"And at last we see the light..."

Aaron finished his fifth and final paper for his dissertation. He and I got in a rowboat and set off paper lanterns to celebrate.

At least, that's what we did in my mind. In reality, we took the fam to Coldstone where we told the kids they could get whatever they wanted. We were reminded why we never have (and never will again) take the kids to Coldstone. They just don't appreciate it. Annie chose oreo creme as her base and put gummy bears and sprinkles in it. Blech!

We were in Idaho visiting my recently-returned-from-a-mission parents when Aaron finished. He got up at 4 in the morning on Monday and finished by 9. Then he came upstairs, raised his arms in victory, and we all cheered. The Provo aunties were there, too. It was nice to be able to rejoice together. 

It's been such a long road, and it's not over yet. But the tough mental work is done. And it's just so great! Now to put all the papers together into a dissertation, schedule a defense, actually defend, and find a job. We can do it! 

We had a lovely weekend visiting Idaho. My parents stopped at our house on Wednesday. We made them a sign.

On our way up to my parents' house, we stopped to see my 93 year old grandma and my long-lost cousin Hannah. It was a nice little visit. I'll have to add pics later. My grandma is an amazing woman! She is always cheerful despite her many health problems. And Hannah is a fellow homeschooler!

It was nice to see my parents were reunited with their little town. Everyone was so happy to see them. The aunties and sisters and elders from the ward helped get the house in working order. The ladies went to the women's session together. After, they served the best cinnamon rolls ever. 

Sunday we heard the mission reports, which were great, and had a Texas feast. Annie had been praying for that meal for about a week. I'm not sure why she felt like she needed to pray for it to go well, but her prayers were answered. The brisket, cornbread, potato salad, coleslaw, blackeyed peas, banana pudding, and peach cobbler were delish! 

My parents were excellent, faithful, productive missionaries. We're so proud of them. And glad to have them closer for a little while at least. 

And it's just really great that Aaron finished that paper. Did I say that already? Hallelujah!

Sandberg Family Reunion

So there was this one time when I planned a reunion for 100 people.

I cannot tell you what a surreal experience it was. I am the seventh child of a sixth (and youngest) child. My aunts and uncle and even most of my cousins have always seemed very grown up. This year when Uncle Gilbert wrote me a check for $4000, I definitely felt initiated into the grown-up club.

As I planned and executed the reunion activities I was constantly plagued by the feeling that I was an impostor. Luckily my sister Felicia, a real adult, was my co-planner. So glad we were there for each other. And somehow everything went okay. It wasn't perfect, but I think people had a pretty good time.

Here was the basic itinerary:

Friday July 29:

1-3 pm: Hang Time

5 pm: Bonfire at Nunn’s Park

Saturday July 30:

11-1 pm: Lunch at Charlotte and Kathleen’s church

1-5 pm: Swimming/playing at the Rec Center

5-7 pm: Dinner on your own

8 pm: The Music Man at Sundance Summer Theater

Sunday July 31:

11:00 am: Lunch at the chapel pavilion

1:00 pm: Church

And here are some pics I managed to take.

I'm so glad my parents were able to be there. I'm not sure I would have survived the actual reunion without them.

My favorite activity was the play--my former acting professor played Mrs. Paroo. She was amazing! Every moment she was on the stage was a treat. It was cool to see her doing all of the things she had been trying to teach us college kids to do. I also thought Harold Hill was one of the best I've seen (and I've seen many). And there were several lines that I finally understood for the first time. This is saying a lot because I've been in this musical twice and basically had the show memorized. Some of that understanding is being an adult instead of a teenager. But most of it was because the actors actually understood what the lines meant and delivered them well.

Can we just say, though, that The Music Man has a very strange moral message?

My least favorite activity was being in charge of the tickets to the play. I was terrified that we perhaps ordered the wrong number or lost some or forgot someone. I was so relieved when I got those things out of my hands.

Everyone who came was so supportive and kind. I was really grateful for that. Giant kudos to everyone who has planned a reunion in the past and will in the future! I feel your pain. Thank you! And now I can look back and remember that I once did something hard/stressful and survived.