Graduation Day

Yesterday was Chad's graduation from our local university. He worked so hard getting his Doctor of Philosophy in Nuclear Science and Engineering. It has been a long five and a half years, and especially the last two years in particular. I decided to throw an open house for him where friends and family could come and congratulate him...and see the really cool book that he published. With some direction from my sister Kate via the telephone I was able to come up with a pretty cool layout for this shindig. My great friends...Kim and Amy...helped out with the cupcakes and drinks. And my sis's-in-law...Brittany and Dayna...constructed the fruit kabobs. Also a shout out goes to my bro Matt and to my bro-in-law Cary for helping with the setup. Of course, Chad was with me last weekend cleaning up the house, inside and out, and then on Thursday and Friday and Saturday dotting all of the I's and crossing all of the T's. I cannot believe how much work goes into putting a party together, but I think the effort was completely worth it.

The Doctor and the Boys

The happy family

The Doctor, The Boys and Matt and Brittany

They came and helped me out and got to listen to Jakob Dylan. Oh yeah, did I mention that Jakob Dylan was there...you know, Bob Dylan's son who is the lead singer for The Wallflowers. He was very cool. He received an Honorary Degree in Arts and Letters and then he sang a song. And Chad got to see him up close and personal. Did I mention that Chad was on the front row? Well, he was because, you know, he got a Doctorate!!! And did I mention that I had the camera and I was clear in the back in the nosebleed section where my super-hootee camera could not adjust well to the little lighting so you do not get to see any cool up close and personal pictures of the said Mr. Dylan...but you can just imagine, right. Anyway, Mr. Dylan was extremely cool. He clapped for every graduate...like I think there were about 1000 or so...or at least it felt that way. But he did, and he shook hands with the people who went over to shake his hand. Very classy. So, Matt and Brittany got to hear Jakob Dylan sing, then see Chad get hooded, then they took the boys to get a present for their cousin who had a birthday party also yesterday, and then brought them back in time to see their dad on the turf after the ceremony. Did I mention how cool Matt and Brittany are? Well, they are just the best.

An overview of the Garage

We had to have the open house in the garage because the weather decided to do what most people in the area were begging it to do...rain. Well, only the people who had just planted their seed, ahem...Spencer. We truly wanted to have a backyard reception, but that was not to be, so we went to Plan B. We had three tables for people to sit at and three different buffet tables set up (well...actually four, but two were pushed together to make one long one.) That layout worked out really well because the savory foods were all together, the beverages were all together and the sweets were all together.

***Just a short disclaimer about the pictures...my camera does not seem to work too well when there is either 1. too little light or 2. too much light. So, just warning you that the lighting may have affected the quality of the pictures. Look at your own risk.

The Beverage Table

We offered choices of Water, Good Water and bottled soda. I kind of like how they displayed.

A close up of the Good Water

The Sandwiches

I decided on a really easy main dish with having sandwiches made by a local sandwich shop. All we had to do was cut it up and put it on platters.

Chips and Salsa

I had two kinds of tortilla chips with two kinds of salsa.

The Vegetables

Of course I had vegetables...what buffet is complete without vegetables and dip?

A far off view of the Dessert Table and the Beverage Table

Don't they look pretty?

The Dessert Table

We offered Cookies by Costco, Cupcakes by Kim and Fruit Kabobs by In-laws

A close up picture of the Fruit Kabobs

The Cupcakes

Kim made two different kinds, Cherry Chocolate and Strawberries and Cream. Thanks to Kate for sending her tip to frost the cupcakes. It was a gem.

So there you have it. The open house was a huge success. I tried to think of every detail and with a little help from everyone, it turned out beautifully. I have to thank Chad for letting my throw this little party. It has helped to bring all of the last five years to a close. I know that all the time and effort put forth to pursuing this degree will pay off in due time. Chad is such a smart, dedicated man and I love him for it. Congrats Chad. I love you.