auditorium.  We had open seats next to us in the gym, but the administration was pretty adamant about keeping to the four ticket per graduate rule.  So proud of Amy and her accomplishment.

There ceremony last under two hours.  We headed back home to say a quick goodbye to Grandpa and Grandma Kline.

A heart-felt thank you to all of our friends and family who gave Amy thoughtful gifts and money toward her college experience.

Amy spent time decorating her mortar board.  It made her easy to pick out in the crowd.

Strike a Pose

We wandered around REI after eating at HuHot at The Orchard with our family, Julie and Patrick, and Grandma and Grandpa Ball.  Kristen found this funky mannequin to mimic.

The Battle of the Signs

Remember this treasure Amy created for her dad after his last three-week work trip?

In an attempt to even the score, Chris created this sign for Amy at graduation:

I think Amy still wins.

Amy's Graduation Party

We had originally scheduled Amy's graduation party for Saturday, May 20th.  As the time drew closer, and as we watched the weather forecast, it seemed wise to change the date to Thursday, May 25th.  The forecast predicted 80 and sunshine.  Sad to say, the weather for the 20th, while not warm, at least had sunshine.  The following Thursday turned out to be cool and rainy.  Boo.  Oh well.

Most of Amy's friends hung out in the basement playing games and chatting while the adult guests (friends of her parents) stayed upstairs and chatted.  We had hoped to have everyone down at the beach, roasting marshmallows, and enjoying the lake.

We served cupcakes, brownie bites, lemon bites, cookies, candy, and veggies and dip with a few treats left over for a successful night.

Last Day of School

Kristen and Misha were both finished with school on May 24th.  They were ready.  Anytime I have talked to Misha recently, her most common comment was, "I'm tired."  Seminary and school wears kids out.

Misha was finished her finals around 10:30 am.  I surprised Kristen by signing her out at noon.  She was happy for that surprise.

Hallelujah! Braces Off

What a joyous time for Amy:  Last day of seminary, last day of high school, graduation, and getting her braces off!  I think the braces and seminary were the most anticipated.

I always find it humorous that the orthodontist gives his patients these treats as they get their braces off.  Keeping himself in business, that's what he's doing.

Time Flies

Look at these amazing seniors!  They are going places and will accomplish great things.  Amy has been friends with some or all of them from the first day of Kindergarten.  From left to right:  Audrey Wasden, Kenadi Boushele, Sierra Bell, Alec Ahlstrom, and Amy!

Cherry Basil

Misha and I wandered through Whole Foods the other day.  We stopped at the ice cream counter for a treat, because if you are a parent, you can't walk through any store without hearing, "Can I get a treat?" or some variation of that request.

The lady at the ice cream counter must have been a little bored, because she was raring to give us all kinds of taste samples.  The most creative flavor was cherry basil ice cream.  And Misha ended up requesting a bowl of it.  I was surprised that she chose it over chocolate or cookie dough, but it was rather tasty.

Love Notes

Posted on Facebook by Chris:

There are lots of reasons Jolayne is awesome. But this one is especially great and worth sharing, even if personal. Going on frequent business trips around the world may seem luxurious and amazing, but in truth it's really hard missing so much of what goes on at home. Sometimes it's a real drag. Mostly it's just hotels, restaurants, airplanes, and offices.

On my last trip Jo hid over a dozen notes in my luggage to find throughout my trip. The kids even pitched in with their own notes too. What a pick me up! It made being gone for three weeks just a bit easier. Thanks babe for being so supportive! A-ma-zing!

Sore Feet

Amy and her friend Audrey both wore some crazy high heels to church.  Amy was complaining even as we walked in to church.  By the end of the meetings, the shoes were off their feet.

Celery

I think my girls think I am crazy sometimes with all of the plants and flowers I have along with the avocado seed that I am sprouting.  Perhaps with my latest attempt, I have entered the realm of "what the heck is that?" crazy.

Just wait until I try to grow lettuce in a bowl.

Funky Flower

I bought this peperomia caperata plant last fall and was surprised when these funky looking flowers started to grow.  I noticed the flowers starting in February and the plant is continuing to flower four months later.

Carbon Valley Half Marathon and 5K

For the second year, our family volunteered with the Carbon Valley Half Marathon and 5K.  We manned Water Station #3.  The race raised funds for autism research and we were happy to help.    Since we had had rain and then snow this past week, the morning started out in the 30s.  We arrived at the station around 7:45 am and were happy when the sun began to warm us up.  It took the racers about fifteen to twenty minutes from the start of the race to begin showing up at our station.  It was fun to cheer them on, but most especially the people we knew.

My Girls' Favorite Car

We had a little time to spare before dinner, so we stopped at a car dealership for a little window shopping.  My girls were instantly impressed with this peach of a car.  And for those of you equally impressed, it was only $202,000.  Of the three models in the showroom, all were locked.  One was a convertible though, so we could peek at the interior.

On another note, did you know that Audi makes some of their cars with front seats that massage your back?

Snow After Mother's Day

Yep.  Just as the title said.  The girls were hoping for a snow day the last Friday before summer vacation.  Fortunately, it wasn't quite cold enough to freeze on the roads.  But let me tell you, it was wet and heavy and cold when I tried to knock the snow from the trees.  I think only one of the trees suffered any broken branches.

And, with all of this rain and snow, we are one step closer to finding out why our office window has been leaking for the past three years.

Gotcha

This is what happens when you take your daughter with you to the airport to pick up their dad after he has been away for almost three weeks:

Chris arrived earlier than planned.  Amy had hoped to hold the sign as he came off the train and in to the terminal.  Unfortunately, Chris was already at baggage claim by the time we arrived at the airport, so I dropped Amy off at the terminal and then drove around the loop since the security won't let you wait at the departure drop off.  Still, the sign had its intended humorous effect.  Welcome home!  Three weeks was too long for you to be gone.