Graduation Robes

It seems strange that my first blog post should be about clothing, but that’s what I’m thinking about.

Heidi and I have been talking about shooting to go to Oxford someday to get our PhD’s after we’ve gotten our Masters’ here. It’s far away, it’s prestigious, and they have SUCH COOL ROBES. Look at this thing:

For the record, I don’t usually get this excited about clothing. You can’t really tell in the picture, but apparently that lighter color is either yellow or gold, depending on if you’re colorblind or not. I just wish the robe included that hair, the mustache, and those eyebrows.

That robe was for the PhD. This next one is the coolest robe ever. Lord Patten of Barnes gets to wear it. He’s the chancellor of Oxford, and the coolest-dressed person in the world.

I feel inspired to study more.

Rosario, Summer 2008

We were lucky enough to spend our summer in what has become one of my favorite places on earth – Rosario Beach Marine Station. While there, Sean studied seagull behavior and dissected a cadaver for Human Anatomy class. I didn’t do a whole lot, and I loved it. I needed a break from the hectic business of school and work, and Rosario was perfect.

The Rosario Beach Marine Station labs and classrooms Sean’s new favorite book! Playing games for the Fourth of July with other students

Our little cabin by the beach. Home sweet home.

And now for a little taste of the gorgeous Rosario scenery. To really experience it, you should come visit us. We’ll be back at Rosario this next summer so Sean can do more research. I for one don’t mind at all.

My own road less traveled and where it leads

What a perfect life! We are so blessed. How could I ask for more?

Graduation

Yet one more step in the year of craziness and change was our college graduation. I still can’t believe we’ve finished college and are now graduate students, but I guess we are. Graduation was a bit hot and stressful, since we had to move out that day and the weather was not cooperative. It was still great to be done and celebrate that with family and friends.

Early morning – ready to rock.

Me, getting tired of smiling, and us, with Dr. Craig of Biochemistry fame.

With Dr. McVay – the college president himself.

It’s definitely nice to be done, but it hasn’t quite registered because we are still in classes. Sean’s working on an MS in Biology, specifically focusing on animal behavior and sociobiology, while I’m working on an MAT in Secondary Education and a teacher certificate to teach chemistry and English. We have a cute little house on the college campus and keep ourselves busy, but we love it and the end is in sight. We’ll graduate for good (for now) in about a year and a half. After that, who knows? The world is waiting to be conquered.

The Honeymoon

We went to Mexico for a perfectly relaxing and enjoyable honeymoon. We needed it after getting married the day after Final Exams. We spent a lot of time lounging by the pool, exploring the local town, and watching parasailors and even a dolphin from under our beach umbrellas.

The relaxing, peaceful pool.

The enchanting town of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

All in all, a perfect start to a wonderful life together.

The Beginning

And so begins our blog about us. I’ve never had a blog before but Sean and I thought we’d get one together to share with all of you our pictures and something of our lives. We were thinking about sending out a Christmas letter and postage, but decided this would be so much better because so much more can fit in a blog. So, back to the beginning – our wedding. It was magical and beautiful and all I’d ever dreamed of.

Here are some pictures from our hours of preparation. Sean checked his shoes for “Help Me” post-its or any other groomsman tricks. A full view of my dress – I love it!

Some of my favorite wedding pictures. It worked out so well to take time beforehand and get some really nice ones.

An assortment of wedding portraits and fun from the photoshoot! After all that smiling and posing, we were ready to get on to the important part – the ceremony and reception.

The cake – made with love by my Mom and the cake topper – a precious moments figurine called “You Are My Dream Come True”

The excitement of tossing the bouquet. My favorite shot of Grandma! We tossed the garter, said our goodbyes and headed off. What a perfect day! We were so exhausted but overwhelmed with happiness. It couldn’t have been a better wedding. Thanks so much to our parents and friends who gave us a perfect wedding.