The Graduation ceremony was held in the Sanford Center in Bemidji Minnesota at 10 AM. 310 students graduated, the ceremony took about 2 hours.
There were two too many speakers who just liked to hear the sound of their own voices. The student speakers were the best! The old farts should have just stayed silent.
Savannah’s parents held an open house in her honor in the afternoon, we had several hours to make the final preparations. The day before the party I made potato salad for 100 people. Uncle Andy smoked pork for sandwiches. We mixed up cole slaw, baked beans and made the frosting for the cupcakes before all the guests arrived.
It was a warm sun shiny day. Shade was welcome…we went from cool spring weather to sunny and hot. People came and went all afternoon.
During one of more quiet times I asked Savannah to open her gifts.
This is the gift from Savannah’s Great Grandparents ( my parents) they were unable to attend but my Mother made Savannah a quilt in her favorite color …green.
I made her a scrapbook page with her newspaper clipping and her graduation photo, then I scanned it and found a frame that is a shadowbox…so she can put some keepsakes in the frame.
Savannah’s Aunt Jen made her a book…all through the years. It made her cry…which in turn made just a few of us cry.
Then another gift from Aunt Jen, Uncle Andy and the boys made her smile.
“Bananas in pajamas are coming down the stairs, Bananas in pajamas are coming down in pairs” It was a cartoon or a show on TV when she was just a little girl…we changed the lyrics to Savannah in Pajamas!
It was a lovely afternoon. We were so happy we could be there.
You captured some fantastic shots. The quilt from your Mom is so special. All the best to her! She is lovely.
ReplyDeleteMorning, so beautiful, love the quilt, so special. Also the shadow box you made is darling, great job, Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful quilt. The shadow box is something I always wished I had. You all made Savannah's day very special for her.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Savannah! I'm familiar with Bemidji. My brother used to live there. They're even farther north than we are!! :-) And that quilt is stunning.
ReplyDeleteSo many clever and thoughtful gifts. You have a creative family. And I'll bet you're amazed to have a graduate as a grandchild!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a sweet post. Savannah looks absolutely gorgeous. She is very, very fortunate to have so many family members who live close enough to help her celebrate and who love her enough to make and give such thoughtful gifts.
ReplyDeleteShe's really beautiful. I feel almost like I know her from your posts over the years. You've got such a sweet family, and Savannah is no exception. I love your pictures. I covet that quilt! :-)
ReplyDeleteYour photo of the tearful graduate brought tears to MY eyes! Such a lovely quilt. Thanks for letting us share in the happiness of this graduation.
ReplyDeleteShirley H.
It looked like the day (other than the speakers) was perfect. Savannah is a lovely young lady! The gifts showed all the care and love you all have for her. What a lucky young lady!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Savannah!
ReplyDeleteI agree that graduation speakers should be the students.
Congratulations to Savannah. She is a very pretty girl. I am so surprised the school is so large but I do know your state buses people in from far distances rather than have small town schools. I liked all the flags on stage. The quilt reminded me of one of my mom's that I have but not in green. It is a beautiful quilt. Your mom does a great job. Not everyone's mom makes quilts so that is a real treasure for great grand daughter. She got some really nice gifts.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics! What beautiful weather you had, too. (Too hot for me, actually--LOL!) What a lovely girl she is...well, young woman! :)
ReplyDeleteah, how wonderful an event. i agree with your sentiments regarding the student speakers. cheers!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Savannah! Her loved ones gave such thoughtful and loving gifts to her. I went to a grad party also on Sunday. The brother of the grad gave such a beautiful speech about his feelings about his brother. He had all 50 of us in tears! So much emotion for everyone. Thanks for sharing this beautiful event with us.
ReplyDeleteMany congrats to Savannah a great accomplishment! Sounds like a lovely day for everyone. And the photos are touching to see her joy in the gifts, that quilt is lovely.
ReplyDeleteJen
What a wonderful celebration!
ReplyDeleteI am glad the family laughed and cried with her. The gifts were wonderful. That quilt alone would have made me cry...beautiful.
Fun was had by all. But mostly there's a meaningful celebration of a young girl's success.
ReplyDeleteHow touching, I love all the special heart felt presents for such a lovely young woman! I know how proud of her you are!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous quilt! What a spectacular day! Congratulations to Savannah on her graduation. Love how the family knew just what to capture of the memories. Precious!
ReplyDeleteThose are lovely gifts,the quilt is just beautiful! What a lovely day for her!
ReplyDeleteI don't even know her and it made me cry. So much love and pride and heartfelt gifts and gathering together and making all the homemade food for her party. You all invested years of love and attention on her and you have a great deal to be proud of and she has a great deal to be thankful for. Bless you all.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great coming together of family effort, labors of love. How very special for the lovely graduate.
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