Graduation!

 Good morning blog friends!  I am back from vacation and will blog about that the rest of the week.  But before that, today I am sharing highlights from my daughter's high school graduation.

I may have mentioned this before, but my oldest daughter was homeschooled through 12th grade and my youngest entered public school at 9th grade, but both of their graduations took place at the same church, which was special.  

This girl graduated with lots of cords and honors.  

Family picture

Me and my baby girl

Sisters

So gratefu to have both set of grandparents in attendance.

And my sister came too!

Congratulations Brook!

Graduation was at 9am that morning.  Afterwards, we came home for a quick lunch and headed to the airport because we had a 3pm flight the same day to Miami.

We made it to our connection in Atlanta & then Ubered to our hotel in Miami for the night.

It was a long, but good day and the next day, we boarded our cruise ship! The rest of the week will be cruise re-cap.

Hope you all had a good long weekend!

What's Up Wednesday....on a Friday ~ May 20, 2022

Today, I am taking a spin on the Friday Favorites post and incorporating What's Up Wednesday for the month of May since I won't be posting next week due to travel.

What we're eating this week

Monday - leftover pesto pasta

Tuesday - sandwiches and salad

Wednesday - out

Thursday - working late

Friday - frozen pizza

What I'm reminiscing about

When this girl graduated from kindergarten

What I'm loving

Celebrating my senior and seeing my greats recently!

What we've been up to

In addition to the party, we went to an award ceremony last weekend

What I'm dreading

All the work waiting on us post-vacation

What I'm working on

Last minute details and packing for our trip this weekend

What I'm excited about

Our cruise!!

What I'm watching/reading

We have been watching the show The Courtship.  It has been interesting to see this new take on a reality dating show.

What I'm listening to

I have been listening to lots of worship music lately.  I made a new playlist a few weeks ago to encourage and remind me of promises.

What I'm wearing

I am thinking about what I am going to pack and then wearing everything else!  I tend to wear dresses at least 2 days a week when I go into the office and am trying to get in a routine of summer clothes as the heat comes.

What I'm doing this weekend

This weekend is my baby girl's high school graduation!  And then, we are going cruising!

What I'm looking forward to next month

My mom turns 80 next week, but we will celebrate her with a party next month.

What else is new

One of my best friends has been in town a lot recently supporting her daughter with cancer.  I was able to make some drop offs to her on chemo day last week.  I am thankful to be spending time with her, but am praying for her daughter to be healed.

Happy Weekend!

 

Van Gogh'd

Good morning!  Today I am sharing about the Beyond Van Gogh Immersive Experience that has been traveling the country.  We were able to see this exhibition in our city over the weekend.  Especially with an artist in the family, this was especially fun to see.

On a side note, when we spent a month in Brussels, Belgium for missionary training, we went to Amsterdam one weekend and went to the Van Gogh museum there back in 2014.

Here are photos from the current traveling exhibition:

Did I mention the exhibit was at Graceland?  And that I use to work there? And Elvis was my first concert?  I still love to listen to Elvis music and am excited about the upcoming movie.

Enjoy your day!

Weekend Wrap-Up/May 16, 2022 - Senior 2022

 Happy Monday!  This post contains lots of pictures....this is what happens when you put a lot in one post when so much happens within a short amount of time.  I am highlighting today my high school senior.  

First up, here she is on her first day of kindergarten.  Brook was homeschooled through 8th grade, with the exception of 6th grade when she went to a small International Christian School when we lived in Bogota', Colombia.  

Brook began 9th grade at a public high school.  She knew no one, is a minority at her school & it was her first time in a traditional school in the USA.  She was one of 500 freshman in a school of approximately 2000 students.  She finally goes to traditional school and then a pandemic hit.  The end of 10th grade was cut short at spring break and she did 11th grade completely virual.  I am so thankful she was able to return for her senior year, even though she wore a mask every single day.  She is resiliant and has excelled.  She met friends, most of them very different from her, but some really sweet people.  She grew into an amazing artist.  Somehow, I blinked from the picture above and picture below.

She looked beautiful for her prom a few weeks ago and got some pictures with her dad.

For the first time in 4 years, we were able to go see her get an award Friday night.  This is her AP art teacher with her.  This is the teacher we will remember.  He has been a huge cheerleader, encourager and challenger to her in her art.  We are so thankful for him.  

Saturday night, we hosted a small family graduation party for her at our home.

With my parents

3 silly greats of mine!

Playing with balloons

Decorations!

We had Italian theme foods & a few other snacks.  The menu was bread, salad, fruit tray, cheese and cracker tray, veggies, lasagna, pesto pasta and a side of grilled chicken strips.

I made key lime bars and brookies for dessert.

Proud parents!

Thanks for reading along during such a fun time!

Linking up with Holly & Sarah