A New Twist

You probably saw it coming, felt the ground move as it approached- but I must admit I was clueless that the end of my marriage was drawing near.
Yes, we had problems, yes yes yes.  I'm not going to dwell on that.  The core of the thing is that, as of yesterday, our family changed officially and finally as Patrick and my divorce became final.
The blog will have to adjust to the newness of this world.  I considered changing the blog name, but as I have control of posting and I am keeping the Darby surname (for now), it still fits.  Everything is new once more.
So, if you want sordid details, come to Anchorage and we'll have lunch. . . then dinner. . .then breakfast- it would take a while to get it all out.  In essence, there was a failing, then fight after fight- then an epic battle followed by a year's separation and more fighting. . . I might talk about things later but for now- it's over and I don't really want to discuss details here.
How do I feel?  Elated!  Depressed.  Smug.  Uncomfortable. Afraid.  Overjoyed! Anxious. Indifferent. Relaxed. Confused.  Content.  Happy.  Agitated. Exhausted.  Brave.  Overwhelmed.  Hopeful.
It's a mosh pit of emotions.  
Mostly, I am hopeful. 

Summer is FLYING by!

I looked at a calendar today and realized that the summer is almost half-way over! AHHHH!!
It hasn't really felt like much of a break since I still have classes every morning from 7am-11 or 1- depending on the day.
On the up-side, I am getting incredibly BUFF.
Did I mention that I am taking a modern dance technique class?
I am required to take two semesters to graduate and I have been DREADING taking this class for various reasons. . . . mainly because certain modern dance instructors that I have interacted with are not appreciators of my chosen genre- even though I am not a ballroom dancer, I do not think of myself AS a Ballroom Dancer. . . . I am a dancer of all genres who happens to be getting her degree in ballroom dance. . . .
ANYHOW, I decided to take a deep breath and jump in and take my first class this summer.
My instructor is AWESOME!! . . . . and sometimes scary.
She will demonstrate our combinations- ok, a word about her background: she danced in the Diavolo dance company for 8 years- a company that is known for using these HUGE props that they fly off of and roll and land and do all kinds of crazy things that require a lot of strength and just overall amazingness.
She demonstrates a combination and I stare. She leaps in the air, lands, twists, turns, leaps, rolls. . . . inside my head I am screaming. BUT I learned something about myself: I can do it!
I was really afraid to try these crazy things but I made myself do it and now. . . . I like it. No, I LOVE it. It is seriously so much fun and now I love modern dance!
Funny how things turn out.

As for the rest of summer- the children got out of school the last week of May and they have been busy terrorizing the new neighborhood. There are quite a few little friends to be found within a block or two so every day we'll have a posse of children roaming about- or an eerie quiet when they travel elsewhere.

Another great thing about summer- our gardens! Yes, I must say gardenS because we have a spring garden, a summer garden, an herb garden, a corn garden, and a sunflower garden! That's a lot of gardens- not to mention the flower garden that I am reclaiming from the invasive ground-cover some previous owner let go crazy in the front yard!
When I can download some pictures, I will post them.
Or you could look at my facebook page because I can post pictures from my phone there.

That is is beauty and curse of the iphone. . . . I use it pretty much exclusively for taking pictures now but (long story) I can't download them to my laptop and I can't download them from my phone to the blog (unless someone knows of an APP???) so unless we're facebook friends, you'll have to wait until I figure out the deal with my laptop.

WELL, much, MUCH love to you all and I will attempt to get cracking on that picture-downloading thing!

Moovin' on

Ok, it's been a while- a looong while, since I last wrote!

We moved to Mapleton, UT- hooray! We love the new house and neighborhood- we miss our culdesac, of course, but the extra room and good company are wonderful, too. Stay tuned for pictures of the new abode.

It may be a while since I am trying to figure out how to get pictures on here from my phone. If any of you know how (its and iPhone), please pass the info along!

We are still alive but I must run and do some homework now!

Dancing Monkey #1

This year after school, Isaac has been learning how to ballroom dance. His first competition was last weekend at Timpview HS here in Provo. He competed with other kids in his age group, "Peewee division". He danced in the triple swing and the cha cha sections. I am so proud of him for working so hard and getting out there! So, here are some pictures from the event. The smaller children, Patrick and I all went to watch.

Randomness

School has begun and the blog has again been neglected!
We have all been busy as bees over here with our various activities.
Patrick is back at school full-time this semester. He has another semester left and then another of student teaching to finish. He is pretty well-recovered from his clavicle-breaking earlier this year and only whimpers in pain occasionally when a small child steps on his collar. . .
Isaac is now in the third grade! He stays after school twice a week to dance with the ballroom team and is incredibly cute. I make him dance with me and I love it! He has his first ballroom competition coming up this Saturday! Stay tuned for photos! Isaac is also involved in scouts every Wednesday and enjoys that immensely!
Eve is in first grade. Every time I write/say it I feel really old. She is going to have a birthday pretty soon here and be SEVEN!!! AHHHHHH!! Anyhow, she still draws up a storm and is very talented! I will scan some of her recent works and put them on here. She started up gymnastics a week ago and is really liking it.
Esther is a kindergartener! AHHHHH!! (again) My little girls are getting so old. She has been in gymnastics and is loving it. She is perfect for it because she is strong and FEARLESS. I put a video of her below. She likes having Eve in her class. . . when they aren't fighting. .
Ms. Leah is getting humongous. She is rolling like a pro, sitting up, stands with help, and is on the fringe of crawling. She assumes the crawling position but manages to mostly go backwards. No! I tell her that she doesn't have to learn how to crawl for as long as she wants. Once crawling starts, it's all over and the house is done-for!
I am also in school again. I bring Leah to a few classes with me and Patrick has her during others. She is pretty much an angel and has many adoring fans who love to make her smile- which she readily does! I pretty much have the sweetest baby-ever. I am also getting together a store on Etsy so stay tuned for that. . . .
SO, until next time, enjoy the pictures!
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This is how Esther rolls on her way to gymnastics. . . sense of fashion inherited from her father, I am sure. >snicker<

Leah's Newest Trick

Miss Leah discovered something new!

Where Are Those Pesky Darbys?

Ok, it's been a while since anything has been posted on here. . .
it's been a busy summer!
We have been to two family reunions and traveled over a thousand miles. . .
SO here are some pictures of a few happenings to tide you over until school starts and I can REALLY neglect blogging!
Esther with her fish pond prize at the Ekstrom family reunion in Pebble Creek.


Eating Spudnuts at the original shop in RIchland, WA
Leah and me at the Ekstrom reunion- Leah got a cute striped onesie and a sucker! I let her have a few slurps. . .
Zee children out behind Grandma Ekstrom's house where the trees were so beautiful we had to take a picture. . . Leah 's grumpy face is awesome.
Isaac at the Dinosaur Park of some small town whose name I can't remember on the road between Richland and Yakima. . .
Eve and Esther in front of Grandma Ekstrom's house on the 24th of July- just as were were setting off for the parade and the Allen family reunion.
And to end, Ms. Leah in her lovely lavendar ensemble- just to show how humongous she is getting to be! She is three months old. How time flies when you're having fun!