for long-awaited photos and family updates! - Graduation Celebration Edition

The end of May had us praising the Lord and celebrating the graduation of Victoria from High School with over 100 friends! She actually finished up in 2007, but we waited for nice weather to have her celebration. From the feedback I got, everyone had a fantastic time! I was not part of the celebration - as the flu bug and I were visiting *smile*, but I did watch from inside and stepped out to say hello every now and again. Our dearest Grandma Sweetie took care of the food preparation, which was such an incredible blessing! Victoria also helped! I just don't know where we would have been if she (Grandma Sweetie) had not offered to help us plan and execute early on!

The day was wonderful, and per Victoria's request, she did not want to be THE center of attention. She wanted the focus on the Lord - from the invitations to the cake. It was a time to come together and praise Him for what He has done in her life. It really was a special time.

The 'Refreshment Tent'

The beautiful cake prepared by Kerry

Gift/Encouragement Table

(some of)Our guests

For the cake, instead of the typical 'Congratulations Graduate', Victoria worked with our friend, Kerry, to design a cake that would allow Victoria to turn the attention to Christ. She wanted her graduation celebration to be less about herself and more about Him. The design was a scroll with Proverbs 16:3 printed on it, which says 'Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established'.

The gift table had a journal where people could write a word of encouragement, a Scripture verse, or a favorite memory they had of Victoria. We had a wonderful time reading the journal afterwards, and Victoria truly treasures it.

Victoria standing with her 1st Grade teacher (and her husband) to her right, and her Driver's Education teacher on her left