Going Back!

B & I are off today for our 5th college reunion from Princeton. Hip! Hip! Rar, Rar, Rar. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Sis, Sis, Sis, Boom, Boom, Boom, Bah! '05! '05! '05!

And yes, I realize this is insane. But I also cheer for Alabama football, which makes this look mild, despite being Anheuser Busch's largest beer order of the year, even surpassing NASCAR.

Ah college. And yes, we're staying in a dorm. In a single twin. Best of luck to B to get some sleep this weekend!

B's Grad Pics

Hm, these are broken too. Can't miss the chance to show off proud parents!

One-Year Anniversary Trip

Hm, I'm new to picasa, so I'm not sure why the photos below are showing as broken links. Oh well, try try again!

Pure Joy!

More Strawberries!

Strawberry Picking!

It's Good to be Aunt!

More Sonoma...

We Love Justin!

Last week, B's brother Justin gave us the best excuse to really enjoy a graduation: Having one that's 45 minutes from wine country. We packed our bags and flew to Sonoma for a week-long stay at a wine country villa, traveling into Berkeley every other day or so to celebrate double majors and Justin's general amazingness.

When we didn't have ceremonies to attend or graduates to toast, we visited tons of beautiful, fun wineries. Our last morning there, there weren't enough tickets for the event de jour, so B & I volunteered to skip out and wander the vines on our own for a few hours.

Highlights of the Trip:

Having a fun, "just us" lunch with Grandpa, and actually nabbing the bill! (Points to B!)

The hot tub. A must for future home purchases.

The Graduation Party B's parents threw for our lucky grad, complete with bluegrass band.

Our morning on our own. So fun to reconnect after weeks of studying, packing, and graduating!

Freezing our tails off! California is cooooold.

The horses grazing right outside our villa. They took a particular liking to B. Too cute.

The baby horse! All knees and elbows.

Morning walks with B before the day got started. The upside of jetlag!

Another Farewell

First 524, now 103. Wonder what we'll be next...

B as Judge

Fallback plan, perhaps?

B Graduated!

Call B, 800-600-6014! Ok, not really, but he IS a law school graduate. Check out the proud parents!

We celebrated B's graduation for about four days, but we could've easily added a few more parties in. Starting on Thursday, B & I attended the Graduate's Gala, a cocktail party with heavy appetizers that honored the graduates, passed out awards, and then turned into a dance party. In the middle of the law school common area. Now, there was a DJ, so this was intentional, but also pretty comical.

The plan was to head out afterwards, but lots of people we heading for Chapel Hill and the drive isn't that appealing, so instead we went with one of his good buddies (the pizza challenge guy!) to (where else?) the Durham Taco Truck, parked in front of a Hispanic dance club that had its own undercover cop watching the door from his unmarked car while each and every would-be club-goer was frisked. Seriously. Bye Durham! We'll miss you!

Friday, we packed our tails off all day, then enjoyed an awesome party one of his friends planned at a local restaurant. The graduates had created a slideshow of their time in law school and it was really fun to catch up with a different group of B's good friends. Plus, my sister and her husband came, leaving the girls at home for a night out. We loved it!

Saturday, we started with brunch at a favorite eatery of ours, Watt's Grocery, then we finished packing and changed for B's hooding ceremony, held in the Cameron gym, complete with Champagne and desserts after in the commons. We celebrated right on into dinner at a local Chapel Hill place, 411, which was oh-so yummy.

Sunday morning, B was planning to leave and drive to ATL, so we skipped the at-large ceremony (in the football stadium, with a thousand other kids), and instead picked up his diploma and celebrated a last hurrah with a brunch on Franklin Street.

B, thank you for letting us really celebrate you. It was my first time to really celebrate someone else (we graduated college together, etc), and I felt happier and more pride-filled than I ever anticipated. B, we are so proud of you and all that you've done! And boy, do you look good in purple or what? It it any coincidence that the lawyerly color is also one of royalty? I submit that I approve!

After B's ceremonies, he took us around to see the law school. Check out the proud parents in the jury box. Love them!

Moving Foibles

B (coming into the bedroom, noticing I was awake): I almost strangled you this morning.

Me: Whaaat? I've been sleeping.

B: I decided to clean out your backpack.

Me: Ohhh, bad idea.

B: Seriously, I found broken razors in there. Plus a cord I've never seen before.

Me: Well, and the food.

B: What food?

Me: You haven't gone into the side pockets yet, have you?

B: I didn't even know there were side pockets. (Leaving the room.)

Me: No! Let me do it!

B (in other room): Seriously? How old is this gum? It's stuck to itself inside the wrappers. And what are these?

Me (eyes closed): I'm betting breakfast bars.

B: This is gross.

Me: What's gross is that we already moved it like that once and I was perfectly fine doing it again. I love you.

B: I know.

Me: I'll kiss you if you go wash your hands.

B: Unbelievable.

Goodbye, Durham!

Post anniversary trip and pre California vacation, B & I packed our little tails off, thinking we'd done a pretty good job until Mom and B's parents rolled in and whipped us into shape! The ladies did most of the inside working, wrapping plates, dishes, vases, and everything breakable we own with anything fabric or plush that we own.

From there, B and his Dad worked like Tetris geniuses to load the Pod to its best packed state and boy did they. We're far from filled to the top, but what's at the bottom isn't going anywhere!

It took a few days to get it all where we wanted it (did I mention that these are master packers we're dealing with?), but I'm confident in saying that our stuff, wherever it is now, is very, very secure.

I was so thankful that the families came. We did all this in the midst of B's graduation weekend, so it was a little nutty already, but then his parents flew out on Sunday morning (to his little brother's college graduation!) and B left to drive a carful of things to Atlanta, so it was just me and Mom for Sunday and Monday.

I was expecting a long move out, but with Mom in my court, we got all the odds and ends out of the apartment in less than three hours, and everything returned and the Pod picked up on Monday, despite the deluge that repeatedly soaked us, and our Pod pick-up driver.

PS, have you ever seen what they use to move a Pod? It's called PodZilla, and it's seriously amazing. I have a picture on my phone, but will have to get a real one when they deliver it to us in Jacksonville. Definitely the best deal out there!

Mark it down, in one year we've turned in the keys to two apartments. Where does the time go?