McGinnis Family Reunion

I decided the family reunion we went to in July deserved it's own post, if only so family members could relive all the exciting moments.  After this I promise to begin chronicling events that happened less than six months ago.  Our family reunion was with Loren's immediate family, minus his oldest brother (we REALLY missed you, Seth!).  We started out in West Virginia, where we met up with his mom and sister + family, then drove to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, where the reunion was officially held.

 Sophie and her youngest cousin, before we drove to MD

We all stayed in a chalet on a big piece of property that was a bit outside of town.  Of course, the house was  teeming with people (in a good way!) and had lots of fun things to do, including a hot tub, pool table and fish pond.  We kicked things off with a weenie and marshmallow roast.

A nice, manly pose from Loren

 Chowing down on her 'mallow

The next day most of us went horseback riding.  Loren and his mom opted to take some of the nephews/grandsons mini-golfing instead.  It was Sophie's first time on a horse!  She complained about the bumps a little bit and we got rained on, but it was still fun.

 She was excited!

 Molly and I

 Sophie and I got to ride together

 The back of the pack

Another day we went to Swallow Falls State Park.  We went on an easy hike, with two lengthy stops for swimming at waterfalls.

 Stop #1

 The original plan was to go on the hike, then go swimming elsewhere, but that was quickly abandoned

 Rednecks, swimming in various states of undress

By the second waterfall, which connected with a big stretch of the Youghiogheny River, we had gotten our act together and everyone was dressed in appropriate swimming attire.  We picnicked, then floated in the river, slid down rocks and suffered various minor injuries trying to climb up the very slick rocks to the small waterfall.  Sophie took a spill on the rocks and after that was pretty hesitant about the water.  Whoops!

Of course, beyond the official activities, there was a talent show (which our family was unprepared for, hence we did not participate), frisbee throwing, baseball catching, and lots of board game playing.  We had a wonderful time in our first visit to Maryland.  We love you McGinnis/Nelson clan!

Summer at Warp Speed

Last weekend we moved the computer desk from the third bedroom/playroom upstairs, to the master bedroom, which is downstairs.  I have high hopes this will encourage me to blog/work/stay on top of things more, so in that spirit, here are a few pictures from summer (yikes!).  At any rate, it's certainly not unpleasant to dream of warmer weather.

First up, a trip to Lagoon, the local, legendary theme park, in June

Hanging out at Lagoon-A-Beach

I think this was right before we went on Rattlesnake Rapids and got soaked

As I recall, Sophie handled the bumper cars pretty well, as long as her car kept moving 

Next, we went to our first big ward activity since moving to Boise.  It was a ward campout at the end of June. At that point, we still didn't really know anybody, so we opted to drive up for dinner on Friday night, but spent the night at home in our comfy beds.

There was a motorcycle for the kids, which Sophie was disconcertingly unafraid to speed around on

At the end of July, Sophie participated in a fun run at the Boise Zoo, which is actually called Zoo Boise.  Strange, I know.  The race was appropriately called, "Run Wild at Zoo Boise."  The race route wound through the zoo and had an older and younger age group.  Sophie requested that we not follow her along the course, but come on, I wasn't going to trust my 3.5 year old to simply meet me at the finish line.  She might have made it, but she also might have gotten sidetracked or frustrated and ended up stopping at some point along the course, where she could have been eaten by a zoo animal.  (Just testing to see if people are actually reading this.)  So, as a responsible parent, I tried to surreptitiously follow behind her.  Although she wasn't fooled and kept turning around to tell me to go away, she ran most of way and got a medal and some breakfast at the finish line.

Thankfully, our new ward has a playgroup, just like our old one, so that helped Sophie and I make some friends.  I think this picture is so funny in it's accuracy.  It sums up Sophie's personality quite nicely.  Yes, she is that lone child who turned around and wouldn't cooperate for the picture.  So much force of will.

Our friends, L and S, came to visit from Boston!  Alright, they didn't come just to visit us, but it was so nice to see some familiar faces.

At a Boise Hawks baseball game, an outing sponsored by Loren's employer.  Not quite sure why my hair looks so un-feminine, but don't worry, I'm now growing it out!

Loren's Graduation, Part 2: The Big Day

Drum roll please.....  Here it is, the big day, the culmination of years of hard work, the official end to our family's time in Cambridge:  Loren's commencement!  Obviously it happened a while ago (ha!) and I would be lying if I said that details weren't at least a little fuzzy now, but we've got to get through this event so I can move on to telling you about Idaho.  The main thing people should get out of this post is that a Harvard commencement is a big deal.  They've had 375 years to figure this whole tradition out and oh boy, it does not disappoint (even if there were so many people that we missed actually seeing some of the action.)

First, the Yard gets all decked out.  They set up hundreds and hundreds of folding chairs, decorate the light posts and buildings and set up an elaborate security system so only the lucky people with tickets can get in.

When the day finally arrives, your graduate has to leave home at an obscenely early hour to go have breakfast at his house, while you, the family members, only get a bit more sleep.  That's because you have to get to the Yard early to try and beat the crowds and get a seat that actually allows you to see what's going on.  I wouldn't give us full points on that one.

Our group dutifully got up early and tried to walk quickly to the Yard, but I was wearing uncomfortable heels and we had a 3 year old with us, so we didn't make the best time.  We finally got in and secured seats, then I took a cab back to our apartment because my feet were not going to last the day in those shoes.  I got to the apartment, changed into flats, then rode Loren's bike back to the Yard, where I then had to meet various family members and give them their tickets, while leaving other family members to guard our seats.

Then the ceremony started.  When you're dealing with a large university, just getting all the students in there takes a long, long time.  I stood on my chair and was able to catch a glimpse of Loren and yelled to catch his attention, so he had some idea of where his fan club was sitting.  Once everyone made it into Tercentenary Theater, the sub-section of Harvard Yard where Commencement happens, the Sheriff of Middlesex County called the meeting to order.  Commencement must be the best day of his year, because he gets to dress up, wear an old-fashioned hat and pound a walking stick on the platform to get everyone's attention.

After the sheriff, some songs and a prayer, came the student speeches.  The one made by an undergraduate was in Latin - yes, he wrote an entire, lengthy speech in Latin - and was read with quite a bit of gusto.  That somewhat helped to alleviate the length, but it still seemed long.  Two more speeches, a poem read by Seamus Heaney and some more introductions, and then it was time for the main event!  Because this first event was for the whole University, President Drew Faust asks the students to stand based on their school (College, Law, Medical, Divinity, etc.) and confers the degree earned upon all of them at once.  The ceremony wound down after that, then it was off to Leverett House, where Loren got to walk up and get his actual diplomas.

If you can't tell, that's Loren's designated chair

Of course all of the houses/graduate schools are also decked out.  I should mention that a lovely friend offered to watch Sophie during the big Commencement ceremony, then returned her to us so Sophie could watch the smaller, shorter bit at Loren's house.

Our contingent cheered like crazy when they called Loren's name.  In the picture above, he's standing in line, waiting for his turn.  He's wearing a red Master's hood, because Loren earned his Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science, all in four years.  My graduation was incredibly emotional for me and Loren's was no different.  It's an indescribable feeling of accomplishment, joy and relief, when you realize what your little family has done.  Being able to celebrate our degrees with each other and especially with Sophie, made them feel much more meaningful.  I am so proud of you, Loren!

Now, cue the pictures.  It's like having wedding photographs taken, because you have to appear with each group of your family, in all combinations.  We were blessed to have Loren's mom, two of his brothers, one of their families and my parents come to celebrate with us.

 

 

With the actual diplomas!

The whole gang- thank you for coming!

Loren with the Dean of Leverett House and his wife, aka "Chief" and "Coach"

Loren and Lauren - Resident Dean of Lev

Plus we saw some friends!  - with Alexis and Alisa

And now, a few outtakes!

Daddy's chair!  Maybe one day that will be Sophie's name...

Blame the hood

Playing the flute.  She did great making it through a long, hot day!