graduation

 

invest in the human family. invest in people.

build a little community of those you love and who love you.

                                                                                           mitch albom, tuesdays with morrie


last fri. night we celebrated my godson aaron's graduation from high school. he's a football player/farmer/hunter/fisher/ big ol' teddy bear of a guy. I don't get to see him as often as i'd like, so getting to serve up the ice cream for root beer floats across the table from him gave me the chance to soak him in.  it was fun to watch him interact with his many guests. my conclusion is that he's grown up real swell. :  ) 

* he's funny and polite and still a little boy in my eyes.  when he was a little boy, he had a head full of curly blonde hair.

this is where aaron grew up. i spent a major chunk of my childhood on this farm too. it was his grama and grampa's and they are my aunt and uncle. after my mom died, my mom's sister dar and her hubbie clayton stepped in and welcomed my sis and i into their family and my aunt dar's three boys are like brothers to me. I LOVE THOSE GUYS!!!! although they are all big manly men now-   i can tease them and remind them that i once changed their diapers and read them bedtime stories. i've tattled on them and cooked them supper. I've paired their socks and watched them grow up and become parents too.

                                               this is aaron. isn't he handsome? little kids LOVE him.

                                     pretty young girls lined up for root beer and seemed to like him too...

                                 my sister and i are his godmothers so we had to mug on him a bit.

               i don't know what the story is behind this cardboard likeness of aaron- but we
                                                              had some fun with it.

          this is his grandma, my aunt dar.

                                                   we got all gooey from making the rootbeer floats so
                                                               sister tried to wash aaron up a bit. he fought a
                                                                             good fight, but in the end- she prevailed.

                                                  towards the end of the evening they launched many of
                                                         these beautiful sky lanterns....it was magical.

               
                                                             here's aarons' mom and dad at the end of successful
                                                                         party for their youngest. tired but happy.
                                                                      they'll be empty nesters now- (knock when you stop by).
                                                                   

                                                                                         good job raising up your son guys-
                                                                                              he's going to do great out in the
                                                                                                   big world. i just know it.


                                                                          watching young people grow up and start
                                                                             their adult lives is so fun. they are full of
                                                                                hopes and dreams- a whole world of
                                                                              possibilities out there waiting for them.
                                                                                  God bless you on your journey aaron.



                                                                         hoping the sun makes an appearance this
                                                                                  weekend - it's art on the lake time
                                                                                        in excelsior mn and usually it's so
                                                                                 hot there the vendors and shoppers alike
                                                                              pretty much just want to run stick their
                                                                                        heads in lake Minnetonka to cool off!


                                                                                                  ta ta for now, beth