There was so much I wanted to do before we moved. I wanted to take pictures of our favorite parks, walks and restaurants to remind me of all the memories they hold. I wanted to visit and take pictures with our good friends for the last time. I wanted to soak in every "last time" as much as possible. But as it usually does, time sped on by and I found myself with none left. Although. Didn't get to do some of the things I wanted, we still had a great last week in Lexington.
This is how we found Lydia most mornings. I have no idea how she managed to pull the whole basket of stuffed animals in her crib but she did and it was always a party.
On Thursday Loren left at 3:30 am to pick up Dad Peck, Sarah and Rachel from the airport in Ohio, about 5 hours away. They stopped in Charleston, West Virginia to visit the house they used to live in.
In Charleston they received the news that Charlie's cancer had spread to his bones. It was a long, hard drive the rest of the way to Lexington. Dad decided to stay for graduation then fly back early Sunday morning. Despite the circumstances, I was sure glad to see them.
We went on a tour of Lexington making sure to stop at Stonewall Jackson's house.
Loren in front of the law school.
This is the moot court room where he argued before Supreme Justice Alito and the Armed Forces Appeals Court.
Dad's carrel when he was in school.
The Law Review office where he spent many hours cite checking and previewing articles to publish.
We went to an awards ceremony for the law students the day before graduation. Loren won the Advocacy Award which to our complete surprise, came with $1000. I was so proud of him. He was also given his walking stick.
Sarah in front of the place of her birth, the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Stonewall Jackson's grave.
The home Loren lived in while his parents went to school.
Graduation day! It could not have been a more beautiful day. The ceremony started at 10 a.m. and was held in front of Lee Chapel. Loren graduated summa cum laude (top 15%) of his class. I'm so proud of him. There was a nice catered lunch afterwards and then we spent the rest of the day buying souvenirs and relaxing.
We took a walk on the Woods Creek trail on Sunday. As we were walking around VMI to get to the trail, I looked behind me to see Lydia's diaper on the ground by her feet. Apparently she wanted it off and thought doing it right in front of a cadet was fine. It's always an adventure with that girl.
After Woods Creek we went to Boxerwood.
We found a fun little fairy land with wooden fairy houses.
Reading stories with Aunt Rachel.
Monday we went to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. We thought we could walk around the grounds for free but turns out you have to buy a $20 ticket. So because of the cost, just Loren and Sarah bought tour tickets and Lydia, Rachel and I drove to Charlottesville for lunch at Burger King while we waited for them.
Monday night the Williams had a going-away party for us. All our good law friends were there. It was so nice to be with them one last time. We love and miss them!
From left to right: Jonathan, Karissa, Nolan and Afton Stanley (1L), Starleigh and Jane Smith (1L), Tamra Harris (2L), us, Annie and Virginia Cox (2L), Rachel Norby (1L), Clint, Michelle, Adeline and Christian Williams (2L).
We just had to eat at our favorite cafe, Blue Sky one last time.
Packing faces. These girls were our saving grace. They helped so much with packing, cleaning and keeping Lydia occupied. We couldn't have done it without them. We owe them ice cream for a year!
We were so grateful for the missionaries and Clint who came to help load the uHaul.
Wednesday morning came quick! Rachel, Sarah, Lydia and I had to literally run out the door to not miss our flight in Ohio. Loren stayed to finish cleaning and lock up. I was sad we didn't have time to take a goodbye picture outside the house. At least we got one of Loren.
I was so grateful Sarah drove with Loren. They only had a couple scary moments like driving with the uHaul door open, getting lost in Fergusen, Missouri and Loren being attacked by a crazed catipillar. Other than that, it went pretty smooth.
Lydia, Rach and I flew from Ohio to Utah. Other than Lydia wetting her pants and having to run around airports in just a diaper, she did really well. We flew into SLC around 11 p.m. And got home around 1 in the morning. Lydia slept quite a bit the few days after our trip.
We're so happy to be back with family. It's been a wild ride to get here but we made it! We're excited to start this new chapter of our lives.
Loren, What is the tradition of the walking stick at Graduation?
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