Our Graduate!!!!

Adrian officially graduated yesterday with his masters degree in computer science from Johns Hopkins University!! We are so proud of him! It has been 3 1/2 years of classes (a few that were REALLY hard) and homework all the while balancing family, work, church callings and everything else. He did a fantastic job!! Adrian you are awesome!! Congratulations!!His commencement ceremony last night was a very crazy and memorable event. It took place at the university's campus on Homewood Field (outside, with no kind of covering) and yes it rained!! And rained!! At 6pm it was just beginning to drizzle when Adrian went to check in and I went with our 3 kids to sit in the audience seats on field, but then about 10 minutes later there was a full on down-pour. A very sweet older couple sitting in front of me and kids gave us an umbrella (we didn't pack one because it sounded like the commencement would be held inside the field house if it rained, but we were very wrong). So we sat in the pouring rain under an umbrella for a few minutes and then because it was coming down so hard I took the kids and headed for the area under the bleachers where lots of other people were running too. It was very comical really all the friends and families of the graduates huddled together under the bleachers. The sad part was really that we weren't dressed at all for the rain. The girls both had on sweaters over their dresses and Ben had on a light fleece, but what we really needed was sweatshirts and rain-coats... I was feeling so bad for not preparing better. I had our activity bag or "commencement survival kit" stuffed with snacks, toys, quiz books for Sophie, and coloring/sticker books for Ben and Nina, but I hadn't brought any warm clothes or umbrellas.

(Us before the down-pour:))

Well we hung out in the area under the bleachers for about 45 minutes during which time I entertained the kids with lots of toys and snacks from our survival kit and they were really well behaved ( an answer to many prayers). I tell you, the tubes of little pirate and knight figures that I bought at JoAnns worked wonders for Ben and Nina. They played happily with those for a long time while Sophie worked on her Hannah Montana quiz book. Adrian called me on my cell phone to let me know that they were still planning on having the commencement ceremony and that the powers that be suspected the storm to pass in another 15 minutes. That was kind of hard news because I was still hoping that they would decide to hold the ceremony in the field house so we could all warm up... I looked out from under the bleachers and realized that all the seats were filling up with people sitting with umbrellas and since it was just drizzling again I ventured out with the kids to sit out on the field again. We found a spot much further back than our previous seats, but after using Nina's taggie blanket much to her chagrin to wipe off all the seats we were fine and there were big screens set up projecting the stage. Another man behind us took pity and gave us an umbrella so we all huddled together under one umbrella and all the graduates started walking out onto the field. As soon as the second speaker started speaking it did stop raining all together and the sun came out so we did get a little warmer. The kids again did great (with Dum Dum lollipops being consumed at an incredible rate) and before we knew it the graduates started walking across the stage. I saw Adrian lining up and got a few pictures of him in line. Then when he walked across the stage the kids and I yelled "Yay!!" as loud as we could and I took a picture of him projected on the big screen (I couldn't seem to get my camera to zoom in and take a picture of him actually shaking hands with the Dean so I guess we might be buying one of those "commencement photos" from the professional photographer there). It was such an amazing moment and I'm so glad we were there to share it with him and cheer him on. He worked so hard for that chance to walk across the stage and have his name read as a graduate with a masters degree!After most of the graduates had walked the kids and I headed to the field house. Nina's teeth were actually beginning to chatter and Sophie had written "I am very cold" on her magna-doodle a couple of times so I thought we should go indoors to get warm. I called Adrian on his cell to congratulate him and let him know where we would be and he joined us after the final commencement address about 20 minutes later. It was such a neat night and even though we got rained on and were cold we were so glad we could all go and celebrate this very special event together!! Congratulations to our graduate!!