May Update

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Last day to vote is Sunday, May 13.

Sometimes I have a little time to post, but I'm just not in the mood.
Sometimes I'd like to check in with my readers, but there is no time.
There's been a lot of that going around, lately.

And when it's been almost a month (!) since the last post, sometimes it's difficult to even know where to begin. I know, that's a lame excuse for not posting...

We finally have some blue sky here in the Portland region. After months and months of rainy gray, it is soooo welcome. We've even had a couple of days with temps in the 80s! And no rain in the forecast for the next week+. Yay for weather!

I'm sitting here in the church lobby for a couple of hours today. Ditto for two days ago, and another day next week. Peaceful...quiet...wifi access...time to blog for a bit, then grade some papers, then work on my thesis some more. It's AP test season here in high-school-land this month, and the school's normal venue ran out of space. That's what we get for growing the AP program at the high school. So the administrators cornered me a few weeks ago and asked if I could set up space for the overflow test sessions at the church.

(Just between you and me, that was a pain. Arggh. Mormon churches don't have a church secretary on site to set up the schedule, take care of the paperwork, and let you in the building. We do everything by volunteer labor because we have a lay ministry. About fifteen phone calls later, I had the whole thing set up.)

I'm not running the AP test sessions, but the church requires that a member be on site when a nonmember group is using the building, so I am the high school's designated Mormon girl, sitting here in the hallway while the kids are sitting at tables in the gym, taking their AP test. Now that I'm here, it's not such a bad gig. Given the usual pace of my average day, this is a lovely interlude, now that all the logistics are finally arranged.

Along with the sunshine, I've been getting in lots of mower time lately. We actually have 2 mowers now, and for a while Mark and I would each tackle half of the yard. Great fun - the whole 3/4 acre mowed in 45 minutes, with sprays of grass going everywhere! Then the pollen count got a little high for Mark, so I'm back to being chief mower...for now, at least. Good thing I don't mind this chore! Good time to think outdoors while whacking off dandelion heads. What's not to love about it?

 Maddy was in town a couple of weeks ago! It was such a joy to spend time with her again. Lots of good sibling and mama time for Maddy. Mike was a champ to fly with her all the way from New Jersey! We had a jam-packed four days of giggles and cuddles. More giggles than cuddles...she is one active little girl. She turned 3 last month - hard to believe how fast the grandkids grow!

 Speaking of grandkids growing, Josh turned 12 and was ordained a deacon. I love the photo of him with his deacon's quorum (that's him on the left). Twelve-year-old boys are so cool.

 I'll try to be better about posting! Happy May...and if I don't post again before Sunday, happy Mother's Day to all you moms, grandmas, and all of us with mothering hearts. You make the world a better place, and I am grateful for you.