Graduation party

Yesterday, we celebrated Chris' graduation from college. I am so proud of him! Four years ago, he said that he didn't want to stay in dead-end jobs forever and that he had decided to go to college. In the course of one week between Christmas and New Year's, I helped him apply to DeVry University online, including applying for financial aid and student loans. During the first year or so, he needed a lot of help with writing but I noticed his writing becoming steadily better. He got some help from Polly with math and statistics, too. An online curriculum is challenging because you don't have the instructor or even other students to turn to immediately to ask questions.


Starting out as a computer science major and then switching to business administration, he plugged along and, on the whole, did quite well for someone who had never done all that well in school and had dropped out at age 16. We knew he was smart because he passed the GED tests on the first tries, but he had to mature and gain self-confidence. I know his dad would have been proud of him, too.


We were so busy at the party that we forgot to take any photos! I got a sheet cake from Hannafords, made cookies and chex mix, and also had cheese, cider, candy, and coffee. It was nice that Chris' friends from Burlington came, as did our former next door neighbors who have been surrogate grandparents since he was two. My parents and sister called, too, and it was a good to way celebrate both the end of college and beginning of the next phase of Chris' life, whatever that may be.



I did make a quilt for the occasion - of course! It was originally one for Camp Agape, but they aren't having the camp this year. So I made it a little wider and put a blue oxford cloth back on. There is some free-hand quilting, too. But it is very fitting for Chris who loves fishing and greens. Here's a closeup. I used Golden Threads Quilting paper to quilt in his name and the year.