I hope you are poised for a relaxing Memorial Day Weekend. Here are a few things that instantly come to mind when I think of Memorial Day weekend during my growing up years:

• We had TONS of peony flowers growing all over our farm when I was kid. They were always in full-bloom by Memorial Day weekend.
• We would take large coffee cans, for some reason wrapped with aluminum foil, pack them with all three colors of peony flowers (white, pink, red) then take them to our grand-parents’ graves at the cemetery and leave them by the headstone.
• The Indy 500 (which I actually got to watch one year in person – Rick Mears, 1984).
• With 5 older brothers, for quite a few years in the 70s and 80s someone was always graduating from high-school in late May.

How’s the Fam – Part 1

How about I catch you up with the Perry girls today. I’ll get the guys in the next post before the weekend is up! Cheryl has been working this spring at a new job with Good Will. She serves in an education group called Youth Build. Her role is teaching and coaching adult learners wanting to pass the GED test. It’s a part time job at the moment. She hopes her group will add another program she used to teach at her former job. It would become a full-time gig if things move in that direction.

Other things keeping Cheryl busy these days?

• Grand kids! More on them in the next post, but being Cher-Bear to Poppy, Juniper and Lewyn is Cheryl’s real dream-job. The commute at the moment is JUST TOO LONG! All the grand-kids are a 14 hour drive way in Tennessee.
• Gardening! Her latest creation: wild-flower tree-stump with bird-bath. She’s also helping her Good Will students plant a tiny garden in the back of the building.
• Hamilton! A wonderful mothers day gift from Phoebe. They were seated nearly on the top row in the theatre, but it was magical nonetheless!

Phoebe: a wellness and arts entrepreneur!

Phoebe and Ryan moved back to Omaha about 2 years ago. She officially retired from ballet performance after reaching company soloist for the San Diego Ballet. Returning to your hometown after dancing professionally for 5 years actually makes you rock-star with your former ballet school. She was immediately scooped up by Omaha Academy of Ballet and began teaching. Now and then she gets to be in a show, now and then she gets to choreograph pieces. Recently I’ve just been in awe of her ability to create movement with multiple dancers with all the technicality of composing music for multiple instruments! She brings movement to life on a stage like an artist painting on a canvas (only somehow better). Here’s a few other things she’s got going these days:

• She is the sole proprietor of Allonge Massage and Wellness. She has a studio in her basement as well as offering mobile massage!
• Recently she was “hired” by Gallup here in Omaha – she spends a day a week at their offices doing 15 minute massages for their employees. Her sign up list is never NOT packed full!
• She’s certified in pilates and teaches at a local studio. She also bought a reformer (contraption you can do various pilates exercises on).
• Her and Ryan bought a home here in Omaha last August – a few needed upgrades in progress with a little help from Perry Painting and Decorating (c’est moi).
• A very precocious and adorable halloween cat named Otto!

Hope you have a terrific Memorial Day weekend!