Dr. Smith!!

Last week we had the opportunity to drive to VT and go to Justin's graduation. He's worked so hard for the past four years that there was NO WAY we were going to miss that! Driving 14+ hours (one way) with three kids was no picnic, but definitely worth it. We were there for a little over a week and we did so many fun things. I literally took HUNDREDS of pictures. I won't subject you to all of them, but this is definitely going to be a picture overload type of situation. So I'll keep the narration short. Without further ado, I give you...graduation week:
The first activity of graduation week was an awards ceremony where Justin was awarded the John P. Fogarty Leadership Award for Excellence as a Leader in Family Medicine. We're so proud of him!
Me and Noah waiting for the ceremony to start:
Justin getting his award (sorry they're kind of dark). He was given a really beautiful watercolor of the Burlington Waterfront. I know exactly where it's going to hang in our house:

Next order of business - giving Chase some awesome 'Starburns' (we decided I should go into 'burns-shaving' business). Before we moved we discussed Chase giving Justin 'Starburns' as a graduation gift, I wasn't sure if he'd remembered that conversation, but oh yeah. He did. Best. Gift. Ever.:
The next 'photo-worthy' activity of graduation week was a boat cruise of Lake Champlain:
We were fortunate enough to have my parents as well as Justin's dad and sister come out to support Justin:

Best picture of the day! Noah can make some pretty awesome faces.


Awesome family pic. The best part is Pootie throwing a tantrum off to the side. Classic.
With the Zinke's. Sniff. I miss them already.
That evening there was a barbeque, but this is the only picture I got of it (I just think daddy/daughter stuff is so cute):
The next day was G-Day! (Bear with me, there are tons of pictures - but, in my defence, I have been waiting for this day for a looooong time!):
On the bus on the way to graduation:
Noah is so handsome in this blazer. When I put it on him that morning, Clayton looked at him and said, 'Noah, you look like the president in that jacket!'
Clayton and Grammy
Noah on the floor of the chapel (where graduation was held). I have pictures of him on the floor of every place went to, but this is the only one I will share. Needless to say, he spent almost our whole VT trip on the floor of one place or another:
Chi, Justin, and Rick pre-MD:


Justin getting his MD!! Clayton came up with me to take pictures of Justin (because we were sitting in the nosebleed seats) and he was so proud of how loud he cheered for his dad. He was so cute!
The proud new MD!
One of my favorite pictures of the trip. I'm pretty sure that NO ONE is prouder of Justin than Clayton is (although I think I come a pretty close second). He couldn't wait to get to Justin as the grads were walking out of the building. Doesn't he look proud!?!
The class of 2010 (well the ones that I could get to fit in my camera). There are 106 grads. Can you find Justin (I haven't yet, but I know he's in there):
Me and my new favorite doctor!

While Dr. Smith was busy getting his picture taken, Grammy and Grandpa were busy keeping the kids occupied. I have to say that these two were such a blessing to have around. They were constantly entertaining our kids which was so nice because that meant that I didn't have to worry about it and could enjoy Justin's graduation week! It's no secret that these kids adore their Grammy and Grandpa!
Grandpa was helping Noah climb trees!
Grammy and sleepy Miss Jo.
Dr. Daddy!

The whole gang!
(Almost) all the new LDS MD's. We've grown so close to these people over the years. I'm so proud of all these guys (and their wives).
Just the wives. I love all these ladies! I'm going to miss them.
(We're almost done, promise!)
The next morning, the adults decided to have one last breakfast together before our families had to fly home. We got to eat at the Inn at Shelburne Farms, which is somewhere I've always wanted to eat. Check out the view from our table:
It was such a gorgeous spot. I'm so glad that I got to go at least once before we left.
The gang (minus Gil) with the Inn in the background:

This day was extra special for us because it also happened to be our 8th wedding anniversary. Justin is my best friend, my favorite person, and the love of my life. I'm so happy that I get to share this life with him!
So that was graduation in a nutshell (a really big nutshell). I've learned a couple things about myself looking at these pictures:
1. I sure do like a good cardigan.
2. I should always make sure that I'm wearing heels or wedges when taking pictures with other people (especially when those other people are taller than me anyway). Sheesh, I'm short.
I have so many other, non-graduation related pictures that I need to post, so now you have something to look forward to!
To sum up - I'm so proud of Justin. I love him so much and am amazed by the things that he has accomplished. He works so hard and deserves every good thing he gets. I love you Dr. Smith! Congratulations!

Update

No pics, sorry. Here's the summary. We are in our new house and loving every second of it. Our neighborhood is amazing, so many neighbors have come and introduced themselves to us and brought us baked goods. There are tons of young kids in the 'hood and we're excited for our kids to get to know them. It's the kind of neighborhood where kids ride their bikes in the streets while parents gather and chat. I think we're really going to love it (which says something because we loved our Vermont neighborhood).

We've also met some great people out here. I was so sad to leave Vermont and I still miss everyone so much, but I know that we're going to make great friends out here. I'm impressed at how welcoming and inviting everyone is. It's a really tight knit group out here and I'm excited to be part of it! Gotta love the mid-western hospitality!

We are currently without internet and are unsure when we'll get it back. We thought next week we'd have it, but alas, no such luck. So until then, this will have to do. Hopefully we'll be up and running again soon and I can start posting pictures of us enjoying our new house (and all the changes we've made so far, we're being so industrious)!