Jon Schmidt's latest

Dain is Jon's drummer for the Christmas concerts and has been for years. Jon is known for putting together these combinations but this one was a huge hit!!!! He and Steve do some cool things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3d6SFcDys

S-T-R-E-S-S

What can I say .. these last couple of months have been very stressful. A big chunk is work related. In the middle of all this, Dain's grandmother died and we had an unexpected trip which meant we missed Christian's 18th birthday and mother's day at home. And because of all this, we still haven't mailed out Christian's graduation announcements! Bad, bad. He did address them all so today, I'm dropping them in the mailbox. I'm also trying to finish planning the graduation itself before it's here as we have grandparents coming in for the big day and I'm just barely getting to planning it. So yes, I've been feeling stressed! I think relatives are feeling ignored because of all this but really, I'm just dealing with it all one step at a time. Uncertainty is hard. Yuck.

Home Sweet Home

I'm so done with traveling. A family vacation would be okay because that's what I have missed these past two weeks: the family together. Christian graduates in about 3 weeks and it's all too real: my son is leaving home soon. Having Alyssa graduate and leave home was incredibly hard for me. I've talked to other moms and I'm not alone. It's something we all share. But that doesn't make it easier. Now Christian is about to graduate and start his life outside the home. It's exciting and fun and freaky. And a little sad for me ..... but not in a bad way. I know this is part of letting go. I just crave time with my kids. Dain and I have done at great job at spending time alone as a couple (I highly recommend that--no kids and definitely not with other couples) AND as a family. It's awesome. A little bit of my heart goes with each kid. It's bittersweet.

So as the school year ends and the hot season is here to stay, I'm entering yet another time in my life. After all, "To every thing, there is a season", right?? :-)

My ALC BFF's

I'm in Austin for an industry conference. These two have been my friends for the last 7 years and I LOVE going to these conferences just because I know they're there! Great friends the other 11 months, too. :-) I just love this picture.

Sandy Dupleich (owns Dynamic Languages in Seattle), Marla Schulman (owns Schreiber Translations in DC) and me

St. George and Vegas

Misc pix of our short stop in Vegas (where Dain sent me to the spa as a mom's day gift), Dain losing $5, and the road trip between Vegas and St. George.

Happy 18th Birthday Christian!

Christian turned 18 on Friday, May 8. We were gone to the funeral that day so we're celebrating tonight. I can't believe he's 18 already! EEK! These are some of my fave pictures of him:

After the funeral

The Tree of Life was lit on Dain's grandmother's honor on Friday evening. This tree is only lit on special occasions and a couple of doctors gave a generous donation to the hospital on her behalf and the tree was lit. It was beautiful and an incredible honor to Grandma Atkin and her life.

Dain's mom with her brothers Scott and Dale. Grandpa Atkin is in front.
All the Atkin cousins
Dain and his grandfather
Pall bearers during grave dedication

Ellen Lyman Atkin

Dain's grandma died Sunday morninng. She was a lovely lady! Her grandfather settled Blanding, Utah, and there is a Lyman visitors center which explains the history. Very cool to visit. She will be missed. Funny lady who loved to shoot cats. You can see her obituary here.
I took this picture of her during a family picnic in Green Valley.
Here she is with her son Scott to our left, her husband who is still alive, and her son Dale to the right. Her son Curtis died almost 10 years ago.

Sports and Music Saturday

Saturday, while Emi was gone with the YW, I went with Dain while he played charity softball to raise money for the Snowdrop Foundation. That evening, we went to Christian's guitar recital. He sang and played a song he wrote. SO amazing.

DMB

Friday night was our yearly DMB concert. It rocked, as usual. LeRoi was missed but they had a couple of stand-ins.