april

April was a month of memory making. Cooper and Wilson both took beautiful girls to the county prom and had a great time. Everyone met at our house for pictures and even the neighbors came to see the fanciness.

Spring Break was a "staycation" this year because of the 15 hour, court mandated, parenting class Wilson and I had to attend. It might have been a positive experience, but I was so bitter and resentful, I didn't get much out of it. As a result of Wilson's good participation, however, the judge approved an early completion of probation effective on the day of graduation. We felt so blessed by this news as it allows Wilson to go to Nevada without legal restrictions as well as put his application in for BYUIdaho.

Our Easter was as lovely as ever; perfect lamb, delicious dessert, plenty of deviled eggs. I loved having Conference and Easter coincide. While we didn't have as many of our usual conference traditions, it was nice to focus on the Savior by listening to the testimonies of apostles and prophets.

On Wednesday we met the cousins at the trampoline court in Spokane and then loaded up cars for a cousin sleepover. We started at Costco and divided into three teams: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a Costco free-for-all with no dietary or budget restrictions and we provided all the shoppers with great entertainment. We took our lunch to the park and then back to the house for more junk food and jumping castle. I loved going to bed that night with cousins snuggled in all over the house, from the attic to the basement. The next day we played hard and took everyone home before the barfing started (as it inevitably would).

On Friday we had a family triathlon in Plummer. We biked, swam and ran (or played basketball) and ended the evening with our favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

Cooper sang with a youth choir at Stake Conference and did a beautiful job. He also spent several days in Spokane competing at FBLA. He had a fun time not being in school, going to movies, out to eat, and sitting in the hot tub with the upperclass girls.

This is the first year the Lundbergs were represented in the High School art walk. The theme was "An Evening in Paris", but Wilson's theme was "Superman." He wore Clark Kent glasses and displayed his interpretations of Mondrian, Pollock and Monet. Wilson also completed his Senior Project, a research paper on cybercrime, which he presented to members of the community and passed with flying colors.

At her request, Wilson took Stephanie out for sushi and to the Mormon Prom in Spokane, which they described as awkward, but fun.

Cooper has figured out a sure fire way to get a free dinner and extra car privileges. He does my running around! Cooper took all the kids to see the Spokane Falls and do some clothes shopping last weekend. This weekend he took Eliza to her Stake activity. His willing attitude has been a major blessing to our family.

Tony turned 47 the end of this month. He reported that his gift was the best birthday present ever. He received what we call, "the fish ladder." It is a set of pull-up bars in ascending pattern in our hallway. We also mounted climbing wall grips for added fun. Thankfully he had the day off because he had to be on call for the night--yuck! Tony and I celebrated with a day at the temple, a peaceful run along the Spokane river, and Cafe Rio deliciousness.

I was asked to give a class on the transformative power of service in the student stake. I had a hard time with this class, but ultimately learned so much from the participants. It was like a blast from the past to be with all the young married women whose lives are just beginning and where possibilities seem endless. It has been a long time since I remembered that happy and uncomplex part of my life.


This year I divided the work up for the St John Stock show art display. I oversaw the judging and someone else hung it. It was a huge relief and especially fun to be surprised with the display. Max won a prize for his Lego creation and Wilson won a prize for his Jackson Pollock-superman. We have had our fill of stock show burgers, but I could never get enough pie. Tony was happy to get his annual strawberry rhubarb birthday pie from his adoring patients. The big boys marched in the parade and the little boys ran amok begging for money for snow cones. It is a wonderful reunion weekend for our whole town and I love all the happy energy it brings.

Tony had a beautiful experience yesterday watching the gospel in action. A man who has left the church called with a desperate request for help to move his cabin from the riverbed. It was an overwhelming project. Tony tapped into the ward resources and found labor, tools and experience and within several hours, the cabin was loaded on a trailer. I was really glad Wilson was able to witness the gospel in action. He saw a need filled by inspiration given to a Bishop with priesthood keys, who accessed resources given by people who had covenanted to do so. Everyone involved was motivated by love and experienced charity.

One night after a particularly hard day, my baby brother Jeff showed up with all the ingredients for dinner, including crime brûlée for dessert. Carne asada on the grill, fresh salsa with black beans and corn and grilled tortillas. The food was the ultimate in comfort and it was such a treat to have Jeff for the evening. I have narrowed down my wish list for my kids to two things: that they will be like their dad, and that they will have the happy sibling relationships that Tony and I enjoy.

Tony experienced a poignant example of the enabling power of the atonement this month. Call weekends are always hard, especially as Bishop, but are near impossible when marred by the SIDS death of a three month old. This awful experience left Tony completely emotionally empty, at the beginning of a full Sunday. I was amazed to watch the Savior pour in strength beyond Tony's capacity as he turned to Him and served others. It was a sacred thing to be privy to.

In case anyone is counting, and I am, there are 25 days until graduation.
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