April through August - Part 1

 Oh boy, I am behind. Let's see what I can remember...

Tennie wrapped up her job as a TA, as well as a job at the (closing) Bean Museum on campus, traveled to Northern California with her roommate Jayne, drove down the coast and spent a week at Jayne's parent's home in Laguna Niguel before returning back to Provo. She then started a required internship for her Journalism major with an organization out of Washington, D.C. that connects alumni from Middle Eastern Universities with graduates from those universities (those universities do not have alumni organizations that help with networking and job contacts and/or placement). It wasn't the most stimulating experience, but it gave her the flexibility to enjoy spring and summer.

Adele finished up her semester and her Friday afternoon job as a nanny for a young boy.

She had a story published in her school journal, spent a good deal of time in her school's pottery studio, volunteered weekly at a Dave Edgar's writing center, traveled to visit friends who live in the woods outside the city, continued meeting with a writing group she had created, hosted a few yoga/meditation events on her rooftop, made new friends and has created quite a vibrant life in a vibrant city.

Once school was out for Tennie and Adele, Tennie flew to New York and spent a few days with Adele. 

Then Ceci missed the last weeks of school to join them...

Then those three "backpacked" across the country back home, taking trains and buses and sleeping in urban campgrounds and other adventurous places. New York to Chicago to Nashville to Austin to Salt Lake (with a lot of travel and stops in between!)

They loved it.

Ceci had her hands in all kinds of things those last months of school. For starters, she created awesome art for different assignments, and I captured a few pictures of some of them.

She filmed several projects, both for clients and her own. Her equipment and process are legit!

She is one of the lead organizers for the local Fridays for Futures events and protests and was even on the radio for an interview! She was an intern for a Utah senator's campaign (he lost). She continued as the assistant editor for the school newspaper and worked as a mentor at an organization called SpyHop. She participated on a Youth U.N. climate change conference call and was a guest speaker at a Duke University online event talking about climate storytelling. She volunteered at the IRC a couple times. Phew! She was busy, busy.

And then she graduated from high school. A year early.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of hoopla around her big event. She had been on the backpacking adventure just before and was preparing for another big adventure just after, and for a variety of reasons we didn't schedule even an extended family party. So we went to Sundance right after her graduation to eat a nice dinner with our immediate family and Geoff's sister Brittany and her husband Hunter. All of her aunts and uncles had sent in bits of advise and well wishes, which we read during dinner. And that was that.

Meanwhile, Geoff charted the change of the sun through winter to spring, marking where it rose on the wall each morning and marking the time. These little markers are on three walls of our room and are making their way back around, along the route, as fall approaches.

We had a very cold and wet and long spring.

I took a trip to St. George, and while there I visited my high school best friend's brother (who has also remained a friend), Steele, and while at his house, their younger brother Cade stopped by. They feel like family.

And we went to a friend's wedding and saw some ol' Harvard friends.

Geoff with Adam and Matt

And I got together with some Seattle friends to celebrate Heidi's graduation as a nurse practitioner. These ladies have been good friends for many years.

Left to right: Lori, Ashley, Heather, Heidi and me

We went to lunch at Thanksgiving Point during the tulip festival with Geoff's siblings to celebrate his mom's birthday. Here is Geoff with a few of his siblings, Christian and his wife Heather, and Brittany (who is holding Max).

Geoff spoke at an MIT conference in Boston.

On Mother's Day, the girls and Geoff put together a small "zine" with pictures and things they love about me. It was thoughtful and made me feel seen as a mother. I treasure it.

There were many, many other smaller happenings, but this is a glimpse into a spring that is now in, what seems like, the distant past!