Yard Art and Dessert

Josh and I went to the Saturday Market over the weekend, and saw this gorgeous piece:

I had to have it. :) The gentleman who created it lives about an hour away, and makes his living from his welded and sculpted metal pieces.

I love the way the light plays off of it!

The kids got to choose where we went for dessert last night, and they chose The Cheesecake Factory. It was a gorgeous night, so we sat on their patio and enjoyed the evening.

Side note - Donovan finished all but 3 bites of his dessert! The rest of us couldn't do it, and brought half (or more) of our portions home. Teenage boy appetites never cease to amaze me!

Commencement, and the Celebration Week

This was an amazing week. Mom, Dad, and Grandma were in town to celebrate commencement with me. We were able to have a family lunch, where I opened my graduation gift:

An iPad! I'm so excited to learn how to use it!

Grandma wanted to eat at Joe's Crab Shack... dad said he felt like a toddler again as he was being "bibbed" in preparation for his meal.

Then on to Commencement! There were 200+ graduates who participated, so it took a while for them to get to the Master's candidates and call my name.

Waiting in the wings

Preparing to be "hooded" with my Master's hood.

And of course, family pictures once commencement had concluded.

Saturday morning we had "girls time"... Gram, mom, Audri and I went to the Capital City Market and meandered through the vendors for a couple of hours, followed by lunch on a second-story terrace of a local pub and grill.

It was a gorgeous day... a wonderful week... and a blessing to feel so loved by everyone who was able to come, call, or send well wishes. Thank you for all the love and support!

Reno, and my new hat

We spent the weekend in Reno. It's a 7-hour drive, which isn't that bad, but we'd never made the trip. We were able to see Lisa, Jeff, and Richard; attend a wedding reception; and win $44 off of our $9 when we played the slots. :)

Lisa and Richard, watching the boards to see if Lisa's name was called as the winner of a new car! It wasn't (unfortunately) but we had a great time at the Peppermill anyway.

We found this hat at a world emporium; it was an eclectic store, and we had so much fun walking through and seeing the randomness. I don't usually wear hats, but this one seemed to be made for me!

I wore it to the reception (it was a casual reception) and felt like a star! :)

It was a whirlwind weekend, but we had fun. We were certainly glad to be home, and sleep in our own beds last night, though!