Reluctantly On the Road Again

It was time to empty out the van . . .
and head across the lonely desert . .
and make the usual pit stops . . .


it goes without saying . . .

I added a new stop (because puzzles are not a bad way to spend my time when hubby’s off doing what needs to be done) . . .

and made my way here. . . .

to pick up . . .

so we could . . .

for her mission.  But then she had me drop her off here . . .

to play soccer with her friends one last time.
The next day , we went out to breakfast. . .
 
had an amazing snack/lunch . . .
and went out to dinner . . .

with some packing and loading up the van in between.
all so we could . . .
head home.

Diploma in Hand (or at least the folder that is supposed to hold it)

It was back to BYU for us. . .

but this time we weren’t headed to the Marriott Center but a room in the Wilk.  There was a lot of watching to be done. . . the procession in. . .

listening to speakers (in a dark room) . . .

and standing in line to get his name read and being awarded his folder. . 

Jennifer was beaming with pride with her hubby’s accomplishment

and she’s a good listener. . .

He’s getting closer. . .

Finally Samuel’s turn!!!!

He was awarded his folder and will finish up his physics degree in the fall semester (there are no graduation ceremonies between fall and winter semesters)

We took them to their home and said goodbye.

We stopped by on campus for some reason (you can’t remember every detail when you take so long to blog) where we had a fun experience. 

We were walking by a big group of uniformed students (they were dressed in black. . .just like a caterer!)  We wondered if they were part of the catering crew so I asked them.  After having this affirmed, I told them that my daughter worked for catering and was asked in return what her name was.  What fun it was . . . they (almost in unison) said her name and said that they LOVED Allie.  It’s one of those experiences that really touches parents’ hearts. 

We stopped for gas before heading home the next day.  This gal seemed to feel that was way more important to polish the pump than to actually let a paying customer use it.  It was almost comical how long we had to wait.
Congratulations Samuel!  We are so proud of you.

Another Day, Another Commencement

One of the reasons we headed to Utah was for Samuel’s graduation. 
But since we were there, we were able to check some things off my list of what I wanted to do all the other times I have been in Utah like going to the Salt Lake Temple.
We headed downtown . .

While we were at the temple, David chose to go over to LDS Business College and we met up afterwards.
We stopped for a bite to eat at another restaurant we don’t have around home. . .

Then headed for the Y (aka BYU)

Allie and I have a ritual . . . 

And then off to the Marriott Center. . .

I don’t remember who the speaker was and I was happy that there weren’t nearly as many graduates at 4 months earlier.

Samuel’s family invited us to join them at a Japanese steak house for a celebration!

What better way to end the day than to be serenaded by Allie and Reginald!

Commencement + Convocation = Graduation!

Jennifer has always been a good student.  She has great discipline and is a master of her time.  She could have graduated sooner, but chose to put it off for a semester to get those last few classes she always wanted to take in.
We headed out to Utah for the big events. First up was commencement.

It was in the Marriott center which holds a LOT of people.  I *tried* to get her picture beforehand complete with cap, but she was having none of that. . .


which was too bad because she forgot her tassel her apartment so Paul took her back to get it while I found our seats (which David saved for us.) 
We looked and looked for her in the crowds but could not find her (she wasn’t willing to wear anything distinctive or to take her cell phone.)

Commencement consists of finding a seat in the Marriott Center, watching ALL the graduates file in (and hope you can find any of them that are meaningful to you) . . . good luck with that if they are not very tall!

listening to some amazing talks,
watching the graduates file out and trying to find them if you set up a meeting point that both parties understand to mean the same place!


We were sure glad to find her without too much trouble because it was CROWDED!
And then we needed to celebrate. . .

And she picked getting a treat at Sub-Zero which is an ice cream shop she had never been to before. A.m.a.z.i.n.g.
The next day, but not until late afternoon, was the convocation.  That gave us time to get the obligatory photo in front of the sign in addition to everything else.  (The line was RIDICULOUS . . it was amazing how some people were not respectful of others and had to get quite a few photos with every combination of people in their party, on the wall, in front of the sign, alone, together, etc . . . )

So here’s ours . . . all of them including the one I took as we were rushing to get out of the way. . .
We enjoyed our 30 seconds of time in front of the sign. . .
Then it was back to the Marriott Center

We found our seats that Samuel had saved


(She earned a B.A. in History)

After a talk or two, the graduates lined up and got their diploma (folders. . . the actual diploma is mailed to them).
It was not the best photo op when they picked up their diplomas, so I snapped one of the proud father!

This was my view part of the time. . . sit down guys!

And then they filed out and we hunted for her and found her beaming!

Way to go, Jennifer!  You did it!!!! 
Too bad we didn’t have much time to enjoy the moment. . .