#allthegraduations // Playing Catch Up

There has been so much going on that I am behind on posting about events. May is so stinkin' busy.

Anyhow, on the 13th my sister Jess, my SIL Kels, and her fiance Jacob all graduated from college! Woot woot! Unfortunately they all graduated at the SAME time, in two different cities (which are not close together). Because of that, and other factors we had to do some picking and choosing. We ended up driving to Hays, KS (3.5 hours west) to see my sister graduate. School for her has been tough off and on, and she finished online while working full time. Not to mention getting married, buying a house, and oh yeah, having a baby. I knew that this graduation would be a huge deal for her, and since it was far away we wanted to make sure to attend. We knew our whole extended family wouldn't be able to drive out for it.

We drove most of the way there on Friday night so we wouldn't have to wake up so early. We stayed at this super cute old hotel. It was featured in the movie Paper Moon if you've seen it. Anyhow, it was affordable and just 45 minutes from Hays, so it worked out great. It also had a lot more personality than a chain hotel, and it benefited a local Kansas business.

They were swamped, but very very nice. My only complaint would be that our room was right next to the elevator which kept me up all night. KC was very excited about the kolaches that they have at breakfast, sadly, they didn't have them that morning though. : /

It should be mentioned that Wilson, KS is also the home of the world's largest Czech egg. It's very large.

The graduation was already off to a rocky start as recent rains had left the university without 800 parking spots. nbd guys. So... yeah. We ended up eating breakfast at 6 am and then heading out to Hays super early to allow for traffic, parking, shuttles, etc. All in all it worked out ok and we actually had plenty of time. We got there, found seats with my BIL. I took pictures of my sister by the backdrops, etc.

The graduation was long as expected, but it was not hot in there (YAY!), and (most importantly) we got to see my sister walk across the stage! Which was super cool! She was very excited!

What a ham! :P

After the graduation, we headed to my BIL's family's house who were hosting a party for Jess. How sweet is that?! It was so nice to be there with family and celebrate my sister again! :) We got a lot of good photos of bits of our family.

My MIL made this card for us for Jess. She made tons for various folks who graduated. Each tassel was tailored to match the university or high school! 

I was glad that it was a beautiful day and that Jess was so happy! :)

That afternoon we drove back home, and collapsed in a heap and chilled for the rest of the night. We then finished wrapping up graduation gifts, and went to celebrate with our friend Matt who was also graduating. He had a small gathering of mostly family, and we were pretty tired, so we just popped in for a little bit. ;) You know when you go to a party and you can tell everyone there really wants to be there? Yeah, that's how this was. It was super nice. + ice cream cake!

The next day we went to Kels and Jacob's combo grad party at his family's church. It was really fun to see so many friends and family there for them. They did a slide show and lots of decorations and photos. We enjoyed chatting with family and friends and wishing them well. :) We were bummed that we could not make it to all of the graduations, but it was good that I could steal pictures from Facebook. A huge shout out to Kels who also won a big award!!

That night we pretty much stayed at home. We were so exhausted!

Anyhow, congratulations to all of our people! :)

XO,

Alexandra

College Graduation

Well everyone, I graduated!

  

4 1/2 years and 3 majors later I have graduated with my bachelor's degree in Community Health. Overall I loved college. I took so many amazing classes and met a bunch of incredible people. There were definitely some really hard times, paying for college was a big struggle for me and some of my classes were really taxing. But in the end I feel really great about where I'm at.

I got a great education from a wonderful school. I spent 2 1/2 years in the best housing situation I could have ever imagined and met so many fantastic friends that I will keep forever. I had so many diverse opportunities to learn and grow. I am so thankful that I was able spend 4 1/2 years in such a great place.

Not only did I get the awesome experiences during classes and on campus, but my program also included a semester long internship at a local organization. I loved every second of my internship at my preschool and I recently got hired as a substitute for the semester. This is the perfect way to spend my transition time until Kyle graduates and we move on to whatever is next for us. I am so grateful and excited for all of these opportunities. 

  

My sister Jess came home for my graduation which was so great. I felt really awesome at the ceremony because I had about 15 people there for me. Thank you so much for making that day great!

Afterward we had lunch and my mom made me a homemade German chocolate cake and Kyle's mom made a homemade carrot cake! We ate and had fun. It was pretty laid back but I was spoiled with flowers, presents and cards. 

In May we will be having a big graduation party for Kyle, Kelsey and I because we all graduate this school year. So if you are feeling left out of the festivities don't worry, there's more to come!

All for now,

Alexandra

DIY Grad Gifts // Part I

*I know that this post is still very popular, 5 years later! I still use these tried and true gift ideas! Make sure to check out my Part II for even more graduation gift ideas! Happy gifting! XO - Alexandra*

This year, nearly everyone we know has graduated. 

Some are really close friends, others acquaintances and we even had some family members thrown in there. 

(me and my girlfriends at MY High School Graduation in 2008)

A year like this can really blow your budget... so Kyle and I came up with some (we think) good ideas for graduation gifts!

Here we go:

The Preschool Grad (my sister Olivia):

Something fun that will get them excited (not nervous) about elementary school. Olivia being a girl after my own heart, was very pleased with her school teacher Barbie complete with student Chelsea! 

It was cute and under $20.

The Middle School Grad:

Something fun to help them celebrate going to High School. My cousin Mallory graduated this year and she is majorly into music! Kyle and I love alternative music ourselves, so we made her a mix CD of our "Alternative Essentials" and gave her a $15 itunes card.

The High School Grad: Moving Out

My sister Jessica graduated from High School last year and moved out to live closer to her college. So Kyle and I decided to make her a move-out essentials kit. These were all things that I needed when I moved out. We numbered them and made a booklet with corresponding blurbs about why we chose the items. You can obviously tailor this based on relationship toward graduate, budget and interests. (ex. parents could include a microwave or coffee pot..) There are SO many options! Just have fun with it!

Items Included:

-a body pillow (making the dorm bed so much more comfy!)

-a laundry basket (for everything!)

-thank you cards (for grad gifts)

-Anastasia on DVD (essential! + a great way to bond with other girls in the dorm!)

-socks (because you always run out)

-hair bands (" ") 

-Hair clips (because I stole hers) 

-note cards (one of the best ways to study vocab, art history pieces, foreign language etc..)

-sticky wall calendars 

...

The High School Grad: Staying Home

My cousin Ellen also graduated from high school this year. She is commuting to a close by school next year and doesn't need "dorm" essentials. So I decided to make her a backpack essentials kit. It sounds silly, but college can make a long day (especially for a commuter!) and it can be a lot easier to have the right things in your bag! I decided to reuse an old ice cream bucket and a store gift bag to present this gift.

Items Included:

-mini kleenex

-chapstick (burt's bees!)

-ibprophen

-a first aid kit (trekking across campus can lead to accidents, or rubbing shoes!)

-a notepad (eco, great for to-do lists and random thoughts)

-pens (the cheap kind tend to work the best)

-snacks (Annie's cheddar bunnies and gummies)

-a mini stapler (with staples)

-post its (recycled, so great for marking important passages or pages in textbooks, especially if you want to sell them back!) 

-nail clippers (nothing is more irritating than a hang nail... nothing.)

-3 mix cd's of different varieties (great for loading onto itunes to walk around campus / drive to campus to!)

I labelled those items with little letters and made an explanatory key that corresponded to explain my reasoning.

The College Grad:

I had two friends who I knew in high school graduate from KU this year. One of them I have been best friends with since 4th grade. So I really wanted to come up with a special present. This having been my first few months of marriage I decided to compile my favorite recipes, tips and tricks (so far) into notebooks for them. I typed and Printed my food recipes, DIY cleaner and Spa recipes and other tips and put them in an ordinary binder. I then created a pretty cover and tabs with scrapbooking supplies (that I have an abundance of since I began scrapbooking!) 

Kyle helped a lot with measuring and cutting and input. Then I wrote them each a heartfelt note for the front of the books. I was so happy with how they turned out! I think that they really liked them as well! I hope that they can use the knowledge that I have been compiling in the near future! 

The acquaintance grad who invited you to a party:

We chose to give a card with a meaningful note to people who fit this category. For the girls I stuck in a handmade piece of jewelry as well. This shows that you care, even if you can't attend the party or aren't super close to the person who graduated. Luckily we didn't have to "fake" any of our cards, but if for some reason you needed to... this is an easy way to do it. When in doubt: always send a card at least. If it is within your means, a small gift card or a bit of cash is a nice addition. Especially gift cards to places like Starbucks or Chipotle! College students love a break from dining hall food! :) Even just $5-$10 is appreciated! :)

I hope this idea helps you during all the graduation craziness this year, and the years to come!

See a more graduation gift ideas here.

What are your favorite graduation gift ideas?

All for now,

Alexandra