Graduation.

We have some catching up to do.

Jason and I are officially law school graduates.

 

B.A graduation, Wheaton College, 2010:

 

J.D. graduation, William & Mary Law School, 2013

 

So much has changed between those two pictures! We’re married now, live on our own, have bills to pay, and have definitely been through our fair share of challenges. But when I think back to us graduating together four years ago, I’m reminded that it’s the things that have remained constant that have really been the most important. Things like faith in eachother, faith in God, perseverance, humility, a supportive family, and a whole lot of love. Without those things we certainly would not have gotten through the past three years. I can’t imagine doing it any other way or with any other person than my sweet husband.

 

Last week we met up with the amazing Michael and Carina Photography for a graduation shoot on our campus. Michael and Carina are married and take the most beautiful pictures of other couples. I didn’t want to do a traditional graduation portrait because…this was not a traditional graduation! It wasn’t just three years of school. It was a huge and intimidating adventure that the two of us paddled through together. Our first three years of marriage were all in law school, and so this graduation wasn’t just about getting a diploma and moving on. I wanted to have pictures that captured the love that Jason and I have, the strength we’ve been able to find in each other, and our excitement about starting a new chapter in our lives. Michael and Carina did all that and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was so inspiring to see a couple with such passion for photography! I’m so glad we decided to do the shoot because we most likely won’t do another until we have kids, and I wanted something to remember this phase of our life by. I won’t spoil any more of those pictures because they’ll likely make appearances in other posts. 😉

We spent the rest of the week packing up our house, running errands like crazy, and preparing for our families to come into town for the ceremony and festivities. You never know how much junk you’ve accumulated until you have to put in all in boxes!

 

I had tasks very carefully scheduled out so that we could get everything done in time, but some things still got left to the last minute! Like graduation shoes that were bought the day before graduation…

Our guests started rolling in on Friday! Emily drove down from DC and my parents and siblings drove up from Atlanta and got here that night. The next morning I got up bright and early for a visit to the hair salon before joining back up with Emily and my family for the farmers market. My last one in Williamsburg! The weather was perfect and we had a very nice stroll before grabbing lunch at the famous Cheese Shop.

photo courtesy of Emily

I can’t tell you how happy I was to be reunited with Ashley!!!

 

 

 

photo courtesy of Emily

Then we got gussied up for the law school’s award ceremony, where Jason received an award for writing the best student article in his law journal. So proud of him!

 

We drove out to Newport News after the award ceremony for the big graduation dinner celebration at Fin Seafood! In attendance was my parents and siblings, my cousin and her son, Jason’s parents, Jason’s brother and his girlfriend. We had a great time together and an absolutely delicious meal.

Then it was everybody back to our place for cake and more time together!

photos courtesy of Emily

 

 

The next morning I was up bright and early again, preparing to throw a Mother’s Day brunch for everyone! Mother’s Day obviously fell on the same day as our graduation, but I wanted to start the day honoring our moms before doing anything else.

 

On the menu was quiche lorraine, fruit salad with vanilla bean glaze, hash browns, fresh croissants, cucumber salad, maple glazed bacon, and mimosas. I really wanted to do it up for the special occasion!

 

 

 

I was relieved that everything came out well and there was plenty of food! Before we knew it, it was time to head out for our diploma ceremony. It was the moment we had been waiting for for so long!

The ceremony was in our school’s outdoor amphitheater so we were glad that the weather held up. Our speaker was the law school’s chancellor, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He gave a great speech!

 

Since we have the same last name, Jason and I got to receive our diplomas next to each other. It felt SO GOOD to walk across that stage and get that very expensive piece of paper. Jason and I both agree that getting the diploma was the real moment where we felt like we were FINISHED.

 

 

I was so happy to have my family and best friend there with us! They’ve been so awesome throughout this whole thing. My little brother (below) is graduating from high school in like 2 weeks! So many happy things going on in our family!

 

photo courtesy of Emily

The last few days have been quite the whirlwind, but in the best possible way. I can’t wait for what comes next.

Thanks for reading! I’m guessing you’re feeling like you’ve seen enough pictures of my face in this post to last you a lifetime. 😛

-Lauren