So, on Friday evening, this happened:
Connor graduated from high school summa cum laude as his little high school’s salutatorian, and we enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebrating his accomplishments.
It absolutely poured rain on Friday, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits!
| My dress | Annabelle’s dress |
Chris was home from Kansas, and even though the days have flown by because they’ve been full of friends and family, it has been wonderful family time (almost like normal people!).
{Annabelle had several performances this weekend and came to graduation straight from a dress rehearsal, hence the ballerina bun}
On Saturday night, we had a casual BBQ dinner with friends to celebrate Connor. Our friends, Mark and Kathie offered us their beautiful backyard as the MCC House is a bit too petite for 30+ guests!
It’s kind of hard to beat a backyard like this, smack dab in the middle of the Village of Pinehurst!
{Mark and their son, Wyatt, built all of this together from Mark’s design. He’s obviously hugely talented; his business site is here}.
Even though the pouring rain continued into Saturday afternoon, it stopped just a few hours before party time and the evening was perfect.
We didn’t need to fire up the pizza oven as Chris smoked several Boston butts on his Big Green Egg, so we used the kitchen area’s insulated sinks for beer and wine.
The kids had Coke (in glass bottles, of course), root beer, and water in galvanized tubs.
We brought some of our outdoor seating over to add to what Mark and Kathie already had.
Here’s a quick video I shot pre-party so you can see the layout of the backyard:
Inside, we set up pulled pork BBQ with all the fixings to serve buffet-style in the kitchen.
| Tiered Galvanized Stand | Galvanized Caddy |
| Plates | Reclaimed Wood Tray |
| Chip rack |
Besides BBQ, chips, and apples, we also served baked beans, potato salad, cole slaw, and my macaroni and cheese recipe.
The desserts consisted of banana pudding (with extra Nilla wafers) and cookies in red and white striped bags.
| Letter Board |
Outside, we had corn hole, bocce ball, bubbles, and plenty of excellent conversation.
All in all, it was a perfect weekend, full of friends and family!
Connor is off to Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia in the fall, where he’ll be an Allan Scholar and a Wilson Leadership Fellow. We’re very proud of this guy; he’s worked hard and excelled in school, but most importantly, he has a heart for service, especially within the migrant community, where he’s volunteered for the past three years.
I’ll be catching up on comments and emails this week; thanks for bearing with me. And for those of you who are also celebrating 2018 graduates, congratulations!
Thanks for stopping by~
Beautiful party and the outdoor area is simply stunning. Love the outdoor kitchen area, such a dream. Congratulations most of all to Connor, what an achievement.
Thanks so much, Marty! Yes, we are blessed with great friends here and I know everyone enjoyed their beautiful back yard.
Christy
Congrats to Connor. I know you are both so very proud of him and his accomplishments. And, what a lovely party. That backyard! Gorgeous. Now you can rest some before the frenzy of moving him into a dorm starts!
Thanks so much, Lauren! Sorry it’s taken me ages to reply–it’s been quite a busy few weeks!
Christy
PS I’m looking forward to decorating a dorm, although it’s not quite as exciting when it’s a boy since they don’t actually care what it looks like. 🙂
My son goes to HSC.. just finished his freshman year and loved it!!
That’s great to hear, Laura! Everyone we’ve talked to raves about it, and I remember when I was an undergrad at James Madison that we loved it when those Hampden-Sydney gentlemen came to visit!
Congrats to connor on all of his amazing accomplishments including salutatorian and for achieving those prestigious awards in college…how wonderful of your friends to lend their home and gorgeous backyard for the festivities. You all look so proud of connor and rightfully so!…Congrats again!!!
Congratulations Connor!
Christy you and Chris have raised a fine young man.
i know you are a proud mom! He sounds like an amazing young man! Please tell connor congratulations and way to go!! it looked & sounded like you all had a perfect day for this special event. glad you all got to enjoy the evening! You know, doesn’t it seem that God has a way of working things out for those who have faith and are very deserving! I have been to Pinehurst once. It is a beautiful area! Oh yes, I was glad to see that the hubby got to come home! Well, you take care and as always, I’ll be looking for the next post!
everything i wrote showed that it was in all caps. Sorry for it ended up being all lower case! I would never spell God in lower case. This message may do the same thing! I just felt the need to tell you that!
Thanks so much, Pam! Sorry it’s taken me ages to reply–it’s been quite a busy few weeks! Yes, it was a great weekend and our cup definitely was overflowing with joy and happiness (and even a little pride). Don’t you worry about the lower case–that’s just a funny quirk in how our site is set up and neither Amy nor I can figure out how to fix it. I went in and put “God” in uppercase for you. 🙂
Take care!!
Christy
Congratulations to Connor! I know you are proud parents! An absolutely stunning yard. I know everybody had a great time.. now you can rest up for the next big adventure!
His outstanding accomplishment, is your outstanding accomplishment as well. Congratulations, to all of you!
Thanks so much, Rebecca! Sorry it’s taken me ages to reply–it’s been quite a busy few weeks!
Christy