There is too much... Let me sum up.

The last two weeks of May was bonkers, y'all! This far into June and I can finally take a moment and report. 

In late April we got a copy of our local newspaper, The Lehi Free Press, in the mail. I was happy to see this old friend - it reminded me that Brian and I have lived in Lehi our whole married life (we spent a few years at his parents' house in American Fork, but we've always had a home in Lehi), which is 20 years this November. Someone had brought this paper back to life after 16 years of no local paper. In it was an advertisement saying they needed staff writers. I decided to make a resume (that looked completely ridiculous to me since my last job was 10 years ago) and take it in. I had nothing to lose - I didn't need the job and I was totally fine if I wasn't what they were looking for. But! I am exactly what they were looking for. Funny, that. :) So now I write about two stories a week and take my own photos for those stories. I almost always have the boys and sometimes Bridget with me when I'm "on the job," but I've been covering events that are fun for them, too. I do interviews and take notes and pictures during the week, write a rough draft of the story on Saturday morning and write a final draft (after reading it out loud half a dozen times) on Monday morning, then hand it in Monday by noon. I get a new assignment at our meeting every Wednesday night. Now that piano students are done for the summer and the kids are out of school, my writing job is The Best Thing Ever. 

The last real day of school for Bridget was the Dance Festival. Bridget's grade did the traditional may pole dance. Naturally they put her pole where only the 6th graders and a few teachers could see her. I sat on the edge of the green with my telephoto lens and barely caught sight of her. Poor Grandma and Grandpa came and probably didn't see her dance at all. Bridget came over afterward to give them hugs, so it wasn't a total loss.

This is my fifth Dance Festival. I know if I don't get a picture of Bridget before the thing starts, I'll never get one. She loves it when I hunt her down in front of her friends and tell her to look my direction. :)

Posing with Brooklyn after the dances.

That last week of school is when T-ball started for the boys. I got an email from the rec league that they needed a coach for the boys' team and I ducked in my chair in case they could see my "can't say no" face through email. I struggled with the guilt - there's two of them! I should step up! But the moment passed. Then I got a phone call from the rec league and I agreed to coach the team almost before she could get the question out. Even though Brian has a MILLION other things going on, he agreed to be my assistant coach. (Bridget had volleyball camp the same week the T-ball games started. I didn't make any food that whole week - school, piano students, bishopric meetings, T-ball games, newspaper meetings. We couldn't fit in eating veg.)

T-ball games are comedy gold, guys. Brian and I are hoarse after yelling at our players to RUN to the next base. The first baseman never knows the ball is coming. Most of the time if a kid fields the ball, he just hangs onto it until the runner is on base. Only seems fair. We've had players sit in every position. Sometimes they sit on the base after running to it. Their parents are always yelling, "STAND UP!" After one inning, the kids are asking if it's over. I think maybe the stakes are too low. They're never going to be out, so what is the point of making a play? Oh well, we always have great snacks.

We have games twice a week. This was the day I got back from Denver and there was no clean laundry. It's a red shirt. He just sat at Short Stop and complained about his life anyway.

Why was I in Denver?! Because back in February or March my sister Makenzie asked me if I wanted to run Bolder Boulder with her. I did not! I choose not to run anymore. But she was so convincing! I served my mission in Colorado and during my last month in the field, my companion, Sister Taufatofua, and I ran Bolder Boulder together. The two of us got up an hour earlier every day (except Sunday) and ran for two months to get ready. One of our investigators paid for our registration - the race was on Monday, which was Preparation Day. Our zone found out what we were doing about two weeks before the race and next thing we knew they were running it too and wearing their proselyting clothes. Sister T and I weren't about to run in dresses, but we sat with our zone in the stadium and were embarrassed by the stares anyway. One of my favorite mission memories.

So Makenzie said it could be the thing I do every 20 years. :) She got me! Only this time I wouldn't be fast. (Pictured above, me and Sister T. with the members of our zone we could find in the crowded stadium on May 27, 1996. I'm Facebook friends with one of these people. I know the whereabouts of one other, but that's it.)

I've never run a race with anyone my size before! It's the only way to go. I could take my normal short-person steps and still keep up with Makenzie. We were both worried about getting to the right place and finding our wave (there are over 50,000 people running Bolder Boulder every year!), but it was a piece of cake. We got on a shuttle bus near Makenzie's house, road to Boulder in style, got out and there was our wave. Makenzie agreed to walk with me every time I needed to (often) and I enjoyed myself a lot. In every kilometer there was a different band or solo act to keep us distracted from the pain.

Boulder is a very charming city and we could feel the energy for sure. I'm usually so concerned about my time and get so mad at myself if I walk during a race that I end up not being in the moment and having fun. Not caring about that stuff made all the difference for me. We even stopped for a photo with Elvis. :)

This was the only familiar sight. Twenty years is a long time. If I didn't have pictures of this race, I would wonder if I'd dreamed running it as a missionary.

After the race we hung out at Makenzie's house and ate every 30 minutes. I insisted on a picture with Ruby and Claire since we all have the brown eyes. It was hard to keep them open in the sun, though. Makenzie drove around Lafayette (my last area on my mission) with me and I didn't recognize one square foot of that place. I'm still freaked out by that.

This is Sister Taufatofua and me on the porch of our house in Lafayette in 1996. I'm positive that Makenzie and I drove by this place at least twice and I didn't recognize it. Nice that I figured out my bangs situation, though. We can be GLAD of that.

What a fun and insane way to end the school year! There is much more craziness to come in the next few weeks. So far we're winning at summer, though. :)