Oh, The Places They'll Go!

I have a friend who insists that couples should elope.  She thinks money spent on a wedding is wasted.  I get her point.  Life is expensive.  A couple starting out would probably be better off with a down payment on a home.  However, I disagree with her.  Funerals are expensive too, and families and friends should not gather only to mourn together.  Some occasions deserve celebration.

Working on a tight budget, we joined forces with another family this week to celebrate two graduates.  Both these girls have full tuition scholarships to the schools of their choice.  They have worked incredibly hard, so we sought and found an affordable venue.  We prepared all of the food, except the cake, ourselves, and we had a great time.  As graduation parties go, there were conflicts. We missed two parties that we would have liked to attend, and those families, whom we would have liked to have hosted, were unable to attend our party.  My dad had no idea that we were having a party as his invitation was delivered to his home while he was in the hospital, so he missed it.  

The down side is always that we cannot include everyone we want. I was grateful that a handful of teachers crashed the party - or maybe they were invited by E. Either way, we were happy to see them.

Regardless, we had a good turnout, wore ourselves out, and enjoyed a simple celebration.

What's a party without selfies?

Family travelled from afar.

A family friend and mentor to Savannah.

Granny created a very special, personalized gift.

A beauty and her proud dad.

The cutest thing! After everyone left and the parents were busy cleaning up, these two sat and had a read aloud with their guestbooks -"Oh, the Places They'll Go!"

Matching penguin necklaces - a gift from E to Savvy for her birthday.

Laughing because the reality that high school over has not hit them (Savannah's words).

I think someone got a better picture of these two, but I still love this one.

The last two weeks have been a marathon.  I am so tired that calling in sick tomorrow has been on my radar.  Savannah has baccalaureate on Thursday, and graduation on Friday.  I cannot miss work either of those days, so I am hoping I have the stamina to get through the week.