Landscaping:
We worked on a lot of small landscaping projects in May. First of all, the makeshift fencing around our garden was no longer functioning. The netting was falling apart, and the chicken wire was all bent, and deer were able to jump over it to get into our garden in the winter, so I knew replacing it was the first project to tackle! We tore down the old fencing over spring break, and Josh took out the peach trees in the garden that weren't producing anymore. I purchased some netwire to go around the garden posts, but we didn't get the new fencing put up over spring break like we'd anticipated. On the first Saturday in May, I went to the Women's Conference at the church(I was the pianist), and when I got home, Josh had put it up for me while I was gone! That was such a fun surprise! I was so impressed by his willingness to do it all on his own for me. It looked SO much better!
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| the old chicken wire on the lower half was bent and caving in |
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| the netting on the upper half of the garden was breaking and falling down |
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| What a hunk! |
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| the fencing is nice and straight now! |
Last year, I extended the flower bed along our house because the pansies kept spreading into the walkway that bordered it. When I took out the rock walkway, I doubled the size of the flowerbed, and thought that would solve the problem of the spilling over pansies and they would be better contained...
...and it seemed to work last year:
However, this year, suddenly the pansies began growing up through the gravel walkway that we laid down last year, and hardly any pansies were coming up in the flower patch that I'd expanded where they WERE growing last year!
I decided it's because the ground cover of the gravel was keeping the soil more moist for the flowers to grow in the walkway, but the bigger flower box was drying out without any covering, so I purchased some bark and covered the flower box with it. It didn't change all the flower growth like I'd hoped--but it DID look better! I debated about putting round-up on the walkway to get rid of all the pansies growing in the wrong area, but ultimately I decided not to because it made for a more natural walkway, but I may in the future!
Mother's Day:
I got what I wanted this year: quality time with my family (that's my love language)! Usually, Josh is driving the state golf bus and is gone on Mother's Day weekend, but that event wasn't until the following weekend this year. I got to relax and hang out with my family and do whatever I wanted! Micah was sweet and also surprised me with flowers and a poem he wrote for me, which I totally loved!
My Mud Lake friends and I had a lunch on a school day together. We decided that when the weather was nice, we'd go to the taco truck and eat out mid-day instead of always going out of town at night. It was so much fun! I wish we'd done it more often when I still lived there!
Josh and I hosted game night with the Hobbs' and the Oswald's one Saturday evening in Salmon. We played Five Crowns, which Gina brought. It's always nice to play, chat, and eat good food together! I love playing games, and am so glad we found friends who are willing to play with us regularly!
Father & Son Campout:
The annual Father & Son campout with the Salmon & River wards was on Friday the 14th. I decided to go to it, too! I'd never gone to it before, and I kind of hate when they all go, because it leaves me alone and I don't go to Mother/Daughter stuff because I don't have any girls. But since Josh and Jonah were leaving on Sunday morning for state golf, and I had been gone to Mud Lake all week, I wanted to be able to spend time with everyone before I had to go back to work again! We took the trailer and went camping at Bobcat Gulch--I'd never camped there before. Dinner was provided on Friday night, and the guys hung around and talked, played games, and had a campfire presentation. I mostly hung out in the trailer, but came out for dinner, and had a nice chat with the Bishop. On Saturday morning, breakfast was provided too, but Josh and I slept in and breakfast had already been cooked, served, and cleaned up by the time we got up at 9! Then we packed up and headed back home! It was a pretty quick camping trip--quicker than our usual 24-hour family ones!
Field Trips:
My class had 3 field trips in May: which is 2 more than I originally thought they'd have! My class alone went to the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot (since the 4th graders learned about Idaho History this year), then we stopped at the rest area along the freeway near Blackfoot to eat lunch and walk through the lava trails (my 3rd graders learned about volcanoes this year), and then we went to the Tautphus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls (since the 3rd & 4th graders had mammal reports they researched and presented this spring). It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed being with my class! I'd never been to the Idaho Potato Museum before, and it's such an Idaho icon, so I'm glad it worked out for us to be able to go.
On the very last day of school, Kanyon's band class had a field trip to a community orchestra concert at the tabernacle in Rexburg. We ate dinner on the lawn of the tabernacle and watched the performance. The music was impressive, and I'm glad he had the chance to go (and I got to chaperone, too!).
Moments of Relaxation:
May is a crazy busy month. This year was no exception! Josh and I took any extra moments possible amongst the stressful schedule to relax and rejuvenate. We've learned the older we've gotten that it's important to take time for yourself. Josh and I both took the day off to go watch Jonah compete at District Golf in Challis (a rarity for me--I hardly take the ENTIRE day off work, and walking around the golf course was a nice and relaxing way to spend the day), and we stopped at the Cronk's Canyon natural hot springs to soak on the way home. It's my favorite hot springs, and usually the small pool isn't busy--thankfully it wasn't on that afternoon, either!
Micah made a poster of "Riesens" to take to his proposal. His first date idea was Gracie Bird, but she wasn't 16 yet and her mom didn't want her to go on a date until she was 16. Next he asked Laney Woolf, but she also wasn't 16 yet and her mom prevented her from accepting for the same reason. He took the poster to Janessa Black's house. Thankfully, she accepted his proposal! We weren't sure he'd ask anyone else if he'd been rejected 3 times!!
Kanyon's band concert in Mud Lake was on the evening of May 20. The high school band also performed some songs for the 4th and 5th graders during the day, to see if they could generate interest in having them join band next year, so I was lucky enough to see Kanyon perform twice in one day! He did awesome on the tuba--one of the adult members of the orchestra even told me that Kanyon helps keep everyone on tempo and she was so glad he joined orchestra this year! (He didn't have band class first semester this year.)
End of the School Year:
Josh and I like to sit in spots around the yard to relax whenever we have the chance, and this spring, we seemed to repeatedly choose to sit in the new area by the Triple S to hang out. We like to get the mango smoothies from the f'real machine at Valleywide--it reminds us of the frozen mango daiquiries we got when we went to Mexico years ago. We started a habit of buying the smoothies on the way home from doing errands in town, and then sitting in the adirondack chairs by the Triple S to drink them and chill out after we got home. I cherish those moments: listening to the water as it trickled by, sipping mango smoothies, and reminiscing and relaxing with my husband in the calm of our property.
Ammon:
Ammon completed his 3rd year of college in May. He said goodbye to his friends who were graduating, drove to Salmon late, packed up what he needed for the summer, and left the next morning for Denver. He said his taillight popped out as he was driving from Moscow to Salmon. He and Josh went to the car parts store the next morning, but they didn't have any extra lights in stock, so they bought some red tape to affix it to the car, and the plan was for him to buy a new one while in Denver. Ammon surprised me and stopped by my work in Mud Lake on his way to Denver so that I could see him before he was gone all summer. I loved seeing him, even though it was just for a few minutes! His car made it to Denver okay, but then it started having problems all summer long, and we decided that on his way back through Salmon at the end of August before going to Moscow to start his senior year, that we would get him a different car. 
Prom:
Jonah asked Beth by putting one letter from a phrase in a balloon, then blew up all the balloons and placed them in her car. She had to pop the balloons, get the paper with the letter on it from each balloon, then unscramble all the letters to spell out the message: "Will you fly to prom with me?"
Micah made a poster of "Riesens" to take to his proposal. His first date idea was Gracie Bird, but she wasn't 16 yet and her mom didn't want her to go on a date until she was 16. Next he asked Laney Woolf, but she also wasn't 16 yet and her mom prevented her from accepting for the same reason. He took the poster to Janessa Black's house. Thankfully, she accepted his proposal! We weren't sure he'd ask anyone else if he'd been rejected 3 times!!
Prom was on May 15. Jonah's group was Mason Payne & Sedona Cannon, Garret Rich & Lizzie Nelson, and he & Beth. For their group date, they went golfing, took pictures near Baker, ate dinner at Beth's house, then went to the promenade before the prom dance. Micah's group was Erik Oliverson & Emma Swope, and he & Janessa. They took pictures at our house, ate dinner at our house, and went to the prom dance. Since we were hosting dinner, we were unable to go take pictures of Jonah's group, but thankfully one of the other moms sent us some. Josh and I drove into town after dinner and took pictures of him at the promenade, so we were still able to see their group that night. They all had a fun time!
Funky Weather:
There were a couple of cold, snowy days in May. The weather has been so crazy lately! The seasons are "off", and you never know what to expect anymore! I'm currently writing this post in December, and the temperature has been in the 60's the last few days, there is no snow, and I haven't even worn a jacket for a week. However, it was cold and snowy in May when it was supposed to be warm!!
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| May 20... |
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| ...on my drive to Mud Lake. |
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| May 22. It's weird to see blossoms on the trees and snow on the deck simultaneously! |
EVENTS:
There is always lots going on in May with the end of school, and this year there were several things that got moved to May as well, due to items that got rescheduled as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. May felt like a marathon month this year, but the events we went to, although they added extra items to our already busy schedule, were really fun! It was nice to be able to see things in person again; it helped make up for the fact that last May everything was shut down and canceled altogether!
Kanyon and I went to the Mr. West J pagaent on May 4 (it's usually held in April). The theme this year was "inmates". The contestants did awesome with their dances, talents, and interviews. I laughed SO hard!!! It's such a fun tradition that West J has!
Josh, Kanyon, and I went to watch our neighbor Cooper participate in the high school rodeo that Salmon hosted on May 21. It was the first time I've ever been to a high school rodeo before!
Kanyon's band concert in Mud Lake was on the evening of May 20. The high school band also performed some songs for the 4th and 5th graders during the day, to see if they could generate interest in having them join band next year, so I was lucky enough to see Kanyon perform twice in one day! He did awesome on the tuba--one of the adult members of the orchestra even told me that Kanyon helps keep everyone on tempo and she was so glad he joined orchestra this year! (He didn't have band class first semester this year.)
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| He's on the right side, behind the cello. |
May 23 was the PGA Championship game. We did NOT attend this in person, however, Josh and I have become avid watchers of golf on TV over the years. Phil Mickelson is MY favorite PGA golfer, and it was surreal to watch him win this tournament. The crowds, who have been non-existent and minimal for the past year, followed him in masses to his final hole, and he could barely get to the green. It was amazing to see the support they showed him! It was impactful for me: watching so many people follow him, watching him win, and watching him emerge from the crowds as the oldest PGA champ ever!
Kanyon also went with me to watch West J's high school musical production of "The Descendants" on May 25. They held the musical the last week of school and Memorial Day weekend, which was crazy! Usually they hold the musical in November, or March, but with all the scheduling conflicts of COVID-19, and then with sports, the only available weekend was the end of May! I usually like to go to more than one performance, but I simply couldn't this time due to when they had it--so we only went once, and it was on a night with a sold-out crowd! I'd never seen this movie or heard the music from the play, so it was all new to me, but I absolutely loved it! The students did fantastic singing, dancing, and performing. Their costumes and acting were spot-on! I enjoyed it immensely and was so glad I had the opportunity to go!
The junior high purchased 2 large inflatable balls that the students got to play with during mentoring hour in May. They had teams, and the goal was to get the ball to the 50 yard line against the enemy team. Kanyon became an instant sensation when he ran towards the ball that had escaped his team at the same moment another student did. This other student was an opponent on the enemy team, and is also known for being a bully, disrespectful to teachers, and very much "unliked" by staff and students (student name not included). When Kanyon got to the ball, he pushed it forward, and it threw the other kid back onto the ground. The crowd went wild! The teachers and principal even cheered! I didn't see it, but I heard it about it for weeks after! 
Our yearend school BBQ was on May 25. This is another tradition that I love that West J has. The school board and Superintendent grill up lunch for the entire studentbody. Mr. H also brought his speakers and played music and the students danced after eating. It was SO much fun!
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| Willy, the V.P. of the school board, asked to take a selfie with me at the luncheon since I was leaving and this was my last school BBQ. |
Kanyon had art class the last semester, and although he originally was unsure about having that class, he ended up really liking it. Several of his friends were in that class, and he learned a lot about art that he didn't know before and got to make some pretty cool things. His final project was to make a clay sculpture. He had a different idea for it at first, but it ended up becoming a baby Yoda. He did so awesome! I was really impressed when I saw it!
On the last day of school, the graduating high school seniors paraded down the halls on their way to graduation practice, and the other students got to cheer them on. I missed things like this last year when school was closed down. I'm so glad life is returning to a more normal state!
Kanyon's last day of junior high, and also his last day of being a student at West J:
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| Kanyon has a fun dress style! He wears shorts year-round, he likes to wear mono-chromatic clothes, and he likes to wear his fanny pack to always be prepared! |
Farewell, Mud Lake
The last few weeks of school were very stressful for me. In addition to all the activities, school events, and field trips, I was also trying to clean and get rid of furniture at my rental house, box up my classroom, pass out yearbooks, and still teach! I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but then I realized during the last few days of school that I wasn't going to get it all done in time, and I had a couple of melt-downs and shed lots of tears in the process. On the day before the last day of school, my class surprised me with a going away party at the ALC. I couldn't believe it! I was in shock and I cried even more! I loved this class tremendously--more than any other class I'd had before, simply because I'd made a goal at the beginning of the year to put the kids first rather than the academics, and it made all the difference in the world. At the party, they each said something they like about me, we had ice cream and toppings, and they presented me with cards and a poster that they'd all made for me. It was the sweetest thing ever! I still miss this class so much!
The last day of school was on Thursday, May 27. After school let out, I kept working on boxing up my classroom until it was time to go to Kanyon's band field trip to the orchestra concert in Rexburg. We got home pretty late that night, so I didn't go back to my classroom. I went in early on Friday morning, and worked on boxing stuff and moving furniture until it was time for Carol's retirement luncheon. After that, a lot of people left, but I kept working. I still needed to mail report cards and work on the cume files and do my end-of-year reports, but I still had so much boxing to do. Thankfully, Jill, Loreli, and Shay stopped by and helped me with stuffing envelopes and filing papers and getting files loaded off my school computer while I kept working on sorting, cleaning, throwing away stuff, and boxing up items. I accumulated so much in my 4 years teaching elementary at West J! Josh got there after 4:00, and he and Kanyon moved everything out to the truck & trailer and loaded it up, while I continued to still clean out cupboards and box up stuff. We finally finished emptying out my classroom at 6:00! I couldn't believe it was actually done!
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| This is the area of the room I put the boxes when I was done-- they were 2 stacks deep so you can't see them all. |
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| I moved out all my furniture and larger personal items into the hallway so it would be easier to load. |
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| This was all the gifts and cards my students gave me before I left. I felt so loved and spoiled! These were the last things I boxed up. |
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| Goodbye classroom...it was so weird when it was all emptied out! |
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| Goodbye, West J. I will always treasure my time in this school. I was extremely sad to leave. |
Amy's Wedding:
My friend Amy Roseburough got re-married in Star Valley, Wyoming on Saturday, May 29, and Josh and I drove over to attend the ceremony. I've known Amy since 2016 when she moved into my ward in Salmon, and we also worked at the same school district together. Shortly after I moved from Salmon school district to work at West J, she and her family moved back to Oregon. I drove over to Baker City once to visit her in the fall of 2018, but I hadn't seen her since. We often talked via Marco Polo or on the phone the last few years, and I wished so often that she lived closer as she went through her difficult divorce alone. I love Amy and really bonded with her when we lived by each other. I was SO happy when she met Kevin, and you could see the joy returning in her countenance. I was excited to meet him in person and when I saw her as she walked out for the marriage ceremony, my heart leaped at seeing her so happy! It was a beautiful wedding, and I'm so glad we were able to go to it!
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| The church she got married in wasn't far from the Star Valley temple. I'd never seen it before! I hope to someday go inside--it was on my list of temples to attend last summer until the temple closures happened due to the pandemic. |
We stayed for about an hour at the luncheon, then we left to drive back to Mud Lake. We spent the night in Mud Lake, then on Sunday morning, we loaded up our mattresses into the trailer, and we drove the truck, trailer, and "my classroom" back home to Salmon. On Monday morning, I drove BACK to Mud Lake by myself, and worked for over 6 hours deep-cleaning and carpet-shampooing my rental house. Val came over and helped me wash the blinds, and Angie showed up to help me do some errands. After a very long day, the owner came over to do a walk through, she signed off on my checklist, and I gave her the keys and FINALLY came home for the summer!!! It was the ending of a very long, emotional, fun, and stressful month!
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| Home Sweet Home! Josh captured this image of our home before he left to work in the early morning hours of May 31, the last day of the month-- and my first day living back at home full-time! |
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