WARNING--CREEPY INSECT PIC AHEAD!
It's cicada season!
Gross!
Also more baby ducks.
And geese
May is the perfect time to go to a Grasshoppers game
because it's not too hot yet. Love catching a live baseball
game or two every season.
House finch at the feeder
John Coltrane statue in downtown HP
We went to a community theater production of Sound of Music
with Abigail and Amy. We had a great time, but it took longer
than we anticipated and our dessert plans for afterward got thwarted.
Tres leches cake for Cinco de Mayo!
Check out my daisies!
They have gone crazy!
Dinner with Maureen and Bea--always a good time.
It kinda creeps me out to see racoons in the day.
I'm always afraid they could be rabid.
The BYU International Folk Dance team came to Greensboro!
They gave a FANTASTIC performance!
Jayne and Tommy came with us and we went out
for the most overpriced ice cream ever afterward.
Ticket sales weren't great and I'm afraid they might not come back. :(
But I'm so glad we got to see them.
The super-generous Khats continue to give me gifts
every week when I see them. This week they gave me
a whole box of tamarinds! They're not bad, but I can't eat a whole box!
Played lots of matches with Betsy this season.
She's awesome and we beat several 4.0 opponents.
Some herons have a rookery (nests) in the
pine trees by the lake in our neighborhood.
I've seen them up there in years past.
But I've never actually seen the babies!
So fun to see that little head popping up!
Caroline's strawberries are growing well this year!
My hand looks so skeletal. :0
Andrew and I went birding on the Palmetto Trail
near Horsepen Creek.
And we got to see this awesome Bald Eagle!
He hung out on that little sand bar for a while.
Also got to see this hawk hanging out in the trees above us.
The Khats were participating in the Chinese Dragon Boat
races in Charlotte this year and invited me to come watch.
It is a cool event, but the parking is a disaster.
You have to park a couple miles away from the lake
and take a shuttle to get there. This is the shuttle line. Ugh.
By the time I actually got to the lake,
I loved watching the races!
I loved watching the races!
I got to watch two races. Four boats race at a time.
They took fourth place in one and first place in the other.
Pretty good!
They row with the Cambodian Association of NC
Here I am with Paper, a friend who's name I forgot, and Mony.
They also had a tent with different cultural performances,
which were fun to watch.
That same day, Caroline and I were planning to go to
a local circus performance in Winston. Because
the shuttle process was SO SLOW, Andrew drove
C to Winston and met me there.
It was a fun outdoor performance.
And a beautiful evening for it.
MOTHER'S DAY
Lunch Pandemic with Drew
Zoom board games with the big kids
Yummy vegetable lasagna and breadsticks.
And strawberry shortcake with fresh local
strawberries. Yum yum yum!
May is a fantastic time to get out with the bird club.
These birders are awesome and I love learning from them.
Indigo bunting
Summer tanager
Eastern towhee
Caroline and I went shopping at a super cute
home goods store in Kernersville with this adorable
little photo op.
End-of-the-year chorus concert.
Cool backyard flower
Eden had a feis, so Marianne and Patrick were in town.
We always love hanging out with them.
Went out to dinner at Mellow Mushroom.
Unfortunately, Andrew got NOROVIRUS and was sick
for several weeks after this. It was AWFUL!!
Somehow Caroline and I managed to avoid it.
Eden is the second from the right, ready to dance.
She's amazing! Love watching her!
My hydrangeas are looking amazing this year!
Another bid club field trip.
I thought B-train would love seeing this car.
Jayne and I went hiking in Hillsborough
Cool tree
The Mountain Laurels were in bloom.
Birthday pedicures for me and Bear!
Such a fun tradition
Solo temple trip for me
Savannah and Naje got married!
We're so happy for them!
Andrew was supposed to perform the wedding.
We'd been planning on it for months.
And he and Naje are close.
But the stupid norovirus messed up our plans.
Bishop had to step in at the last minute to
perform the ceremony.
Fun photo booth at the reception
Waiting for the reception
With the happy couple
We're close with one of the sister missionaries
who's serving here right now, Sister Kunzler.
We ended up having her over for dinner on her birthday.
I messaged her mom and found out that key lime pie
is her favorite dessert. We made one from scratch!
It was a first for us!
Sis Kunzler is on the left. We loved both of these sisters.
So grateful for awesome young people who sacrifice
so much to serve the Lord.
Another look at my hydrangeas
Happy birthday to Care Bear!
She didn't have to go to school that day,
but I had to work, so she and I got to hang out
after work and do whatever she wanted.
Shopping at Cattywampus
Found some cute earrings
Got a drink at Starbucks and played Sequence
Dinner at Toshi's
Her mini-key lime pie that she made
with the leftover filling from Sis Kunzler's pie.
Aerialist earrings from Aunt Destiny
And a cute aerialist pouch
Handmade heart purse from her sissy
Along with an adorable handmade card
It was time for a new phone, so that was her big gift.
At the end of the school year, there are lots of days off
when other students are doing testing. On one of those
random days, she and I decided to head to Grayson Highlands.
Our favorite!!
Oh, seeing those ponies is so much fun.
The rhododendrons were in bloom.
So pretty!
So was this gorgeous flame azalea.
Oh, man, the world is beautiful, isn't it?
Love exploring with this girl.
We did a tiny bit of birding.
A new lifer: chestnut-sided warbler.
I was so happy that I caught of pic of it warbling.
At NAI, one of my students brought me this flower.
They are so thoughtful and kind.
Speaking of NAI, they had their first annual
fundraising gala. It was $100/ticket and for that
price, Andrew didn't really want to go.
Thankfully, I have Jayne who will go do fun,
kind of expensive things like that with me.
There were spotlights on lots of our students
that told their stories. Amazing the things they've been through.
In my very first training before I started volunteering with
refugees, I was told not to ask them about their backstories.
They are traumatic and they don't want to be defined
just by that story. So I don't ask. But it was inspiring to read these stories.
They also did tiny spotlights on some of the volunteers,
including me. I've been there for five years now! Love it!
More pics from the gala.
Care Bear and I went to the ward campout.
Andrew was still sick. Boo.
It was a lovely evening for a campout.
We ate snacks and roasted marshmallows
and then came home to our comfy beds. Perfect.
I found this pic of B with some climbing kids
online. Love getting a glimpse into his work.
Speaking of B, BIG NEWS! He just got hired
with SkyWest Airlines to do IT helpdesk work.
So excited for him to have his first "big boy" job!
But I'm also afraid this means he won't finish his degree. :/
But he got the kind of job he would've wanted with his
degree, so I understand why he took it.
AAAAAANNNNDDD....
Mom and Dad get flight benefits!
Watch out world!
