my may days

Summertime is without a doubt my favorite!

Time has flown by already I can't believe June is almost over. Yikes! I know there's still over a month yet but I just don't want it to end!!

Starting May 10th (the Friday I returned home from SLU) most of my days have consisted of hanging out with Josue and also my grandparents. That night my grandpa and I made strawberry short cake at their house and the following night Josue joined my family and I for a delicious dinner at their house! Yum!

Starting that weekend, another reoccurring part of my summer has been mowing the Newman center. There's still the inconvenience that I can't start to mower, but other than that it is going well! While they were still there, I liked to look at and photograph the dandelions in the lot beside the Newman center and ponder the quote- "when you look at a field of dandelions you either see a hundred weeds or a hundred wishes." Life truly is all about perspective.

Sunday May 12 was mother's day, but also Michael's graduation from Wabash!! I was so happy to be back home and able to celebrate mother's day with my mom! She is one of my best friends, truly. And I was happy to have worked things out with my theology professor to take my exam early so I could be home for Michael's graduation rather than stuck at SLU. Yay Michael! I can't believe he is that old but am happy for him! The graduation was outside and really pretty. My family ended up sitting by Sarah Warner and her grandma which also added to the excitement and fun. Two students gave good speeches, the second in particular was really inspiring and got a standing ovation first from all his fellow graduates, and then the audience followed. After his graduation we had a small grad party for him- I was happy to get to see some of the people that stopped by like the Vanderkolks, Linns, and Brother Trent!

Tuesday May 14 I interviewed in Lebanon for a day camp counselor position at their YMCA. I waited the rest of the weekend to hear back, as she was assuring me she would call and let me know either way but I never heard anything. I know I could have called as well to ask what was up, but I just figured if it wasn't meant to be then it wasn't, and just let it go. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon at Hose visiting my mom's sweet class. They are always excited to see me and run at me with arms wide open. I was impressed by their singing performances- they knew all of the words and a few even pulled out some great dancing moves. 

That evening I spent hanging out with Josue. The sky was blue before it dimmed and the temperature perfect. We spent a while just relaxing rocking back and forth on the hammock. 

Wednesday May 15 was Maria's confirmation. I thought it was so cool that she chose her confirmation name to be Theresa after St. Theresa, but also in remembrance of my Grandma Demeter. I was happy to be in attendance, (as I previously expected I would have training for the camp job). The mass was just as beautiful as the cathedral and of course my pretty sister! I was excited to know the reading from Corinthians about the gifts of the spirit and the story behind that from my theology class. 

Thursday May 16 I went for a roadtrip with Hilary's mom and grandma! We stopped at the outlet mall (where I bought two cute dresses from Charlotte Rousse), ate lunch of Ruby Tuesday, then made it to our final destination- Hanover College! 

Hilary's mom and grandma hung out with Colby, Hilary, and I for a while then headed home. I stayed and spent the night with Hilary. It was soo much fun! I was so happy that after all the talk about it, I was finally able to make it down to visit her! Hanover's campus was really pretty and I loved getting to see the difference between there and SLU. It honestly did make me a little disappointed I never took a visit before deciding on SLU. Colby and Hilary's friends- Ryan, Mariah, Jacob, and Yuding were all so nice and a lot of fun. I also got to see Trent (but just long enough to say her). We went on hikes and played soccer and frisbee and went out for sushi (my first sushi experience which was pretty humorous), played apples to apples, watched wiffle ball, and just hung out. I wish I could've ended up staying longer, but Friday evening after they were both finished with class Hilary and Colby drove me to Southport where we met Dan, then they headed back to school and I headed home.

The rest of the week following my fun Hanover visit I spent trying to catch some sun, and hanging out at my grandparents' house visiting with my grandma and admiring the sweet baby fawns that were born that week in their yard. They were adorable! I even got to pet one, as it looked at me with its big blue eyes and white speckled fur. We all loved to watch them grow each day until one day they finally followed their ma and found their way out of the gated backyard. I also hung out with Maggie who liked to stay real close by my side, including sitting on my lap whenever I sat in the porch chair. It was as though she was scared I might leave again, but no worries for her! I'm here to stay for the next few months! Thank goodness!

Thursday May 23 I went out for dinner with Josue. We went to Applebee's and though we weren't too impressed with our food, we had a fun time together!

Friday May 24 I went to Hose for grandparents day. My mom and I sat on a blanket on the playground and at lunch with the kids who didn't have anyone come for grandparents day. They are so cute and really funny! They even made me cards which were so sweet! One even offered to do my homework for me. 

Friday after he got done with school Josue and I took Maggie for a walk on the trail. We both really like to go to the trail, but I think Maggie likes it the most! When I picked him up he brought me a vase of red roses! Not for any particular occasion, just because he is so sweet :).

We ate a quick dinner then went to see the new Fast and Furious movie that Josue had been waiting to see. Luckily we made it before the movie started (I was cutting it kinda close though and made him nervous we were going to miss part of it). 

Saturday May 25 MaryGrace, Amy, and Aunt Wendy came for a visit!! I was so happy to get to see them and spend time with them. It's not often I get to see them, MaryGrace especially! We ate dinner together, made a trip to Dari-Licious, and told (well MaryGrace and I mostly listened) to lots of stories. 

Tuesday May 28 Josue and I planned to go to the CHS baseball game. We got to North a little later than expected and found that the people he asked to save us seats were unable to. After standing by the fence for a while debating what we should do, Josue decided we should just leave. I felt bad and was disappointed but things worked out anyways. We went back to my house and I decided to make us dinner and pack a picnic! While Josue sat with Michael I made two turkey and cheese sandwiches for him, a salad for me, along with a bag of chips, grapes, and water bottles. Then we grabbed a quilt and headed to Milligan Park! We laid the quilt under a tree, turned on pandora radio on our phone, took lots of pictures, and ate our yummy dinner! It was so peaceful and so much fun! After eating we laid on the blanket for a while as the sun started to make its descent, then headed back to my house to chat more with my mom and Dan on the back porch. 

Wednesday May 29 Josue and I brought Maggie back to the trail before I headed to my dad's for the night to help him find a place to rent for our vacation that was approaching in a few days. Josue can run a lot faster and farther than Maggie and I can.

Thursday May 30 was the last day of school! I hung out with Maggie for a while then spent part of the day in my mom's classroom. It was so cute that they all wanted to hug her goodbye (all at once!). I know she will really miss this class.

That evening I joined Hilary and Colby for ultimate frisbee. Colby played with all of the guys, but Hilary and I sat and watched and talked on the side. Then we rented Jack Reacher and went back to Colby's house where we all watched it with his parents.