May 2025

 May was remarkable! As activities wrapped up for the school year it provided many opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments and hard work of the students.

At the beginning of May, Sheri and her band at Bushland High school participated in the Greater Southwest Music festival. They did an incredible job!

A few days later they held the Band Banquet. Here Sheri was honored for her accomplishments for the year: Drum major, ATSSB Area Qualifier, ATSSB All Region Band Member, UIL Class 1 Solo Gold Medalist State Qualifier, and the Outstanding Woodwind Player of her Band.

On May 16th Sheri had her final dance performance, Academy Unleashed. This is more of a typical end of the year show where we get to see all the types of dancing and choreography that they have been working on all year. I loved all the pieces but especially loved the one she choreographed!

This is the piece Sheri and Ariana choreographed.

This is a group number where Sheri has a duet in the middle.

On May 22nd Sheri was an usher for graduation. As part of the top 10% of her class she was selected for the honor. We were also happy for Ty who graduated a year early.

Here are a few things that the rest of us have been up to. We will come back to Sheri's activities.

Eve and I made flowers and took them to my ministering sister. This was a fun and simple craft!

We've been enjoying time with Eve since she is home for a few weeks between her semester and her summer internship.

-Girl time-

We went to a Sod Poodles baseball game.

Eve looking cute for church

We planted and nurtured our gardens and plants. Matt has been working on a new greenhouse.

As school ended, Christian had a track day and finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in his events.  Some of the events were solo runs, others were relays.

At the end of the month, Sheri was able to go to San Antonio for the Solo & Ensemble State Competition with her flute solo.

At the hotel and pool.

Here she is with the other 2 drum majors for next school year, Dallas Griffin and Olivia Barnett.

Here she is with her band director, Mr. Bennington and his assistant, Ms. Henson who recently got married to each other.

Sheri with her favorite freshman whom she has mentored and has become great friends with, Kylie.

After competing they got to go to the Aquarium and Schlitterbahn, a water park.

Here they are at the Oasis, a fancy restaurant.

While Sheri was at State competition Matt and I drove to Colorado, dropped off Christian for a few days with Jeff and Jonathan, and then we flew to California for Emma and Brookes' wedding.

First, we met the group on the beach in Monterey

Next, we explored Garapata State Park, which is on the beach, and we loved seeing the sea creatures and ocean views!

Then we checked out the little town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It had many cute shops and homes!

In the evening we met for a dinner held for the wedding party and family of the bride and groom. 

The next day was Emma and Brookes' wedding! It was a lovely day, with plenty of sunshine and happiness! Though we can't fully capture the beauty of the day, here are just a few photos.

We wish them all the happiness in the world! They are such a sweet couple that have great love and devotion for each other. 

The next day we explored the shops in Monterey, watched sea lions and seals in the water, and got some treats. 

In the evening we played games at the Robinson Air BNB and then went to get dinner at a sushi restaurant. It was great to be in such a fun place with our loved ones!

The next morning we flew back to Denver (Eve flew to Utah), picked up Christian, and I took him to his very first allergy appointment to begin his Oral ImmunoTherapy (OIT) journey. Beginning in July he will start with very small doses of peanut powder to build up a tolerance. Finally, we drove back to Texas. There we were happy to see Sheri again, and now she is 17! She had a birthday on her trip! We were happy to celebrate with her when we got home.

Finally to finish off the month we had Stake Youth Conference. I supported the events by driving, and preparing food for the 2 day event. This was our itinerary.

Here are some photos of Eve's month after she left us. Eve served with the Montana Conservation Corps (specifically with Madison Valley Ranchlands Group) this summer and absolutely loved Montana! When she wasn't helping to mitigate invasive species, she was helping with special events, education, and assisting the ranching group. She was trained on how to use bear spray and survive a bear attack. She has two other women that she lives with and has met some wonderful people who have welcomed her warmly.

We are so happy that Eve is getting this opportunity and is learning even more independence as she's away from everything familiar. She is growing and learning what she loves.

Sterling is still enjoying Sao Sebastian. I will defer to his updates for details. Here are some photos.

As you can see, he is quite fluent now. We are proud of Sterling for the sacrifice and hard work that he has given to serve God and the people of Brazil. We know that missionary work is not easy but are grateful for the growth and protection God is giving him! Sao Sebastian has been a beautiful place and Sterling is enjoying his time there.

Happy summer!