Saturday Snapshot -- Bagpipes and Defiant Cats

I wish I could take a picture that did justice to the fuschia plant hanging on my back porch as I look out the back door. The red buds hanging down are reflected in the shiny black granite countertop in my kitchen.
But, instead, I'll post a picture from a graduation party last night.
Some parents in our little town are wealthy, and they don't spare expense at a graduation party. Last  night's party had a food truck that served tacos and an open bar. I drank two gin and tonics! But the real surprise came when the bagpipers marched in.

I always think of bagpipers as Scottish, but these guys wore solid green kilts so I guess they were Irish to fit one of the graduates, Dempsey. 

Some parents spare no expense. 

During the day yesterday, I had another surprise. Someone had left the window down in the car. Our outdoor cat decided the dashboard was a perfect place to lounge. 

He's giving me a look that says, "What?"

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Graduation Weekend

As you all predicted, the party went off just fine. I even managed to relax a bit.
One of the best things about throwing a backyard party is that I get to use all my French tablecloths. The weather was perfect -- sunny and a high of 72 degrees.

Here's Tucker standing next to me with some of the crowd in the background. Probably 75-100 people filtered through, congratulating Tucker and Josh. 

The sangria went like gangbusters with just enough left so that I didn't worry people went without.
We had so much food! Tucker had his graduation party with his best friend Josh. Luckily, Josh's dad is a chef, so he took care of most of the food.
We had pulled pork and barbecued chicken sandwiches, along with potato salad, pasta salad and pizza pinwheels. I made a green salad, tortilla chips and desserts, along with buying a sheet cake.

I made a turtle cake, and there were only two pieces left at the end of the night.
Plenty of the boys' high school friends showed up, which always makes it more fun for them. And the boys headed off to more graduation parties afterward.
We stayed outside under the canopies long after night had fallen and the first mosquitoes of summer had begun to bite before we moved indoors.
Now, with the graduation party behind us, we can relax and enjoy the actual ceremony on Sunday. Plus, I get to visit with my parents this weekend since they came in from Florida.
Hope you all are having a good weekend.
I'm playing along with Saturday Snapshot.

Party Perspectives

The graduation party is today, so, of course, I woke up at 4:07 a.m. with a litany of all the things I need to accomplish.
I lay in bed until 5 before I got up, only to find Tucker asleep on the couch in the living room. I don't know why, and won't know until he wakes up later, so I'm creeping around the house in the dark to let him get a little more sleep.
I wonder if sleeping on the couch has anything to do with the fact that he got hit by a car two days ago as he was riding his bike. He's okay, just skinned up and shaken up.
He called me right after it happened. It makes me feel thankful that his first reaction is still to call mom.
He wouldn't let me come get him, said he was walking the bike home, but we both were shaking when he came through the back door, his palms, elbows and knees bleeding.
The car just pulled out in front of him and hit his front tire throwing him off the bike. The car didn't even stop.
Other than asking me to put Bandaids smeared with antibiotic ointment onto his palms and explaining why he can't help with yardwork because of his wounds, he has acted like everything is fine.
I vented a bit on Facebook about the car that didn't stop, and an old high school classmate sent me a message, saying she knows how difficult this time of year is for our family.
Yes, that adds to the tension. A graduation on Memorial Day, just like my sister's graduation on the weekend she was killed.
A party planned.
We're so lucky that Tucker walked through the back door, and I guess that puts my worries about a party in better perspective.
This weekend, we'll celebrate and not worry about whether the house is clean enough or the lawn is perfect or the food will last through the crowd.

Rounding Up All My Children

Finally, I'm very close to having all three of my children together.
I'm in Florida with my two oldest, Grace and Spencer. Grace finished with college for the year on Tuesday, moved her things home, and we left the next morning to drive to Florida.

It was a very long drive, or maybe it just felt that way because I am getting old. I usually drive the whole way myself but on the last stretch of the trip, I let Grace take over.
Part of what made the trip long, was that we stopped at a park in Charlotte, North Carolina. Our route goes by Charlotte and I had heard about a pretty park there from Jackie McGuiness at Junkboat Travels.
Driving into Charlotte, Grace and I were both struck by how much it felt like our hometown Columbus, Ohio. It's a small, bustling downtown area, which, we noticed, is called "uptown" not downtown.
Charlotte is one of the cities that Grace is considering after she graduates from college. She put it on the top of her list after our stop at The Green.

The Green is a bookish park with author's names as mile markers and stacks of books as statues. We loved it.

 

We got to my parents' house on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, I drove over to St. Petersburg to pick up Spencer from college. I hadn't seen him since Jan. 3 when I dropped him off at school. I've talked to him on the phone and texted plenty, but there's nothing like hugging your kid. 

We loaded up all of his belongings, filling a trash bag full of his big basketball shoes and tying his bicycle onto the top of the car since I forgot the bike carrier. 

It's been a tough year for Spencer in many ways, but he's healthy and he persevered. And I still owe you all the "mafia" story. I promise I'll tell it someday soon.

Now Grace, Spencer and I are at my parents house for a few more days until we drive back to Ohio.

Meanwhile at home, Tucker finished his last day of high school.

Every year at our school, the parents and underclassmen line up for the seniors to walk between us on the last day. They go to the football field across the street and after a few speeches from the students, they release balloons (biodegradable) into the air.

I have missed this ceremony for both of my boys, but Earl has gone both times and took pictures. My friend Betsy also took some pictures of Tucker for me.

Tucker had an AP (Advanced Placement) test on Wednesday afternoon, so he didn't think he'd get to walk with the seniors. He really wanted to be a part of it though. He asked whether he could skip the exam.

The exam can be important because students can earn college credit. They take an advanced class all year and the official AP Exam is what earns them college credit. It doesn't affect their actual classroom grade. 

To me, the college credit seemed more important than a few minutes on the football field, but maybe I wasn't thinking enough about the emotion of it all. 

He ended up taking the test and still getting out in time to walk with his friends.

Here's a picture Betsy sent me that I love. I can picture him hurrying out of the test to join his classmates, afraid he'd be late, but no, there they were. He's smiling to himself with an array of friends behind him.

In a few more days, we'll all be home together preparing for a weekend of graduation and celebration. 

Grace moves out in June, but until then, I'll have all my children together for a little while longer.