Jay has a track record of losing graduation paraphernalia. For his undergrad graduation, he managed to lose his hood on the subway after one event and had to borrow one for his commencement. On Saturday we were running  a bit late, but made sure we had everything before we walked out the door. So we were a bit baffled when we got to the ceremony and realized Jay’s 2012 tassel had gone missing. We tried to hunt down a replacement before the ceremony started, but no luck. So Jay walked tassel-less.

Here’s Jay, back in 2006, at his Penn graduation. Note the lack of a hood.

Jay & me with Jay's roomie, Ryan

Fast-forward 6 years

If you squint, you'll notice the lack of a tassel.

My parents and two of my siblings made it out for the festivities and we all got to bake in the hot sun while celebrating Jay’s accomplishment. Thank goodness for sunscreen! I may have missed a few spots and have some blotchiness. (My loving brother said it looked like I spilled Pepto-bismol on myself) My parents have attended a lot of graduation ceremonies (I do have five siblings), so they come prepared.

The 2012 grads. My brother graduated from Wheaton University last week.

So proud of my hubby!

Well, if Jay ever goes for a PhD, I’ll make sure he has all of his grad gear.

And we found the tassel as soon as we got home, lying on our front steps.

Annelise, thanks for always being willing to edit my college application essays (probably the real reason how I got into Penn) and for inspiring me to explore the world (Israel? Germany? China? Let’s see it all!). Can’t wait to head up to NY to celebrate with you & Nick!

Ready for a flashback? I’ve been hunting around for this photo and finally found it at my parents house.

Don’t drink & drive.

Why, you ask? (well, hopefully you don’t really ask that, because if you are, we need to have a chat…)

This is why:

When you drink & decide to get behind the wheel, you run the very high risk of driving dangerously.

And when you come tearing down a quiet street at 3 in the morning and lose control, you run the risk of smashing into people’s cars.

and then you mess up everyone’s weekend plans.

In case you can't tell, that's an SUV lying on its side.

Thankfully, by the grace of God, noone was injured. Well, except both of my parents’ cars.

Seriously folks, don’t drink and drive, and don’t let friends do it either.

(ps- all the pictures are from my dad)

best. mascot. ever.

(source)

Know what else happened on April 25, three wonderful years ago?

I walked down an aisle, managing to sob and laugh at the same time.

I said “I do” to the most wonderful man in the world,

and we started our incredible adventure into marriage!

(wedding photos by entwined studio & sara parker photography)

And after a day of fun, it’s off to dreamland for the pup.

Margie, you are gorgeous!!

ps- ‘Joy’ isn’t the baby’s name. We were just experimenting with these wooden blocks.

A little fun on the swings.

Zach & Margie, we’re so excited for you! You are going to be amazing parents!

This is no southern state fair (I really, really want to go to one of those), but it was just Gloria’s speed.

The first ride we went on was the ferris wheel. I forgot about my fear of heights until I got on it. But I survived.

We were only planning on going on one or two rides, but a random kind stranger gave Gloria a bracelet for unlimited rides. I was impressed with how many she wanted to go on!

Bumper car buddies

What’s a trip to the carnival without some deep fried nutter butters?

I look forward to the first day of spring all year. Why? Because it means warmer weather is coming? Well, yes, but it also means FREE RITA’S!

If you don’t know what Rita’s water ice is, you are really missing out. Come visit us and we will fill you in on the most amazing dessert ever.

Yes, I was willing to stand in this line after a very busy 12 hour shift to get my free Rita’s.

And it was sooo worth it.

Hello, springtime! To the folks who planted the flowers in our “garden” before we lived there, thank you! You may have done a lot of things in our house that make us scratch our heads and say “what were they THINKING?”,  but these hyacinths are beautiful!

It’s still sinking in for me that my little brother is getting married.  I remember when we used to ride mattresses down the stairs and have wrestling matches. One time we put a 9-year-old-body-sized hole in the stairwell. Oops. Our dad was not amused. Russ was a late talker and babbled a lot, so I used to translate for him. Now he will talk your ear off if he has a chance. When my bro grew up and headed off to college, we were excited to hear about his ROTC activities, classes, and adventures in Illinois. And when we started hearing about a certain girl, we smiled and waited to hear more. It was clear how smitten he was with Aimee pretty early on. Once we met her, it was easy to tell why. Aimee is fun, sweet, and a perfect complement to Russ.

Russell proposed to Aimee in Prague over spring break, and they’re getting married in Philly in May. They came to Philly for their spring break, so of course we took the opportunity to shoot some engagement photos. We headed out to Valley Forge National Park on an unseasonably warm March day. But we underestimated the wind! Sorry about the windswept hair!

Russ & Aimee, we’re so excited for you and can’t wait to celebrate in May!

love this image!

Aimee’s ring used to be her grandmother’s.

Some fun with chalkboards. They didn’t know what the other was writing.