WE'RE IN AUBURN

HERE WE ARE!

Auburn, AL - and after 11 years of traveling down here for one of our girls - this winds it up - with one of our daughters having a residence here.   In a couple of weeks Charlie and I will bring some sort of vehicle to do the laborious work of moving her out.  But not this time.  We are here to celebrate and  to make pictures - the following is what I've captured.  Her room - where she's cried and slept and posted on blog and texted and emailed and searched for something to wear and bemoaned her stress and thrown clothes about and returned to and left from and prayed and beseeched and praised - all emotions.  This is her room.

And then we left to eat at the restaurant of her choice - Maestro's - Chef Hamm - he was on the Food Network once - He was Kate's instructor in Culinary Science.  His restaurant has been opened since February of 2010.  Before that he was at the Hotel and Conference Center where Kate poured out a good bit of her heart and soul.  The other was poured out in Business Finance, during the last few weeks of this semester - and the majority of her heart and soul was poured out into ministry through RUF - hence - that last sprint for passing the final and graduating.  But - the restaurant and eating out.

After eating, let's see,  Manchego Cheese Croquettes with Quince Dipping Sauce,  The Halibut Special which included White Asparagus, Wilted Spinach and Bayou La Batre Shrimp, Black Angus Tenderloin Medallions, Baby Beet Salad, Mixed Greens with Clementines - well, we were so satisfied.

The food was so pleasing and satisfying, and presented so well.  

With full tummies we chose to park downtown and walk - and share our Auburn stories and point out our ghosts to one another.  Kate's were fresher and we gave her the "mike" for the majority of the time.  It was hard for Charlie or me not to interject a memory - an image - a tale or two.  Kate was patient and let her parents have their moment all along.  Then we gave it back to her and she continued.  

But first, in honor of Sarah, whose graduation we let go by without photos, I posed Kate and Charlie in front of Biggin Hall - where Sarah passed through these doors countless numbers of time - in order to graduate - ahhhhhhh - the times she called me with weeping, "mom?"  or glory after having been praised by her teacher.  she consumed coffee and expressed herself in paint on canvas - and the whole thing was finished with hilarity and relief at her final senior show - but we were so elated, we forgot our cameras.  

And then, without cap and gown, but a graduating senior all the same,

Kate and I posed with Charlie behind the camera, in front of the traditional Auburn sign.

Samford Hall Tower is in the background - and my four and myself have heard the story many times from Charlie how his dad "attended classes" in Samford Hall.  Which is a cool story, but it was told repeatedly, when the girls were small, and then we turned it into a tradition just to tell the story - and then we enjoyed the humor in the repetition but Charlie's a good sport - I mean, good grief, living with 5 women??????

And....I'm sorry - this is my post and I'm concluding with my own repeated story.....about Smith Hall.....where I spent my last year of Auburn staying up all night lots of nights with projects, thinking, designing and laughing so hard, and fretting and crying, too,  praying and believing I would be the very successful artist/graphic designer - I would rock the world with my um, with my, um - well, I would just rock the world - not really knowing how that would unfold exactly - Okay - not so successful in art - but wealthy in love and family and children and grandchildren.

The End to our delightful evening.

Congratulations to Kate!

We love you and are thrilled that you can move to the next chapter - and see how God chooses to shape you and be His Glory in you.