Embracing Mother Nature

Last weekend we embarked on camping trip #2 of our married career... and camping trip #3 of my entire lifetime. Between my junior and senior years as an undergraduate, I went with a group of friends in Tennessee... was it Fall Creek Falls? I can't remember, but I will forever remember this as the camping trip where the guys were throwing rocks at raccoons that were attempting to invade our campsite, we got lost on our day-hike, and I hoped it didn't rain. Here we are somewhere in the middle of our hike, smiling and probably unaware that we weren't quite hiking in a direction that would get us back to our campsite before sundown...
By the time we hit a road, we knew we had taken the wrong turn somewhere. I believe at least a few of us had to hitchhike back, if not all of us.
More recently, Nate and I have discovered a quiet park north of town that feels quite secluded from the big city. We've been there twice in the last six weeks, and both times it rained on us, but this past weekend, it poured. Nevertheless, the indestructible Nate managed to keep our fire going both during and after a lake formed around our campsite. As far as I could see, we were the only campers who had a campfire after it stopped raining. Booyah!

Here is our healthy fire from our first excursion.
It was perfect for s'mores and hot dogs, which made our tummies ache.
So this time around, we switched to grilled chicken and potatoes. YUM!
This photo below was taken from the shelter of our tent during a downpour.
I was just emerging from the tent when I took this photo. Do not be deceived by the seemingly put-out fire. It's still burning, and we were able to stoke and enjoy it for several more hours.This last adventure was fun but sleepless, as we chose to forego using an air mattress (what were we thinking) and mother nature was having an all-night party, including two hoot owls having an extended conversation near our tent, and a shrieking donkey on the other side of the park. But that's the beauty of the great outdoors. I still vote for bringing our air mattress for the next outing...

Graduation

I know I've been lazy- sorry. Here are the long-awaited photos from the hooding ceremony and graduation (May 8-9). Commencement happens only once a year, even though I defended last August and my degree was conferred in January. My parents and of course Nate were here to see me get hooded and walk across the stage. I'm not too fond of graduations, just because they are hot (especially when they are outdoors... and even more-so when they are indoors in a non-air conditioned gym like my Vandy graduation), crowded, and I just can't sit still for that long. The hooding ceremony was much more enjoyable. It was indoors, short, and more meaningful than the usual graduation ceremony. At least I thought so. So here is a re-cap of the weekend, in pictures/videos:

The hooding ceremony:

-with my parents before the ceremony

-with my former officemate, Jamie

-all of us
-my hooding advisor, the chair of my thesis committee. (My thesis advisor was in Istanbul and was unable to hood me.)
-some of the graduates from the Statistics department

-getting seated

Afterwards, we went home for dinner and later that evening, we attended convocation followed by a champagne toast with the president, and fireworks!

Commencement (the following morning):

-Snapshot from the back

-The view from where Nate and my parents were sitting

-We left after the graduate students had been called and snapped a few photos while the undergraduate names were called

-I spent many, many hours in the building behind us
-Here is where I lined up before the ceremony began

It's still hard to believe I'm really done after 22+ years of schooling...

Here are a few words of encouragment, among many, that helped me through my grad school days:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galations 6:9

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Never, never, never, never give up. -Winston Churchill (I had this one on a hot pink sheet of paper above my desk)

How to stay healthy, satiated, and fulfilled

At my mom's request (she has great taste!) we lunched at Pei Wei this afternoon for Mother's Day before she and my dad got back on the road after a wonderful weekend with us.

In continuation of my previous post about fortune cookie "fortunes," how about these pieces of advice/wisdom from our very own cookies:

He who grabs the last lettuce wrap is the least hungry.

A crab wonton a day keeps the doctor away.

Reach for your dreams. Start with the spring rolls.

Aside from the fact that these are comically and assuredly not fortunes, I like that they all refer to eating. I like to eat.

Testing

... having some trouble with viewing the videos on our computer taken with my new camera (thanks Mom and Dad!) because of less than ideal memory/speed requirements... testing to see if uploading to blogger works.

Of course, this is also a teaser. New posts, pics, and graduation update to come soon!

Just what the Doctor Ordered

Dr. Pepper

By golly, it's already May!

Now Is the Month of Maying
Lyrics by Sir Thomas Morley

Now is the month of Maying, when merry lads are playing! Fa la la la la!
Each with his bonny lass, a-dancing on the grass, fa la la la la!

The Spring, clad all in gladness, doth laugh at Winter's sadness! Fa la la la la!
And to the bagpipes’ sound, the nymphs tread out the ground! Fa la la la la!

Fie! Then why sit we musing, youth’s sweet delight refusing? Fa la la la la!
Say, dainty nymphs and speak! Shall we play barley break? Fa la la la la!

Just makes you want to bounce

Or perhaps you prefer the Spanish version, hm?