Back at the Pond

Saturday evening, we decided to go to the WSU duck pond and feed the ducks. James and Rebecca had planned to take a few pictures of us in our caps and gowns minus the fuzziness and with better lighting, but it looked a little like rain. Samuel and Gabriella were so excited to get out and about. Of course, Rebecca had her camera ready. The bonus was that so did Erika - the photographer/entreprenuer of Dry Ink out of Louisianna. Gabriella plays Marilyn Monroe...

(These are backward... sorta ruins the punchline) Hey Rebecca - how'd you get all wet?!

Well, I fell in... What?! How'd you do that!

Attempting the Third Warrior after being sick for so long and overestimating my ability to balance.

So darn cute.

We're too short to blow the trumpet scultpture.

This is the way to pose a child and get the biggest smile out of them. No tears. Until you stop. ;)

Photographing my friend Rachel and her friend Erika.

Gabriella and Samuel found the goose laying eggs. They fed her bread and petted her nicely. She still bit them, but gently enough that it was only a warning and didn't leave a mark.

The view from the pond.

Samuel tosses bread (in whole pieces, of course.)

Gabriella is ready for more.

So, everyone's asking how it feels to be graduated. This is the first time in five-and-a-half years that I don't have an assignment running through my head along with everything else. James is completely relaxed and smiling. The thing is, we each had a dream. Joining these together meant adding a family to that dream. There were days we thought we wouldn't make it. Finals week always seemed to be crashed by bronchitis, flu, kidney stones, or some other emergency, but we pushed through. I'm so proud of my husband for working so hard and enduring past the critiques that made him question himself. And, I'm proud of me. I didn't really need President Monson's ABC speach. I chose my attitude everyday (and it was mostly positive). I believed that I could do this if I broke it into do-able pieces. I had the courage to stretch myself beyond my own definition of me. And it feels, BRILLIANT.