Graduation Celebration!

Last weekend I went "home" to Colorado to see my family and celebrate a big accomplishment... my little brother graduated from Colorado State University! We spent a couple days playing around at the foot of the mountains, driving through scenic canyons and forest areas. We got to have brunch with our good friends who recently moved to Denver, and of course found time to visit a couple breweries. We also did some major celebrating as a family, eating and drinking in honor of my brother's graduation and birthday, with a sprinkle of mother's day at the end of the weekend. It was a busy weekend, but so wonderful! I love living in Chicago, but it does bum me out that it's far from the rest of my family. At least they're all pretty spread out at this point. If they all lived there and I was the only one out here in the Midwest, I would feel a lot more distant. But at this point my parents are in South Dakota, and us four siblings live in four different cities... so we're all pretty much experts at staying close and keeping in touch no matter where we are!

Congratulations little brother! We're all SO proud of you!

The Dean of the Education School giving the intro at the cording ceremony.

I got to cord Brendan myself. He worked so hard in school, and got
not only a history degree, but is also certified to teach. They wore the
cords at the College of Liberal Arts graduation.

Joe and I with the graduate.

It was an excellent weekend, and spending it with my family was just what I needed. We're a pretty close bunch, despite our distance in miles, and it is always so much fun to eat, drink, and laugh together! Congrats again, Brendan! We're all so proud of your accomplishments!

More pictures from the Colorado trip to come in another post... stay tuned!