I was so excited to be done with work (I go by the school calendar), that I completely forgot about the list. It’s my last day of freedom, which is to say that after today, the girls will be on summer break and the mayhem at home begins (admittedly, my mayhem is pretty tame compared to most and I’m mostly looking forward to it).

1) The auction (my job is to oversee the auction) was held in early May and it was a beautiful, fun and successful event. But wow, what a lot of work. I don’t know how we pull it off every year, but it all comes together in the end, as events always do.

2) This stunning pink tourmaline and diamond ring was auctioned off in our Live Auction. I brought it to the event and of course had to try it on. It was custom made by Ahee Jewelers (one of my freelance clients) and it could not be more beautiful.

3)  We had our first outdoor Detroit Abloom board meeting of the year this month. It was so lovely to be in the hoop house, talking about flowers and plants and how to grow our organization. It’s going to be a great season! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook! @detroit_abloom

4) We also held our first outdoor fundraiser of the year – a vegan bbq. It was such a weird day weather-wise. Hot, windy, with a good chance of rain, which it did off and on, but luckily the event ended JUST before the huge downpour.

5)  We had a face painting station under the pavilion. At first, a couple of our board members were doing the painting, then a board member’s young (10, I think) daughter stepped in and manned the station, and after a while, the kids started doing their own faces. It was really sweet to watch and I was lucky to snap this photo of these three.

6) Things are happening in my own garden. I bought lettuce seedlings vs. planting from seed this year, because the last couple of years have not been so good for my vegetables. I wasn’t sure if bunnies or squirrels or birds were getting them, but something was, and I didn’t want to plant from seed, only to have them taken from me months later.

BUT. My husband built me (via my pleading again) a wood/chicken wire fence for my vegetable bed in hopes of deterring whatever predator/s. And hallelujah, so far so good (which means definitely bunnies). One of my favorite things is walking outside for fresh produce. Wish I could grow more than just lettuce and beans, but there’s not enough sun in my backyard.

7)  Check out the April and May photos. Such a difference.

8)  Planted some coleus and silver bullet for the hot tub planters. Usually I get the full grown coleus in large planters, but by the time I went to the store, there were none left, so I had to do it myself, which is not a problem, except they look rather small next to the hot tub. Hopefully they will grow quickly!

9)  And an update on the clematis. It is so happy! But it looks like we may need an extension on that copper trellis, no?

10)  Our fourth grader took her first overnight class trip to Northern Michigan. It wasn’t as nerve-wracking as it would have been, had we not let her go to Florida over Spring Break, but it was still a bit scary, handing her over to the universe. I was mostly nervous about the drive there and back. It baffles me that school buses don’t require seat belt use. At least for this trip they had a sweet travel van and of course she had an amazing time.

11)  I went on my second Komen Race for the Cure walk. Our small team of less than 20 people raised $17,000. We were head to head for a long time with Ford, who had 130+ team members, and who ultimately raised the most money at $18.5k, but what a fun competition!

It was a memorable walk. A time to reflect on gratefulness and empathy. How far we have come and how far we need to go in terms of cancer research and treatment. Thank you again to all who donated!

12)  Lastly, I accepted a new job at work. I am now the Director of Marketing and Communications (a new position for the school) and I couldn’t be more excited to get started. There’s a lot to learn and do and I’ll have to work a bit over the summer, but the job is a lot more up my alley than event management and I’m up for all the challenges it presents.

And with that, I wish you all a very happy June! See you next month.