Summer is in Full Swing!!!

 Grandma Dixie and I played in the Flagstaff Community Band's first official concert of the summer season on Memorial Day at the NAU cemetery honoring our country's fallen soldiers.  It was a beautiful day for the ceremony. Now that school is officially over, Ashton has also joined the band as of practice last Wednesday.  Three generations in the band! How fun! Ashton had a great time at practice during break hanging out with all of the other local high school kids that have joined the band for the summer.  Stay tuned! 

Last Tuesday, Derek and I had a fun date-night together at the Mother Road Brewing Company in Downtown Flagstaff for their monthly "Astronomy on Tap" event.  My flautist friend from band and Lowell Observatory astronomy postdoctoral fellow was giving the astronomy talk that night.  We went to support her, enjoy some great food and beer, and enjoy each-other's company.  So fun!  Tyler's talk about how Stars Shape Worlds was really interesting.  AND Derek got their place in the astronomy trivia competition post-talk.  He won a bunch of cool Lowell stickers and pens!!! Go Derek! 

You get to answer questions via you phone.  Points are given based on accuracy and speed of responses to questions.  I love Derek's little skull dude. 

Latest crochet project, "Fred the Dinosaur".  I just love his tiny arms!

Lots of gym activity.  New BodyBalance classes coming this June.  We officially launched the program (after a bunch of "teaser" classes in May) yesterday afternoon, SUNDAY FUNDAY!!!  We had a great turn-out! I will start teaching my own class on Thursdays at 7:30am.  

I will be handing off my Thursday 9am BodyCombat class officially to Nicole with whom I have been team-teaching for the past two months.  So fun to help new instructors build confidence and take on their own classes.  

And yes, if you are totally confused by my hair, I had it cut it short on Thursday.  Thanks to Barbie my beautician! (Yes her name really is Barbie!) 

The guys helped clean pine needles out of Grandpa Randy and Grandma Peggy's gutters.  They got DIRTY!!!!!

Curie buried a rawhide bone in their backyard next to the house, nicely hidden by the pretty yellow flowers.  

In other news, Ashton attended Band Leadership Camp over the weekend down in Tempe at McClintock High School.  He had a great time with his fellow FHS band mates as well as kids from other high schools.  There were a total of 15 kids from FHS that attended, 13 girls and only 2 boys.  Ash had a great time rooming with and hanging out with Nick, a senior at Flag High and current band drum major.  He said he learned a lot about himself, especially how he could be a better person from what he was during his freshman year.  He had a great time telling us all about camp, adventures at the hotel pool, and everything he ate during the three-day camp. Can't wait to see what Ashton and the FHS band do for Ashton's sophomore year.  

In Zach news, he is taking three classes this summer (statistics and two different programming languages).  So he is busy with coursework when he is not eating for sleeping.  Actually it has been great having him home.  We have been doing a lot of grilling.  He likes to come sit with us by the fire and talk about his future class options as he considers the Mechanical Engineering 4+1 Master's Degree program at ASU.  

So much fun having such talented kids!!!!