I know, I know. I should have warned you that I was taking a hiatus. It was unintentional, however, and I have only fleetingly realized I was neglecting to write, because summer is not the calm time I remember as a child. I was very busy. So, here is a condensed version:

End of May: I feel good enough to go to Haruka's graduation (5/29) and I cheer loudly for everyone I remotely know. I am so thrilled when Marianne's son Paul walks that I almost cry. We sign up for the summer reading program (5/30) and Bethany and I attend the first pottery lesson. Fun, and harder than it looks.

June: Steve leaves for Philmont at 5 (6/1), Sariah starts swim team at 6 and Chris has to be at work in Heber by 7. Thanks to Dad and Nanika for being me in other cars taking them places. Welcome to summer! I become a taxi driver: swim team, cello lessons, pottery class, play practice, clarinet lessons, music rehearsals, doctor's appointments, Irish dancing, trombone lessons, swim lessons. I also become the Master Scheduler: piano lessons, baseball, tennis, work, parent meetings, cousins playing, scouts, Steve's summer job teaching workshops. I start practicing the organ while Sariah is at swimming because I have just enough time to do all my exercises before I have to go pick her up.

Compared to cancer treatments, this is a whirlwind! But I feel good, I have energy, and my hair is starting to look nice. Reuben has double hernia surgery (6/16), Bethany and I make shirts for her fellow castmembers of Much Ado About Nothing (6/23), which is very funny and involves several people falling in a kiddie pool disguised as a fountain. I ignore all invitations to cancer-survivor-activities. It becomes pottery summer: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday - somebody has a class. We make whistles, bowls, elephants, turtle bowls, butter dishes, mushrooms. Monique lends me a pottery wheel for the summer and gives me some pointers. I'm supposed to practice 2 hours every day. HA! We take Chris to Stake Youth Conference late (6/19) and decide that Heber Valley Camp would be a great venue for our next family reunion. Nathaniel has Day Camp (6/25). We spend a day at IKEA with the Alice Anne and her daughters (6/26) and attend Nicole's first temple session. We head to SLC for the Coleman Reunion (6/27), where we see Steve's uncle who is also dealing with cancer. I feel guilty because I look like I'm doing better than he is right now. I see Dr. Wallentine's post-treatment nurse practitioner [I think her name is Shirley] and she says the blood work looks good (6/29). I ask what to watch for and she says pain that doesn't go away and doesn't move around. I ask what "good" blood work means, and she says it doesn't predict anything, but lets them see that nothing squirrelly is going on. Not very comforting, but then I'm pretending that I'm well, so it doesn't matter. Girls leave for camp (6/30) and we play games with the Robinsons at Snowbird.

July: Joe heads to Day Camp (7/1), Reuben has a post-op. We celebrate Steve's parents' 50th wedding (7/3) and the Robinsons bring "Something strange is afoot at the Circle K" t-shirts for everyone. Blais takes a million pictures. I have my first after-cancer mammogram (7/6), and it is clean! We go to Logan (7/8) to play while Steve teaches; we find a small zoo at a park [entry fee 50 cents per child, dollar per adult] and the favorite thing is feeding the ducks and watching the turtles; I find a great dress at the sidewalk sale and Sariah is shocked at the cost, but Steve insists that since it's the first dress I have purchased in about 15 years, I should buy it; we swim; we try to go to the temple but it's closed for construction. We extract honey (7/11) and end up with at least 10 gallons! We go to the Jacobson reunion (7/13) and Steve's ice cream and sorbet are hits [thanks to Pat for the sorbet recipe]. Nathaniel informs me that he can't eat that for dinner because he is a vegetarian; I wonder how he can eat regularly last night and then suddenly be vegetarian today (7/14).

I decide that since I'm so over the cancer thing, I'm going to take organ lessons and pass off the requirements for Level I and start on Level II before the organ workshop in August. Steve and I start walking up the Big Hill in the mornings and I am amazed to find that I am in better shape now than I was the spring before cancer! I can make it up the hill without dying.

Su & co. arrive and we miss the quilt show but make it up by doing sealings for my father's great-grandfather, after getting somewhat lost taking Nathaniel to his first orthodontist appointment (7/15). I have my first organ lesson and pass off nearly everything for Level I assignment 1 (7/24). We see Steve's Uncle David and family for July 24th picnic. The dentist costs so much that we only do Steve and Nathaniel. We discover that if you get to the Veteran's Pool 45 minutes before closing, they let you in free. I drive Haruka to USU to turn in proof of residency and see a dorm room and measure it (7/30). We see a Cafe Rio for lunch and celebrate. On the way home, I crash into the back of a car which then crashes into the car in front of it. I am cited for improper lookout and we make it to Harmon's in Orem in time to notice that oil is dripping from the engine. Nanika rescues us and I confess all to Dad. My first ticket in six years. I cancel my second organ lesson because of lack of practice time.

August: The organ workshop is fantastic, of course (8/4-7). Bonnie Goodliffe, tabernacle organist, is the keynote speaker. She cites the Dear Abby article in which a man inquired whether Abby thought he should enroll in medical school even though it would take seven years and he'd be 42 when he got done. Abby's answer: How old will you be in seven years if you don't go to medical school? Bonnie also talks about learning poco a poco, and how much we can get done if we just plug away at it. Do I sense a theme here?

I have a great time seeing my organ friends, most of whom ask about the new hairdo, so I tell them why and they join me in being glad that I'm still around. I find out that I remember a lot more music theory than I thought, and I have fun trying out the interesting organs in the practice rooms. I have a private lesson and play for a master class. I get answers to some mysteries about the organ in my church. I remember why I love learning so much! I feel energized and excited!

While I'm learning and growing, the kids are seeing the eye doctor. Chris is the only one who needs new lenses, and since he broke his glasses earlier this week, we don't mind so much. We help clean the church (8/8). Kaylie and I meet at the DI to chat while Anna buys dishes etc. for school (8/10). I love how you can see a friend once in four years and it feels like you saw her just last month--everything flows. Nathaniel gets his upper braces on (8/12) and I spend my first evening since cancer volunteering at the music/dance library, cataloging. I've forgotten some things but not so much that I panic. I have fun! Got Penelope flushed with saline solution, and helped Su & co. move stuff from the shed to the garage (8/13) in preparation for their next move, to Kim's town! Since the church is off-limits because the carpets are being cleaned, I call several people to try to get keys to use another organ to practice. I finally get keys, after getting lost three times trying to find the address. I unlock the church, but the chapel is locked. I locate a chapel key, but the organ is locked. I find a key in the bench! to unlock to organ, but can't find the power switch. Finally see that the power is turned on with a key, which is luckily in the lock already! After that, the practice session was a breeze.

Today: I thought it would be a calm day. I'd better stop thinking that, because it never is. Overseeing practicing, paying bills, getting chicken eggs, and talking to Kim on the phone [at last after a week of phone tag] took most of the morning. Then I took Nathaniel to cello, and went grocery shopping with my mother. When we were done, I had only 15 minutes before I had to leave for my organ lesson, at which I passed off the rest of Level I assignment 1 and most of Level I assignment 2. Unfortunately, I wasn't watching the clock, so I had to call Nanika to take Sariah to her dance class and then I drove and met her there to bring her home. Her class went 15 minutes over, so I had to rush home, draw a map for Chris and Bethany, and get Chris to drive me to meet Steve and his parents for dinner. Whew!

It's been a fun summer, and I'm ready for school to start, except for the shopping for clothes part. That's tomorrow.

And, for all of you who are wondering, I'm not planning to grow my hair out again. Having short hair is too much fun and too easy. Besides, it makes my dangly earrings look even better :)