May 2022

 May was all about warmer weather and enjoying sunshine, finally after the long winter. We survived out first Michigan Winter!! Here's the obligatory Mother's Day photo that I require everyone to take before church. 

As part of Carmen's EMT course, she got to participate in a "mock disaster". No only was she a participant, but days before the event she was told she was going to be Command over the entire scene. That meant she called all the shots and organized all the people according to their needs based on their injuries. Anyone is invited to come and watch the scenario. Boy, I didn't know what I was in for, but it was incredible to watch!! Every occupation that is taught at the Tech Center was involved in this event. Culinary made lunch for everyone between the AM and PM classes. Agriculture brought baby calves that had "fallen off the cattle truck" during the car crash. Cosmetology did all the fake blood and injuries. Police and Fire were all on call for the rescue. The journalism students were there with news cameras and reporters. It was amazing how they were able to involve everyone! 

I was so proud of how Carmen conducted herself and lead out a crazy disaster that involved several vehicles, including school buses, motorcyclist, cattle truck, a flipped car and a mini van. She kept her cool, and directed everyone with such confidence.  It was unusually hot this day and after several hours they had to call a stop to the "mock" disaster because they were faced with a real disaster when the firefighters, who were dressed in full gear, began passing out from the heat. Others too started to feel the effects of the heat and dehydration. They all worked so hard and it was fun to watch.

Ok, I've been tricked. I guess those first few weeks of May were just Fools Spring, because it's freezing again. And I'm not cut out for Michigan soccer games. I was freezing watching Dallin on the sidelines. They seriously need a hot chocolate stand out here!

Carmen enjoyed her Junior Prom with her friend Parker Ford. They took these fun pictures at the Celery Flats before the dance. 

April 2022

April started with a cross country trip to Idaho/Utah. For Spring break we decided to go visit family and do some college visits along the way. We discovered the privilege of having teen drivers by letting them drive while we enjoyed the back seats. Carmen drove and Charlotte enjoyed shotgun. Later Alize drove to earn hours towards her license. She has to have 60 hours of practice before she can get her license. 

 

I hung out with Dallin in the back seat, but he wasn't really into chatting with me. 

Our first stop was Siox Falls. It was pretty dang chilly and very windy. Also it was early enough in the year that the water wasn't flowing an awful lot, but still gorgeous and a fun place to stretch out legs. 

Years ago when I was going to college for the first time, my dad and I stopped at Wall Drug in South Dakota. I've never forgotten that experience and wanted so badly for us to stop there. We actually ended up spending the night there and exploring early in the morning before hitting the road again. It was just how I remembered it. 

And then we hit up Mount Rushmore, David's longtime dream come true. I've said it before and I'll say it again...if you are in the neighborhood then stop and take a look, but it's not really worth making a whole trip out of just going to see it. 

And an unexpected surprise was the Badlands National Park. It was actually super cool, like a mini Grand Canyon. It has it's own special kind or beauty. 

Dallin took a liking to photography and really enjoyed getting to use the big camera and documenting this trip in his own special way. 

This day was also Carmen's 17th birthday!! Spring break always falls on her birthday, and we always seem to be traveling somewhere. She'd made a tradition of picking Mexican restaurants as her dinner of choice. This one happened to be in "Middle of Nowhere", South Dakota. 

Our next stop was in Rexburg to visit BYU Idaho and Aunt Allison. We arrived on Sunday and took a nice walk around the temple and then back to the hotel to watch General conference. 

Things went from reverent to out of control pretty quickly! 

I didn't get a single picture of the BYUI tour, but it was lovely and sooooo different from when I went there. (When it was Ricks College)

But that night we visited with Allison and had dinner together. While dinner was nice, the best part was when we discovered a DUCK DONUTS right there in little ol' Idaho Falls. How in the world one of those ended there, we'll never know. But being the huge Duck Donuts fans that we are and having not been to one since leaving Virginia months ago, we had to stop and introduce them to the best donuts ever. 

After donuts, we hit the road to Utah to Grandma Bean's house. Although a few days late, we celebrated Carmen's birthday there with an actual cake! 

Uncle Tim arranged for the kids to have an Easter egg hunt and we had a pre Easter dinner at his place. It was so lovely of Kathy to go through all the work of making such a nice dinner for us. And Uncle Tim had hidden a $100 bill in one of the eggs. There may have been pushing and shoving, but ultimately Charlotte was the lucky winner! 

While in Utah, we also got to visit with our dear friends Mark and Amy Carlson. They recently moved from Charlottesville to Utah and it was so wonderful to see people we really knew well, after so many months of feeling like we don't really know anyone in Kalamazoo. 

We had a lovely dinner with them and then they took us on a hike up the trails in their neighborhood. It was an incredible view from up there. Dallin mostly loved seeing one of his favorite dogs, Clarence! 

Carmen and their son, Owen, were quick to race off to something more fun. They've grown up together in Charlottesville. 

 

The next day we did a BYU college tour. While the kids have all been to campus many times, it was nice to get a real tour and allow them to see the classrooms and labs. The alumni building is so gorgeous and felt very elegant to us. But everything at BYU is done nicely. 

Once home from our Utah trip, Carmen got asked to prom by her friend Parker. He really put a lot of work into that promposal! 

Dress shopping wasn't easy, but we did end up with his beauty! 

And I discovered I'm not make for Michigan soccer Saturdays. Where's the hot chocolate stand?!!? 

Oh and I had a birthday, #42

Snuggles with my favorite little boy! 

And a post wouldn't be complete without some Koda pictures! I love finding random pictures on my phone that my kids have taken, usually selfies by Aliza.