a storm and a celebration

Yesterday I threw Colin a little graduation picnic.  We planned on spending the afternoon at a small, super cute neighborhood park right near our apartment playing lawn games and snacking.  What we didn't plan on was having to quickly vacate the park while narrowly missing an immense downpour complete with wind, thunder, and lightning.

All week we kept checking the weather after hearing about a storm that was supposed to come in right smack dab in the middle of our picnic.  Of course, when you pick a date a month in advance you can't really plan on the weather, but our summer has been so sunny and hot that we figured we'd be ok.

I wish I had been able to photo-document all of us scrambling to pack up everything.  We went to the park, set the food up, and started on a game of washer toss.  About 45 minutes in, it started to sprinkle, which was also when a lot of people started coming.  So there we were, simultaneously welcoming people and sending them back to their cars!  We went back and forth a few times about whether it was going to pass quickly and lightly or get worse.  Hearing thunder in the distance, we decided we were probably safest to move the party to our apartment.  Thankfully, we made it just in time.  While parking and unloading everything again into our apartment, the skies opened up.

The wind made it difficult to eat out on the porch, but we had a good time nonetheless.  Sadly the lawn games had to be forsaken, but it was still a fun afternoon of family, friends, and food (the three best f's).  And it was a little like life: storms will always try to ruin our celebrations, but why not just keep on celebrating in the rain anyway?  Thank you to everyone who braved the storm and came out to celebrate with Col!

That evening, after the food was put away and the last of our soggy guests had left, we were able to spend a quiet evening out on our porch and take a long walk around our neighborhood.  We explored a new place which was absolutely beautiful and back-in-time-ish (yeah, couldn't think of the perfect word to describe it).  On the way home we got caught in another downpour, but this time we kept walking through the raindrops while the sun shone down.

he did it!!

Graduate school for Colin is officially over!!!  He has his Masters!!!

CONGRATS COL!  I AM A RIDICULOUSLY PROUD WIFE RIGHT NOW!  YOU'RE AWESOME! :)

[did the exclamation points and caps convey all that appropriately?]

It only took a year and a half, but sometimes it felt like a very long journey.  Since Col started classes pretty much right after we got back from our honeymoon, we are now looking forward to having time to spend together that we didn't have the first year and a half of our marriage.  It doesn't hurt to sometimes do things backwards, ya know?  Besides, if we could get through grad school at the beginning of our marriage, we can get through anything (the first year of marriage really wasn't all that hard...). 

We celebrated by going out to dinner with a big gift card we had and seeing "Snow White and the Huntsman" at the dollar theatre (I laughed a little inside last night thinking about how we only spent $12 on dinner and a movie for two as a celebration.  But it fits, seeing as paying for grad school cleans you out, haha).

the graduate :)

Here's to you babe!  I love you!

closer to the end!

Tonight is Col's last grad school class E.V.E.R.!  I can't tell you what a big deal this is to us.  It reminds us of the huge blessing of being able to fully pay for his grad school on our own (with God's help of course!), means that now we will have evenings together that we haven't had since he started grad school right after we got married, and just makes me so stinkin' proud of my hubby for getting his graduate degree!  Four weeks of clinic (during the day while I'm at work, hooray), and then he's done! :)

hooray for hubby!

After a lot of very late nights, Col finally got to show off all his hard work from grad school.  Instead of a thesis, his program requires a research paper and Scholar Showcase where faculty, professors, and community members are invited to come view their work.  My in-laws, sister-in-law, niece and I went to support him and it was a great evening.

[here he is with his awesome poster - Increasing Literacy Motivation in the Intermediate Grades]

He did GREAT explaining his research to attendees and got awesome evaluations.  I'm so proud of him!

One step closer to the end!  He completes grad school in August.  Lately I realized that when you are married, grad school is a team effort.  I am just as ready for it to be over as he is! :)