Memorial Day pool party

We did a little morning trapeze practice, and then a few of us went over to Nadia and Robin's house for lunch and a swim. It wasn't a big crowd, but George, Jan, Brian, Kevin, me and Dave were all there for the afternoon. 

The pool was a little chilly, but most of us managed to get in there. Kevin and Brian dove in a few times, but they were big fans of the hot tub. 

Jan told us a funny story about how she wore this swim suit while she was on a cruise with her mom and her mom told her that the suit made it look like she was "asking for it." Apparently she thought it was a little too risque for a woman in her 50s. Live your best life Jan! 

Dave smoked some ribs, which are always a hit at these parties. I always enjoy times when our trapeze family hangs out away from the rig. I am so fortunate to have this awesome group of friends! 

Congrats Hailey!

Another cousin is a high school graduate! This time, it's Hailey's turn. Last year was quite the big party with 6 of the cousins graduating at the same time. From now until 2027 though, we have one kid graduating each year. Hailey in 23, Tyler in 24, Braden in 25, Lacy in 26, and Ava in 27. I didn't take many photos, but we did remember to get a few before the end of the night. The Dairmans had a nice party for Hailey, but it was pretty low key compared to last year. 

It'll be this kid's turn next year! When I said as much to him today he said "I don't want a party." He quickly changed his tune when I told him that people who come to graduation parties tend to give the graduate an envelope of cash. "Well, I guess I'd be ok with a party." 

I'm not sure what Hailey is planning to do next year. I think she's going to work at Tina's school and maybe take some college classes. She went through a cosmetology program during her senior year, so she may get some work doing that as well. She's a smart girl, I'm sure she'll do great. Congrats Hailey! 

Random picture of me that Dave took while I was relaxing with a glass of wine next to the pool. It was a pretty night! 

Last day of school

The best day of the school year is here--the last day! Believe it or not, the kids are finishing up 11th and 8th grade. This is Tyler's last summer before graduating from high school, heading into his senior year. Doesn't it seem like just a few years ago that he was starting Kindergarten? Ava is very excited to be done with 8th grade and the Academy. It has been a fantastic middle school, but she is ready for a new experience. She is looking forward to being done with uniforms, taking some different classes and meeting new people. My baby is going to be in high school! How? What? 

We are very proud of these two. They are both busy with so much, yet they manage to continue to do well in school. Tyler had mostly As and a couple of Bs (College Algebra and English, I think) and Ava had straight As except for a B in social studies. I'm not even sure Tyler does much homework, but manages to get good grades anyway. He'll have a pretty easy schedule next year, so he's definitely in the home stretch. We're excited to see what high school looks like for Ava. I know that for me, high school was some of the best years of my childhood where I made lifelong friends. I hope she has that experience too. 

Jordan's mom sent us this picture of the girls on the last day of school. It was nice that they had a free dress day on their last day at the Academy. The picture of Ava and Lexi is from the 8th grade awards event from a couple nights ago. Ava got the silver award for having a 3.5+ gpa and Lexi got the gold award for having a 4.0. Congrats girls! 

We got this photo from Kathy on graduation night. Tyler was helping with the live stream of the RMHS graduation ceremony for RMTV. 

Here is a look at the kids at the start of this school year and at the end. It's amazing how much a kid changes in 9 months. I've managed to keep up this first day of school tradition with the kids holding their signs every year, but Tyler only has one left! It'll be fun to see all 13 years of him holding this sign in front of our house. Where did the years go? I hope it's a great summer for these two. We don't have much planned for family vacations, but Tyler has a big event in Denver in a couple weeks. Ava will be doing swim team, synchronized swimming, junior lifeguarding and volleyball--so she'll be busy. Before we know it, the summer will be ending and it'll be time to take the first day of 9th and 12th grade photos. I know the kids are ready for a break and are looking forward to some down time this summer, although they'll be plenty busy. We're proud of you two, keep up the good work! 

Volleyball team party

I didn't get very many photos today, but Ava and I had a good time at her end of the season volleyball party with her team. Charleigh's family hosted, and we had a potluck style meal and they also grilled burgers and hot dogs. The girls spent some time swimming and the parents hung out and chatted (and had a few drinks). They also spent some time going around the room talking about what they learned and what they enjoyed about the season. This is really a great group of girls and parents. Ava was so lucky to have had such a great first club experience. We'll miss this team! 

They did one last "VOS ON THREE!" chant. Avary was always the one screaming it at the top of her lungs. I also tried to get a video of them doing their YMCA dance, which they just started doing at the end of their season (but I wasn't recording). I'm not sure why they didn't start that chant earlier, but in the last couple games that they won, they all got in a line and did the YMCA song (you know, because they are a Y club). 

Chelsea had this photo printed and framed for both coaches, and all the girls signed it.  

Since I had just made my first batch of limoncello, I bought a bottle of that along with some Prosecco and sparkling water so I could share some limoncello spritzers with any of the parents who wanted to try it. It was a hit! It was a fun day, I'm so glad that we had this volleyball experience--great coaches, great kids and great parents, led to a very fun season! I look forward to more volleyball in our future, and can only hope we have more great teams like this. 

One year without dad

It's been one year since my dad died. Some days, I really feel his absence, and other days I forget that he's gone. This year has gone unbelievably quickly, as they seem to do more and more with each one that passes. My dad wasn't someone that I saw super regularly once I was an adult, and even when he spent his winters in Mesa, I would sometimes go weeks without seeing him. This last year has felt a little bit like those times when he was just back in ND for the summer. There have been times over the year that were harder than others--our trip to ND last summer without him, his birthday, Christmas, and the Buffett concert I went to in March. I also think a lot about how hard those 5 weeks were between when we found out he was sick and when he passed away. I am still shocked at how quickly it went, how much everything changed in a blink of an eye. One of the things that is the hardest for me to think about is the awful experience he had in what ended up being the place he spent his last days. I know it isn't helpful to dwell on things we can't change, but my biggest regret throughout that process was putting him in that home for his hospice care. While I think they meant well, the language barrier was a huge problem, leading him to be confused, scared and alone. On top of that, the woman from the hospice company advised us to not go visit him for the first week or so to allow him to get used to his new surroundings. That was a mistake, and mom and I feel very guilty about that. I know we can always look back and wonder how we could have handled things differently, and the truth is we had no way to know. We had never gone through this before and we were trying to do our best. I can't help but feel like I let him down a bit at the end. 

I try not to let those feelings dominate my thoughts of my dad though. I like to think back on the happy times we had with him, and I feel very fortunate that my kids will have plenty of memories with their Grandpa Jon. I know that our summers at the farm will be the most prominent memories they have when they think about their childhood trips to North Dakota. It makes me sad to think about all he has missed and will miss with the kids as they grow into adults. He was very proud of his grandkids, and I know he enjoyed getting to spend more time with them once he started spending winters in Arizona. 

Our traditional summer trip was always to North Dakota around the Fourth of July, and this will be the first year in some time that we won't be there. As the kids got older, those summer trips didn't seem to be quite as fun for them as they were when they were younger, but I know they enjoyed being there (even if playing by the creek or driving the Ranger around the farm yard had lost it's appeal). One of my favorite photos with my dad is from that last summer trip we took while he was still with us--a beautiful sunset on a lovely evening at Blacktail Dam. This place held so many memories for my dad throughout his life (and mine too), and I know it meant a lot to him that his grandkids were able to spend some time there as well. Of course, they'll never understand what it was like before we had indoor plumbing and running water. I still remember that feeling of dread when you had to go use the outhouse, hoping there wouldn't be too many spiders crawling around. 

This is a hard post to write, as all of them were when I was writing about his illness. Sometimes I wonder if I've properly grieved the loss of my dad. I'm not even really sure what it would look like since I've never lost someone so close to me. I know there's no right or wrong way, and that everyone processes loss differently, but sometimes I'm not sure if I gave myself enough space to feel all the feelings. I'm sorry that dad is missing out on all the awesome things his grandkids are doing, and that he won't know the wonderful adults they'll undoubtedly become. I'm grateful for his presence in my life and in the lives of my kids, and I miss him. 

Delicious Limoncello

There were a few culinary highlights that we enjoyed while we were in Italy. The short list is wine, pizza, gelato, and the limoncello. Of that list of things, there is one thing that I can try to make, and it might actually turn out similar to what we experienced in Italy. I have a lemon tree, why not try to make limoncello? My mom's partner, Owen, made us some limoncello last year, which we really enjoyed. After experiencing Italian limoncello, I decided I wanted to try to make my own. It's the end of the citrus season here in Arizona, and I had a bunch of lemons that needed to be picked. Side note, remember when I thought we had a lime tree? I picked about 15 lemons off of my tree, and tried my first round of making homemade limoncello. It's a very basic recipe. You shave the yellow rind off of the lemon, and soak it in a container of Everclear (190 proof grain alcohol) for about 2 weeks. Here is my lemon rind soaking in {nearly} pure alcohol. You can also soak it in vodka, but Everclear makes for the most potent (and delicious) limoncello. Here is one of my first jars of lemon soaking in alcohol. I would take it out and shake it daily.

Once it had soaked in the alcohol for about 2 weeks, I mixed up a batch of simple syrup (sugar and water) to combine with the lemon soaked alcohol. I managed to get five bottles of limoncello out of this first batch. 

And, guess what? It was absolutely delicious. I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if it's just that easy to make, but this tastes absolutely perfect. I will share some of these bottles with friends, I'll make some limoncello spritzers, and I'll also be making more of this tasty liquor. I have shared it with a few people, and have received some pretty nice compliments. One of Tina's friends even said "how much do you sell this for?" Maybe this could be a little side business? If nothing else, it'll make a good gift option. Chin chin! 

Mother's Day

Well, this is the first Mother's Day that I haven't gotten a picture with my kids. I barely got one last year, having to take it after I had changed clothes and gone for a walk in the evening after our festivities. It had been a rough day, as my dad wasn't doing well in the new facility, so my mind was elsewhere. This year, Ava was sick and didn't get to go to the family party! So...you're getting a photo of me and Tyler, and that's it. I didn't take any other photos all day! 

Mother's Day with Dave's family is always nice. I write about it every year, but the tradition of all the men doing the cleaning, prepping, cooking, and serving is great! My mom was able to join us this year too, which was nice for me as well. Of course, I was failure in the photo department on this Mother's Day, so you'll have to take my word for it. I guess I'll count my photo with Ava and my photo with my mom from the show last night as our Mother's Day photos together. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life--my own, my mother-in law, my grandma, and all of my wonderful girlfriends who are rocking this motherhood thing. 

Dave bought me flowers and some Chianti (channeling Italy), as well as flowers for me, and our moms. I picked out another gift for myself this year, and treated myself to a Nespresso machine! After all the delicious coffee we had in Italy, I wanted to be able to make my own espresso at home. At first, I wasn't going to get it because of the cost, but then a friend told me about Amazon Warehouse, where you can get things cheaper (usually new, just opened/returned). It saved me $100, so I decided to go for it. I'm loving this machine so far, and look forward to experimenting with it more. Now, who wants to join me for coffee?

A fun trapeze show

It's showtime! I was glad we were able to push this show back to mid May so I'd have a couple weeks of practice after my 2 weeks off while I was in Italy. I'm not sure how much difference it really makes, considering I throw the same 4 tricks and catch all the same tricks every time, but mentally, it was nice not to have this show the weekend after I got back. Our entire crew was there this time around, with the addition of a guest flyer (April's daughter, Summer who was doing a knee hang), and Herdlyn was there as a guest catcher! 

Backstage shenanigans...

It was such a pretty night for a show. This can be a warm time of year, but we ended up with perfect weather, as we've been fortunate to have for most all of our shows that I can remember. 

My mom wouldn't usually be here this late into May, as she tries to be back in ND around Mother's Day and her birthday. This year, however, she's having her condo remodeled and needs to stick around until it's done. Speaking of her birthday, that's today! Happy birthday mom! I'm so grateful for the time we had together in Italy, and thank you for being one of my biggest supporters. I'm glad we could put on a fun show for you today, and I'm very happy that you're spending a little more time here this spring. 

In all the years that Brian has been coaching us, I don't think he's missed a single show that we've put on. This was the first show that his twin brother, Kevin, has ever seen though, believe it or not. Kevin comes out with Brian quite often, but usually he stays for a few days on either end of the trip but goes back to California in the middle. He has watched a lot of our flying during those visits, but he's never had a chance to catch a show.

I also enlisted Tyler to come and take some photos for us. It can be tough to get action shots when it's dark, but he got some good ones. I am always happy when he's willing to come out and do some trapeze photography for us. He's definitely gotten the hang of it. 

Herdlyn arrived yesterday (Friday) afternoon, so we really only had one practice with him before the show. It wasn't too big of deal though, because he's been doing this a long time and none of us were throwing him anything difficult. I threw him a split and layout. Unfortunately, I didn't return my layout, but everything went smoothly with the split. I'm having such a hard time returning my layout anymore, it's been frustrating. I probably just need to work the trick and try to get more height so I'm higher for the return. The only catcher I've managed to return it with recently was Randy. 

I was in a good position for my return off of Herdlyn after my split--which is pretty typical for returns with him. He makes it easy to get into the right position. 

Here's a look at our split. 

This photo is of my break for my layout--keep your legs straight, dummy!

After Herdlyn was done catching, it was my turn to get up there.  

April and I never practice her hocks off until the day of the show. It's a really easy trick to catch, so the two times we've done it in the show, it's gone well. 

Kaylin threw me her beautiful split.

This was my biggest disappointment of the show. I missed Ali's layout! We catch this almost every time she throws it to me, and if we catch it we also return it. I think my timing was just a hair off and I was starting to fade when she got to me (and she flies so high and I was a little low), that I didn't feel comfortable grabbing it. I was worried I wouldn't be able to hang on to her coming through bottom if I tried to snag this while I was fading. I figured (in that split second I had to decide) that it was better to miss the catch than to drop her in a show.

My work here is done, and aside from missing that layout, it all went well. Now it's time to change into a new costume and get ready to throw a few tricks to Rod. 

Rod got to catch my planche first, which is what I'm doing in this photo. 

The other trick I threw Rod was my uprise shoot, which I was nervous as hell about because I haven't been throwing this much lately. When I do, I've had it in lines because I was trying to fix the timing of my shoot. Of course I didn't want to have lines on in the show, so I had to put on my big girl pants and do my trick. And you know what? It was one of the best shoots I've done in a long time! I love this shot that Tyler got of the moment Rod snagged me out of the air. 

Here's the video of my shoot. I really need to start throwing this trick every time we catch so I stop feeling so nervous when I do. Aside from that one time I peeled out of my uprise and sprained my ankle, we always make this catch. I guess that experience was just traumatizing enough to give me perma-nerves when I throw it. 

I was pretty excited about this one, and gave a big wave to those watching as I returned to the board.

We all had a great show, and the huge crowd loved it. We have been getting such a big turnout for these last few shows that we've done for friends and family. There are always people asking "when is your next show?" Tonight we also got to make an announcement and celebrate Ali's big news--she's going pro! She has recently been given a contract to perform with The Flying Royals at the San Diego county fair (and then at the AZ state fair in October). I've written about the Royals before, when we got to go take a class from them in October. It's a very unique show, and we couldn't be more proud or excited for Ali. This is the moment when Brian was making the announcement to our audience about Ali's news, and telling them how big of deal this really is. I can't wait to watch her perform! She's an amazing trapeze artist and a fantastic friend. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her and all the support she gives me. I will miss her when she's gone in June and July (and really wish I could make the trip to San Diego to watch)!

Herdlyn and Summer didn't get to make the costume change with us (the red costumes were the only ones we had extras for guests), and Nick has his on backwards, but we ended up with a great group photo after the show. 

I had some family and a few friends in the audience to support me tonight, which I always appreciate. Here are just some of the work friends who were there to watch (Beth Ann, Michaela, and Cara), and I'm grateful for others who were there as well. 

Tyler has gotten so tall--he's as tall as the rig! 

In addition to my immediate family, Karen was there, and my mom of course. I think Karen has been to almost every show we've had, so you can say she's a big supporter. I love this one of me with my mom and Ava. Also, you know we had a big crowd when there are people sitting on both sides of the rig! We learned our lesson during the one show when we had 200+ people in attendance and we didn't have a speaker set up on that side. We won't make that mistake again. 

Ending this with just a few post-show photos with my soon-to-be professional trapeze artist friend. She better get used to wearing make-up and fancy costumes because she'll be doing 2-3 performances a day, 5 days a week pretty soon! 

Here is a video from the show, if you're interested in watching it. Enjoy!