Harrison Kids: Some Summer Happenings

The most exciting news of the week is that John and Troy visited the University of Colorado law school in Boulder, where John's cap and gown were still waiting for him so he could take some graduation pictures. As you might recall, John had to miss his graduation due to a positive Covid test. It was very disappointing, for obvious reasons. These pictures are a small consolation but a big deal. And we couldn't be more delighted. John took the bar a couple of weeks ago and is enjoying some well-deserved time off before he starts his new job in a month.

Meanwhile, on Thursday Peter and Jessa returned home from their two-week summer honeymoon trip to Ireland. They had a great time and we've enjoyed so many pictures of beautiful countryside and seaside. I can't wait to hear more about their trip.

Finally, Mary and Andy spent last week on their annual trip to the shore in Ocean City, Maryland with the Phelps (Andy's) family. I must admit I'm a little jealous but I'm also very happy that they all live not only close to one another but also close enough to Ocean City that they can have this tradition.

 

Our Latest Graduate

I'm so proud of John. On May 6 he graduated from law school.

Brad and I went out to celebrate for the weekend. We stayed in Esther's building in Denver. 

It was the first time since before John started law school that they'd had a live graduation ceremony at the University of Colorado. So it was extremely disappointing for John that he couldn't be there because two days before the ceremony he took a Covid test after he'd had an exposure, and sure enough he tested positive. Thankfully he was completely asymptomatic, but of course he quarantined. So we got our thinking caps on and came up with a solution. Brad and I and Esther all went up to Fort Collins to watch the graduation on Zoom with John and Troy. John brought the TV onto the porch, where we distanced from one another and kept our N95s on, since the ceiling of the porch made it somewhat confined. It was a far cry from what was supposed to be, but in crazy times like these we all know that we have to do what we have to do.

John's the third of our kids to get a graduate degree and he continued an unintended family tradition of not attending a live ceremony. Peter was the first to get his Master's degree, back in pre-Covid times, and he chose not to go to the ceremony. Mary got her Master's last year during Covid so there was no ceremony for her either, unless you count the Zoom ceremony. And as for John, well, sadly he could have broken this tradition but that was not to be. One nice touch was that they called his name, and of course we all cheered for him.

The rest of the weekend was also spent in Fort Collins. The weather cooperated so we set up lawn chairs in their yard and hung out together, but apart. On Mother's Day we took separate moms and kids pictures.

When it got a tiny bit cool in the late afternoon they got out the fire pit.

The dogs did their best to provide entertainment and moral support. Simba showed us how much he loves lying in the dirt.

And Sirius in his own way expressed how proud he was of his dad by being on call to eat any leftovers.

Although the graduation was a disappointment, John and Troy have a lot to look forward to. Today they left Fort Collins and moved into this adorable rental house in Denver. John now starts studying for the bar and they both start a new chapter of their lives in Denver. I can't wait to see what happens next!




 

Grandparents, Great Kids, a Graduate, and a Good Day

Brad's parents visited us the first week of May. Now that we're all vaccinated, it seemed so normal. But it was their first visit here in well over a year. (And since we haven't lived here that long, it was only their second visit here ever.) Their visit coincided with their 65th wedding anniversary, so we had cake and Brad's brother came down from Phoenix for dinner, which I think qualifies as a dinner party—definitely nothing anything like the life we've been living for the past year. In other words, a big treat and we hope a sign of things to come. 

For Mother's Day the kids surprised me with a Zoom call. Brad and I were supposed to have a Zoom call with just Peter for our book club, and when I turned on the computer there they all were! It was a total surprise and such a treat!

Last Friday Mary graduated with a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. We couldn't be prouder. It surely wasn't easy to get her entire degree remotely for the past year. Tikka (pictured here looking up to her mom) was also proud.

Brad and I attended the Zoom graduation ceremony for her department (Reading, Writing, and Literacy). Mary opted not to go to the larger graduation ceremonies for the Graduate School of Education or for the entire university which, given that it was on Zoom, was a wise choice. The department graduation was small and personal and about as good as a Zoom graduation could be. Like Tikka, we were also proud. Mary got two awards, including for the top Master's Thesis. That's our girl!

Finally, over the weekend Brad and I met up with Kelle and Bob to pick up some stuff from my mom's house. We each drove half a day and met in the middle for lunch. It was a long day for all of us, but we had a really fun time together.

 

Flashback Friday

The last of the trip down graduation memory lane Flashbacks is here. This week it's Mary's college graduation, which was already five years ago. We had such a nice weekend together. And I'm so happy for her decision to head back to graduate school next month. Though like so many things happening in people's lives these days, I wish it weren't happening in the Covid era. But, life does go on, whether it's virtual or in person.

Flashback Friday

It's the second week of my graduation Flashbacks! This week it's John's graduation from Tufts in May of 2012. Eight years seems like such a short amount of time, and yet he and Troy have done so much in the years since John's graduation. (Troy had already graduated from Tufts the previous year.) I doubt they could have anticipated that eight years later Troy would be a triathlete who brews beer for a living and that John would be in law school and that they'd be living in Colorado. But, that's the fun of life. We just never know what's coming next.

Flashback Friday

It's graduation season and I feel so bad for the graduates and their families who won't get to have a ceremony. Graduations are such happy events and there's so much to celebrate. Even though families can still have their own private celebrations, it's not the same as a big and festive graduation day. I decided to revisit some graduations of Harrisons past, starting with Peter's college graduation from American University in 2011.

Flashback Friday

It's been five years since John graduated from Tufts on May 20, 2012. What a fun weekend of celebrating we all had.

Flashback Friday

Happy Mother's Day! This is true - I tried to find a way to draw a big X through Mary in this picture. But my photo editing isn't that sophisticated. So you'll have to imagine no Mary, just moms. Brad and I have two great moms, and we each have a great mother-in-law. Happy Mother's Day to them and to all you moms out there!

Our Latest Graduate

This weekend we were all in Boston for John's graduation from Tufts. On Friday night John and his girlfriend Troy started educating Brad and me in the art of appreciating craft beers. Lifelong learners that we are, we studied hard.

In all seriousness, it was a great kickoff to the weekend.

Peter and Mary arrived on Saturday morning after taking an overnight train (Peter) and a redeye flight (Mary). Looking no worse for the wear, here they are with Brad in front of John's house before we all walked over to Baccalaureate on Saturday afternoon.

John with his roommates Miriam and Christen on the way to Baccalaureate.

Here's our entire group after Baccalaureate. The weather all weekend was absolutely glorious. Sun and temperatures in the 70s.

Graduation was on Sunday morning. This is John and his friends getting ready to process in.

John and Troy after the graduation ceremonies.

Everyone pulled up a piece of cardboard to enjoy a picnic on the lawn after graduation.

We are all very proud of our graduate.

On the way take Mary to the airport on Sunday evening, we stopped at one of John's favorite BBQ restaurants for dinner and another lesson in the art of drinking craft beers. (Or, if you're Mary, craft root beer.)

On Monday morning John (next to one of the many campus likenesses of Tufts' mascot Jumbo the Elephant) picked up his diploma. It was a happy way to end a happy weekend.

Mary's Graduation

It's taken me a couple of days but finally I have some pictures from Mary's graduation to share.  I'm also working to upload ALL of the photos I have from the weekend onto Facebook.

Early in the ceremony, Mary was surprised to be awarded one of a handful of Board of Education awards.  Her award was for History/Social Studies.

Next to receiving her diploma, the highlight of the ceremony for us was Mary's valedictory speech.  (Did I say that right?  I feel that as the mother of the valedictorian I should make sure my grammar is correct.)  At the bottom of this blog post, you can watch the speech.  (Or not.)

There was a part in Mary's speech where she took a photo of the crowd.  This is it.  (I got this picture from our local newspaper's website.)

This is Mary enjoying a lighthearted moment on stage.  As you can maybe tell from the pictures, the weather was great.  It was overcast and in the high 60s/low 70s for most of the ceremony.  Toward the end, the sun peeked out a little, and by the time we were leaving, it was full sun.  The ceremony took place in front of the school, so we were thankful for the cloud cover.  We couldn't have asked for better conditions.  Even though we were worried about whether it would rain right up until the morning of the ceremony, the weather turned out to be simply perfect.

Happy graduate in the processional.  She's got a diploma, so now it's official!  

Mary and her grandparents.  Brad's parents are on the left and they came here from Oregon.  My parents are on the right and they came here from California.  What a lucky girl she is.

  The best three kids in the whole world.

While we were taking these pictures, one of Mary's friends was waiting to have her join him for a photo.  When she finally walked over, he asked if her family always takes so many pictures.  (Silly question.)

Not only was it a treat to have our parents here with us, but it was also terrific to have Peter and John here for the weekend too.  We are blessed in so many ways.

For the full experience, here is Mary's five-minute speech. We had a few technical difficulties getting it started, so you will miss the introductory remarks. It's also a little jumpy. But the sound is good and I suppose that's the most important thing. If you get this blog post by email, in order to watch the speech you'll have to go to the actual blog to do so. Click here to get to the blog so you can watch the video.

Mary's Shorewood Visit

Mary went to Shorewood for a few days to go to graduation (last Thursday) and visit with her friends before they all head their separate ways this summer and fall.  Thanks to it being graduation she got to see everyone; she loved all the graduation parties and outings with friends; and all in all she had a fabulous time!  Now she's home and ready for her own graduation.  Tomorrow is the last day of class and a week from Saturday is the day!  Both boys and both sets of grandparents will be here to cheer on our favorite Nonnewaug graduate (and valedictorian!).

This is Nora, Mary, and Emi after graduation.  They look so happy!

Mary and Molly after graduation.  More happiness!

Four Marys . . . with smiles that light up the world.

Peter's College Graduation

The night before graduation we went to a party at the arts center on campus.  It was lively and fun and we enjoyed spending the evening with Peter's housemate Brian and his parents.  This is the three of us at this event.  Afterwards, we headed to the train station to pick up Mary, who took the train down from New Haven after her last AP exam of the week on Friday afternoon.  Her train was late and we didn't get to bed until at least 1:30.  Our wake-up call was at 6:30 that morning . . . . .

This picture was taken in the parking lot before heading over to graduation on Saturday morning.  We brought "John on a stick" with us (the real John was at Tufts taking final exams), so here are Mary and Brad hamming it up with him.

Inside the Bender Arena, this is how graduation looked to us.  AU has five separate ceremonies for each of its five schools, combining undergraduates and graduates in ceremonies which are either on Saturday or Sunday.  Peter's ceremony was the first of the weekend, at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning.  He graduated in the School of Public Affairs.  The ceremony lasted two hours and Senator Richard Lugar was the graduation speaker.  Here is a link to a quick video showing Peter getting his diploma.

Thanks to the Jumbotron I was able to get a picture of Peter shaking the hand of the Dean while getting his diploma.

This picture was taken outside the School of Public Affairs building after the ceremony.  As you can see, the weather was perfect.

It's hard to tell who is happier for Peter - his sister or his brother.  John on a stick was a fun guy to have around - not unlike the real John.

Our happy graduate.

In the afternoon we went to Peter's house and enjoyed an afternoon celebration with his four housemates and their families.  Peter was the only one of the five to graduate in the morning; the rest of the boys graduated either late Saturday afternoon or on Sunday.  That's John pointing at Peter and Brian holding a piece of cake.

In the evening (and after the four of took afternoon naps) we went out to dinner at one of Peter's favorite Thai restaurants and afterwards took a walk around DuPont Circle.  It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.