Graduation Day

Hello, if you haven't heard from my various ways of contact, I am finally a doctor. Who hoo!!! So I thought I would give you the highlights of last week.

For my graduation dinner/lunch we ate at Kyoto Japanese Restaurant (which is a hibachi grill). Mom, Granny, and I were the first to arrive so we started the celebration right with some alcoholic drinks in souvenir Buddha cups. Here is a picture of Granny sipping out of Buddha's belly.

Also joining us for dinner was Nathan, my dad, Nathan's parents, and Marcia and John (my dad's cousin and cousin in law).

Our chef for the night arrived right on time. Mom thought he looked alot like Owen Wilson. He dazzled and amazed us with his repitoir of cooking tricks. But I was impressed that he could crack and egg without little pieces of egg shell falling into the goo (a skill I am still trying to Master).
But who could end a good hibachi meal without the flaming onion?!

It was next back to the house so that Mom could iron my gown one last time and then we scadaddled off to the gradation which had been moved ahead to 6:30pm due to Pres. Bush's commencement speech earlier that morning.

Then came the usual graduation rituals...group picture, walking into the stadium, speaker talking, walking on stage, and shaking a bazillion hands, receptions, pictures with friends. Pictures can be seen at our photo site.

Then back to the house for CAKE! Now the following cake is a Nathan and Brooke creation. Nathan baked up a strawberry cake -- using a bunt cake and some muffins. I was incharge of icing the whole thing (which turned into a green mess but turned out pretty good). Not too bad considering this is my second cake that I made. But I couldn't have done it without the inspiration of srmaxwell on Cake Central.com.

Now to the best part! The presents. I received a very cute snowglobe from Marcia and John and some very generous monetary gifts from various family members.

From my parents I received the following letter:

Special Graduation Gift

for

Dr. Brooke Pitel Lewis

"ONE SHOPPING SPREE"

Rules for redemption:

1. All Wal-Mart clothes must be burnt beyond recognition.

2. New clothes will have limited animal images and NO cat images

3. All shopping much be done with the expert advice of recipient's mother

4. All purchases will be made regardless of whether or not the item is on sale

5. All purchases shall be made at fine East Coast stores

6. Shopping at Wal-mart, Target, and Costco is strictly forbidden.

So look out NJ here I come!

And finally it was time for me to open Nathan's gift. Now a little background history. For the last couple of years I have been slightly hinting (ok fine often begging) for an SLR digital camera. Two weeks before graduation I opened the study door (which is NEVER shut) to find a macro lens on Nathan's computer screen. Ok...back to Saturday. Nathan went to the garage, rummaged through some of our boxes and brought in a box labeled chess stuff and statues, cut open the box to reveal a smaller box that was the perfect size of a digital camera. But I have been so busy with the packing this week I haven't gotten much of a chance to play with it.

So that is about it for graduation day. Most of this week has been spent packing. We are down to the bare bones. Bed, TiVo, my computer. Oscar can't figure out what happen to his pink lounge chairs, and then his lounge bed by the window, then the shelf next to the window, or his towel next under the sink. Mason won't stay outside for too long for fear of being left behind. But anyway the big travel day is on Tuesday! I guess I will write you from Wisconsin :-D