College "Co-Ed" no more

For years, Grandpa Rowan seems to have always greeted me by saying, "Hey Anne, how's my college co-ed?" For a while I was like, what the heck does that mean?! I eventually just asked him~

Well Grandpa...this college co-ed has gRaduAtEd!

Daddy literally lifted me up on this ledge so I could

get a cute photo in my robe.

Felt like a little kid at that moment,

one who still gets piggy back rides from her daddy,

or plays dress-up in her mama's prom dresses.

...

~not this grown person graduating college~

These two people have both time and time again

lifted me up on ledges,

then stood back and watched me shine.

May not always be a kid,

but I will always have my mama and daddy.

~Ceremony~

~Cousins~

5 Cousins!!! Felt like such a party.

~The Rowans~

~The Hyers~

~The Laughs~

Everyone kept saying

"Wait, just one more, just one more. Hold on!"

Out of the corner of his mouth Spence says,

"Just 6 more minutes, just 6 more minutes!"

We live right across the street from each other.

As dad and Ty joke,

"What's the best kind of prize? A surprize!"

Surprise Sunday visits from Spence were always prizes.

~Brothers~

Ty-boy's like my best friend.

Can't help but play when we're together.

*Love you Brumsy*

Call, sweet boy, couldn't be at my first ceremony

because of a job interview, but ran

there, literally, from his apt. and brought me

flowers as we were walking out.

*Love you dudes*

Chase was able to catch us the next day for breakfast,

and for a rival game of BYU (my school) v. Utah (his).

Seeing as how it was my graduation, my school won!

*Je t'aime mon frere*

~Forever Friends~

And lastly Ky Ky, as one of my 'special' friends

from forever, came to see me "walk".

The memories we share from a lifetime of sisterhood...

books could not hold them all.

As we have said to each other for years,

"I wonder where I'd be right now if I didn't know you."

I'm glad I do know you Ky.

*Love you forever*

So...

I may not always be a kid,

or a college co-ed,

...but I will always have my family.

I am so grateful for the education I received from BYU

and the support and love from my family

the whole way through.

Realization

One more day. That's all I have standing between me and ending my schooling at Brigham Young University. Graduation is Thursday and Friday...then off into the real 'post-bachelorette' world~

Hard to believe it's here. The realization will settle in slowly I'm sure.

*Photos of the events to come*

Final Tribute to Peru

The mountains are formed from volcanos

so they are so steep, so sheer, and so high.

Hike at Pisac.

All the lines are storage houses cut into the mountain.

Who knew the Incas knew they were supposed to have a

2+ food storage supply.

Out on a ledge overlooking the valley.

See me?!

Who could resist praying with a view like this?

Michelle refused to take this photo for us

cus she said it was too dangerous.

After Half Dome's Diving Board, this was child's play.

Got yelled at in Spanish for this photo. I was like,

"Ok, so thousands of years of rain, wind, storms, and sun,

and you're worried about ME hurting these ruins? Oookaaayy."

Michelle, Carlie and I enjoying fresh squeezed

Orange juice at the base of the hike.

Delish

The program director with her son

eating the biggest ear of corn I've ever seen.

In Peru they grow hundreds of types of corn

and thousands of varieties of potatoes.

We had a lot of each.

Stopped at a cute buffet for lunch.

Naturally, Car and I are laughing at something

hilarious Lynley said.

Plenty of flowers, birds and llamas in the buffet garden.

Then there were these pots...

So I saw these and was like, "Ok, something has to be

done with these. Way too tempting."

So I started scheming how to get inside of one.

Step 1: examine the perimeter for spidersStep 2: channel my inner Pilates with a modified plank

Step 3: shimmy backwards inside the giant pot

(never thought I'd have to do that)Step 4: smile and pray it doesn't break. Ha!

More Ruins!

I think my thought here was,

"I really just climbed all these stairs at this elevation?"

Then the last day finally came :(

Carlie and I scheduled our flight one day later than

everyone else by accident so...

what to do with a whole day in Lima, Peru?

Eat, talk, sit in the park and get kisses from the cutest little

boy with his parents, eat gelato, and look out at the ocean.

All conveniently at an outdoor mall in Miramar.

Rough, I know.

Overall, I left this journey with a feeling that the Lord

truly spent a little extra time giving the people of Peru

a beautiful part of the world to live in.

The fabrics, the faces, the mountains, the clouds, the sky...

all like sweeping paint across the canvas of the Earth.

What a blessing to experience the beauty of a place

where I felt only a Supreme Being could create such an

expression of beauty and love for His world and children.

A sense of peace that can't be expressed is felt

as I have traveled the countries of this world and seen

first hand the gentle and grand creations of One

who shares His love with his children through

light, color, texture, and design.

~We are all so blessed to be loved by such a one as this~

Computer Fixed!

And we're back.........

(new post below and another soon to come)