Olivia goes to France!!

 Olivia has taken a French class since the 7th grade. She has taken to the language like a duck to water. In high school she was nationally ranked in French. It's kinda a big deal!! So when she found out that the UofA offers a study abroad program in France she eagerly applied! She even got a couple of scholarships for the adventure. To make the trip even better she is staying with a grade school friend who basically took every French class with Olivia. They got assigned the same host family to boot!!  So because of this adventure our family gets to live through her. She created a GroupMe that she updates nightly with the sights she is seeing, food that she is consuming along with Olivia wit and humor.  I am so incredibly happy that she is getting to live out a dream that she has had for nearly a decade! It's fantastic 😊 

She eats yummy foood like this and walks miles per day. Sinn me up for this healthy life style!

Some highlights so far: She ran into the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton!! Secret service tried to have her back up but Olivia wasn't taking any of it!

Olivia texted the family:

"I was talking with my host mom at dinner and she told me she had lunch with a friend who knows some Mormon people and then she told me that a couple years ago one of their mutual friends moved it utah because he got more church responsibilities. Turns out her 'friend' is Gerard Caussé. As in the bishop of the whole church. I was like girl, that man is lowkey a big deal in our world and she was like "we're pals" 

So far another highlight for Olivia's was that her best friend Cai visited her in France. Cai was in Prague for her University trip and visited Olivia before heading back to the States.

Holman's graduation!! Class of 2022!!

This is a description that Bella wrote sumerizing Holman's graduation:    "This year has been a doozie for Holman Howe. He started the year as a Junior at BASIS and ended up graduating early at Sabino. His concussion changed up his plans but he didn’t let it get him down!  Holman plans to work for the next six months and then head out on his mission. When he returns, he plans on starting college, becoming wildly successful, marrying a cute girl, and having a happy family. Holman is a smart, kind, and funny guy. The future is looking bright!"

This is a sign that the lovely Wright family made for Holman. COVID brought this tradition. High schools would post a sign for all the graduating seniors. I was talking with Michelle about how frustrating this process has been for Holman. He was no longer going to be able to graduate with Basis and Sabino was dragging it's feet that there would be no sign (maybe Juniors don't ever get signs 🤷‍♀️). It was so thoughtful when we got home to see this sign in the driveway 💕 

Sabino knows how to throw a graduation. Fireworks and a giant Saber cat that the students walk through. Both sets if grandparents were there along with the Claridge family and the Scott and Suzie family. It was a lovely night with ice cream at our house with his friends.

 

Lambs! Second half of May 14th!

When we got home from Gilbert after Emma's bridal shower we rescued two orphan lambs. We have a friend who herds lambs. They had a mother who delivered two lambs and died trying to give birth to the third. Unfortunately the third baby and mother didn't make it. The other lambs rejected them so we got a call to see if we would take them. We happily did. We had to take care of them just like new horns. Feeding them with a bottle several times a night. Getting them through the first night was a big hurdle finding lamb formula was also a huge hurdle. It's been a fun summer project loving on those lambs.

 

Emma's bridal shower 💕 May 14th

What an absolutely beautiful event!! So much love in the house celebrating Emma and Josh 💕 We had a tremendous spread of food, the most adorable decorations (thanks mom) and so many well wishers. Emma and Josh spent a semester in France so we leaned into a French theme. Bella and Olivia put together a video interview with Josh and we all took a quiz about them. It was a great time and a perfect day.

 

Parkin turns 15! May 3rd!

This loving kid turned 15!! I always think he is older than he actually is because he's just so dang helpful!! Parkin does things with little to no complaint. He's a chill dude who knows little tasks will take him no time but will yield great dividends in his parents hearts. This year Parkin broke away from the family tradition of attending Basis High School he chose our neighborhood school of Sabino. He joined the swim team, band and participated in the high school musical Into the Woods. He has the confidence to do just about anything. He has a large variety of friends and is loved by pretty much everyone!!

 

Sam turns 23!! May 2nd

 We love the newest member of our family!! Samuel Adam Pershing turned 23!! He's crushing life. He got a summer internship at Honeywell.  It was a hard program to get into and he even got a scholarship to boot! He's talented, driven, kind, funny and has a pleasant chill disposition. Everyone loves him. Olivia calls him her male best friend, Adrian thinks of him as her kind older brother and our boys think he is a great addition too (they also love his brothers). 

Things are looking up for the Pershing crew. They bought a second car, moved into a new Casita, both have internships and both will graduate May 2023!!