Graduation Party and Senior Sunday

Clare's senior year has been full of many events that I don't want to forget.  In an effort to keep pictures in one place, I'm going to update here.  Even though I've missed over a year, I'll pick up now!

May began with two big senior events...Clare's graduation party and Senior Sunday at church!

We hosted Clare's grad party with three of her closest friends, Audrea, Kylie and Sutton.  It was great to do it with friends, and to do it early in May!

Each girl had their own table decorated with personal pictures and future college plans.

We were joined by friends and family, and a good time was had by all!!  There were people from church, our neighborhood, school and work.  It was so special to see so many people there to celebrate the girls.

Senior Sunday at church is a memory that I will keep with me forever.  Clare was so excited for this special service that the seniors were in charge of.  Greenville Oaks student ministry holds a special place in heart, and she was thankful to have the opportunity to speak!  Clare is a great public speaker and she did an amazing job.  She made it through without becoming a puddle of tears, which was a big win!

Here is a link to watch the service:  

She didn't get super emotional until the crowd gave a standing ovation for the class of 2024!

There was a reception between services and each senior had their own table.  It was fun to decorate Clare's spot.  All of the grandparents attended and we even got Jennifer for the weekend!

These two girls (and Graham) have been troopers this month.  Most of the attention has revolved around Clare, but they have shown up and helped celebrate every step of the way.  Makes me proud!

Having these two events in the same weekend was a perfect way to kick off the crazy month of May.  I am thankful to all of those who attended and helped celebrate my graduate!

College Visits

As much as I can't believe it, it is time to look at colleges.  Jane, Clare and I started over spring break with a trip to University of Tennessee.

In a random turn of events, a couple of Clare's friends were there also!

We got to see one of Clare's friends who is a student at UT.  It was so helpful to hear from a current student!

In April, Casey and I took the girls to see The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

We got to go in the stadium at OU!

It was Junior Day at OSU, so there were lots of prospective students there!

Finally, Clare and I took a quick trip to College Station to visit Aggieland!

Clare has mixed feelings about all of this college business.  It's exciting, scary, overwhelming and filled with uncertainty!  And occasionally, it prompts a breakdown!

Who knows what the future holds but I have loved all of these little trips with my girls!

Graham is 12!

We started Graham's celebration with a family birthday on Graham's actual birthday!

It was a fun celebration with pizza and his choice of desserts....brookies!

To continue the celebration we took a bunch of his friends camping!  We headed to Lake Ray Roberts with eight boys.  Not sure what we were thinking?!?!    

We had beautiful weather.  When we arrived, we set up the boys' tent and then they started playing!  There was baseball, fishing, swimming, and flashlight hide and seek!

We had hot dogs and birthday s'mores!  We also had a visit from the park ranger because were a bit too loud!  Oops!

 The next morning we made breakfast burritos and loaded up to head home!  It was one of the more exhausting birthday parties, but also one of the more memorable!!!

Gig 'em!

Road Trip!!  A&M was playing LSU, and Clare had never been to College Station, so we made a quick trip south!  It was a fast trip that largely centered around the game, but she got to see some of the campus, buy some merch, eat at a local restaurant, and (shockingly) watch the Aggies beat the Tigers.

Our seats were super high up, and it was much colder than we thought it would be, but the game was very exciting and that kept our blood pumping!

Clare brings a fun energy to anything she's a part of, and this game was no exception!  

 Aggies won 38-23! What a game! 

 

New York, New York!!!

This year we had a week long fall break, and thanks to Deedee and LoLo, we took advantage!!  We had a girls' trip to New York!

New York Squad!!  Day one we flew out and hit the streets.  We logged a ton of steps, saw Times Square, did some shopping and hit up Serendipity for dinner and dessert.  We found Bloomingdale's, Lululemon, Zara, and lots of fun stores!

Maybe my favorite moment of the trip was breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Diner, where the super-talented staff sings Broadway songs while waiting tables.  LoLo made a special request for one of the waiters to serenade Sydney.  She was fairly embarrassed, but I think she secretly loved it.

We could've sat there forever.  So many great songs.

Always some craziness going on in Times Square.

Our first show was Music Man, and we were excited!!

It was so good!  We waited afterward to get an up close look at Hugh Jackman.  Jane fell in love!

We saw the city from Top of the Rock.

"I'll be there for you."

We did more shopping, went in FAO Schwartz, took a carriage ride through Central Park and just enjoyed another day in NYC.

We had a delicious dinner at Tony's and then headed to see Kinky Boots.  We had second row seats, and we all loved it.

Some other fun moments of the trip included a trip to the wax museum, the M&M store, trip to the 9/11 memorial, lots of Taylor Swift craziness in Times Square, and lots of chats and laughs in our hotel lounge area.

The trip was a smashing success.  I can't say enough good stuff about our time there.  It is a trip I'll remember forever!  Thank you Deedee and LoLo!