Merril's 44th Birthday!

Merril and I are getting older! He turned 44! We ordered some pizza wagon and he went for a dirt bike ride. 

Also, Jack wanted to learn some piano and so I paid Juliet to start teaching him. I don't know how long it'll last but any music instruction is a good thing.

ZPPAF 2022

Juliet wanted to win! She worked hard on her piece, "First Run" by Jon Schmidt. Last year Lucky Nelson, Shawn's daughter, won in the category above Juliet's. This year, Lucky dropped back a category so she was competing against Juliet. Julie wanted to win so bad! Juliet showed up and killed it! AND she WON! We went to breakfast after her performance! Rooster Run has the biggest breakfast portions!

She's so good on the piano! I can't believe how well she does! I'm going to miss her fingers when she moves away. 

Talking to Maxine

I feel very spoiled having Maxine on her mission in California. I'm able to talk to her easily and her time zone is very close to ours. I've talked to moms who have to deal with Wi-Fi issues and have a hard time sending packages to their kids. I'm sure I'll have another child go foreign and it will be a lot harder than talking to Maxine. It's been fantastic having her so close. Mikayla loves to turn the filters on when she's talking to Maxine and this one is so ridiculous.

It cracks me up every time I look at these pictures! 😂 

Easter 2022

Mikayla wanted a picture with the Easter bunny.

Mark did not. 😂

It's just a little on the cold side. It would be fine if they weren't in shorts. It's fine either way.

Jack and Juliet have graduated to the mega-hard field of hidden eggs.

I still like to decorate eggs. I've cut back on the amount I boil. People don't eat them after they're decorated.

And TURKEASTER! So yummyyyyyyyy! 

 

I'll Meet You in Chicago!

It's been years since Em and I have been in the same city. A while back, I said, "Instead of flying to each other's houses, why not meet in the middle. I don't know, like Chicago?" She said, "That's exactly where I was going to say!" It took another 6 months to figure out a good weekend. We tossed around the idea of going before Maxine left on her mission but I was too busy and distracted. We found a weekend in April! 

I wanted to see the bean! She hadn't learned about it in architecture classes because it's fairly new.

We went on a river architecture cruise. I like the bridges. This one is old and not in use but still here.

I didn't realize that Chicago was known for its architecture but we saw a lot of cool buildings.

We also went down to the water by our hotel. This is Lake Michigan. It really looks like the ocean!

We found some sister missionaries while riding the bus! I took a picture and sent it to Maxine!

The weather was a little cold but I was prepared. I wore leggings under my hiking pants, which are a little waterproof. My beanie and scarf and gloves. It was fine! The weather only interfered with our plan to go up Willis (Sears) tower.

We walked a lot and we went past the Chicago theatre.

We also went to a few museums and a regular movie. On our last day, the weather cleared and it was the perfect day for views from Willis tower. 

I was the BIGGEST chicken in the skybox! I wanted a harness on! It didn't seem nearly safe enough. I'm smiling but Emily had to drag me into it. I was squealing like a little girl. This was my idea! Emily was surprised how terrified I was of the box. She walked right out there like it was nothing.

The weather was so clear!

We hit a conservatory before we left.

On the bus to get ready to go home, my flight was cancelled. I was rescheduled on a flight 2 hours earlier, but I wasn't even at the airport yet. I was supposed to fly home at 4:00 or so but couldn't get anything worked out until 10 p.m. I was so tired of being in the airport.

I was given a voucher for a free dinner and hotel night stay. I got to the hotel, ate, and crashed until 4 a.m. Then it was time to get back to the airport for my flight home. Everything went smoothly and I caught the shuttle home.

It was fun to finally get together with Emily! Even though we talk almost every day, it was fun to see her in person!

Pretty Things

The tulips aren't as reliable as the daffodils but they're pretty when they show up.

I wanted to send a church picture to Maxine. But first, we have to take one.

Jocelyn Hummel is having her first baby and I went to the baby shower. We had to take a picture! It was fun but it made me miss Maxine. The Snyders were there. I had to attend without my oldest girl. I'm glad where she is. I still miss her.