Happy Birthday PJ

Off to her lake/tubing/water skiing party




Her birthday began at 12:01 a.m. when the friends came to pick her up for breakfast.


And so much more mature!

Violin Kindling

My friend went to school at the U of U and lived on the Avenues in an old house with a giant fireplace. One of her roommates worked at Peter Prier violins. When anyone made a violin that was the slightest, (even 1 millimeter) off, in measurement, it didn't sound right and was scrapped. She brought these home to burn in the fireplace. There were times when you would walk into the room and the fireplace would be full of perfectly looking, good violins--but they were not.

They weren't in tune or didn't have the capacity to be in tune and were therefore not able to fill the measure of their creation.

Beauty

After teaching a 3 week unit on Beauty and truth based on John Keat's "Ode on a Grecian Urn" I have been struck by beauty as never before. Therefore, this photo of irises under crystal. The hillside is dotted with these beautiful irises in different colors. But I love that all the bulbs or tubes were either gifts or picked up when I saw a "free iris" sign.

Jillian is 20!

I am so thankful for Jillian who has made it to year 20! We went out to dinner and came home to eat the Jill-requested cake: rainbow chip with rainbow chip frosting from the can!!! I couldn't stand for that and added fresh whip cream to the frosting and it ended up pretty tasty. And for those of you who haven't seen Kenny--Voila.

Faith

Our dear friends Audrey and Nate are moving from the neighborhood. Their decision was based on the expenses incurred and future expenses from the care of their daughter Saylor. Saylor--that is a whole other story that needs to be told by her mother-and it will be told. But just for the record, Saylor was the first child born in a program for in utero fetuses with spina bifida. Within the womb, Saylor had her first operation.

Nate and Audrey felt they were doing the right thing. They were down scaling considerably and were trying to purchase run-down homes that Nate would have to remodel. Yet, when they tried to buy three different houses and all three offers fell through, they became a little discouraged, but only for a day. Because after the discouragement,or the trial of faith, they found a different house, one that is far nicer, in a far better neighborhood and a house that has made them feel relief because they didn't get any of the other homes.

xxoo mom

UNCLE!

I concede! I do look almost 50!!!




Pictures from the Queen of May





Flowers all the way from Indiana


Homemade Lasagne from Tony!


The florist and cake decorator


An extra special day because PJ gave a Mother's Day talk and Brett came to listen

Happy Birthday To Me!

I woke up this morning smiling--profoundly grateful to be alive and well on my 49th birthday; to have been blessed to be here at this time and place and the great blessing of life and living that I have shared with everyone I love. I am blessed to still have my parents living, my husband, all my children, my sisters.