In the Merry Month of May

In case you're wondering why I'm churning out blogposts like there's no tomorrow, well, it's cuz I'm all on my own!  Brookyn and Talia are at a FSY (For the Strength of Youth) church conference at Snow College, Eli is camping at Bear Lake with Jason and the Young Men, and Annika is hanging out with Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles in Logan. As for me, well, I'd love to be outside, but it's ninety degrees right now.  My plan is to wait until tomorrow morning and then hike nice and early when it's cooler.

In the meantime, may I introduce May!  Annika and I headed to the planetarium for Star Wars day.  May the Fourth be with you!

Making her very own miniature light saber.

The Cosplay was strong with this one.

Grogu may be cute, but the little Ewok was amazing.

Tacos, chips, salsa and dip.  Must be Cinco de Mayo.

April showers bring May flowers.  It made me so happy to see our blossoms finally appear!

The tulips and crab apple blossoms appear a little after the daffodils and hyacinths.

The only thing healthier than the flowers were the weeds.  There was so little grass left that we pulled out our entire lawn a few weeks ago in the hopes of starting over in the fall.

Not surprisingly, the May snowmelt resulted in some major flooding.  Sugar House Park had to close because for a while because the reservoir completely spilled over the road.

On the positive side, the Bonneville Shoreline trail was greener than I've ever seen it.  The yellow daisies never cease to delight.

As for Dry Creek, it was anything but dry.  In the seven years we've lived here, this was the first time I'd seen more than a tiny trickle.

As long as I'm sharing pictures of the BST, here are some more taken on a Sunday afternoon with our friend Jane Damstedt.  So Jason and I have known Jane since she was born.  Our very first date was with her parents!  Jane's father Brad was best friends with Jason in high school, and we've kept in touch ever since.  We were SO excited to learn that Jane is currently living in an apartment within our ward boundaries as she attends the U of U to study forensic science.  It's been delightful to get to know her better.

Have frisbee, will travel.

Blumen!  Both of Jane's parents speak German, having met oversees while on their missions.

A beautiful place to call home.

Other May memories:  Tracy Aviary with Anders.  We saw this pelican repeatedly try to swallow a baby duckling.  In the pelican's defense, the duckling kept coming back to pester it.

Checking out the playground equipment at the new Granite Library during their Butterfly celebration.

Even better was the wallaby at the Fairgrounds.  It loved to have its neck scratched and lick your hand.

The capybara was pretty hilarious as well, albeit naughty.  It totally munched a giant hole in this little girl's dress.

The real reason we came to the International Festival was to watch our friends Ina and Beyah perform.  Amazing job, ladies!

Okay, one more May event and I'll call it quits for this post.  The High Fives 5K!  This free local race has become a fun annual tradition.  Not to brag, but this year the Wheeler family pretty much swept their age categories.  In fairness, it was a very small field.  I think the rain storms that came through right before kept lots of people away.

Here's the start of the kids race.

Annika and Ruby set off neck and neck.

Before long, Ruby pulled in front.  I think the kid in front of her is just hilarious.  He's like, WHY are you torturing me like this?

I don't know if this is Isaac or Ashton Richins, but one thing I do know--he flies.  I'm not sure if those rubber boots ever touched the ground!

Meanwhile, Jason encouraged Annika on his bike.  Truth to be told, running isn't really her thing.  (A recent exercise stress test rather proves it.) But hey, with Jason's injured knee, running isn't really his thing either.  

Biking definitely is.  (By the way, if you look closely, you can see Annika taking a shortcut across the neighbor's yard in the background.  Clever girl.)

Go Liam!  These wonderful neighbors moved to St. George a few weeks ago, and we miss them so much already.

Looky here, it's Jason and Justin!  Our speedy Tio Queso won the entire race!

Eli was super fast too, winning his age category.  

Ditto for Miss Talia Lily.  This ambitious girl registered for a full marathon come fall!

Here's the cheering squad!  Ruby and Brianna look a bit more excited than Violet.

Well-done runners!  Enjoy a root beer float and claim your victory until next year.