Jaren's Graduation

On Saturday, August 22 Jaren graduated from PA school at Rocky Mountain College. It was such a wonderful ceremony! (The best graduation ceremony I have ever been to, hands down!) It was very intimate and personal.  The graduation was only for the PA students and their family/friends. I could tell the faculty knew each student personally and truly cared about them and their success. I could also tell the students were all friends and cared about each other as well! The speeches were great and towards the end I was just filled with so much love for Jaren. I'm so proud of him and all his hard work! My parents came as well and they, too, are so proud of Jaren and love him as their own son. Jaren going to PA school has not been easy, but we have learned so much and these past few years we have grown so close to each other. I love Jaren with all my heart and am grateful for these past few years of his PA school. He chose a wonderful career and I know he will be an amazing PA!

White coat ceremony...

Jaren receiving his diploma...

Jaren with my parents...

Our good friends (Asay's and Swenson's)...

My parent's fun surprise for Jaren...

This weekend in Billings has been wonderful and nostalgic! I loved living here and it was fun to reminisce, but I'm ready for the next chapter in our lives!

On Wednesday I drove up part-way with my parents to Idaho Falls. It was fun to hang out with them all by myself!

On Thursday my friend Brooke Swenson (who has triplets, lives in Logan, and who's husband is also graduating) asked me to ride up with her. She met us in Idaho Falls and I rode the rest of the way with her to Billings. Her kids are super cute and were surprisingly well-behaved for how young they are and how long the drive was.

When we arrived in Billings I met up with Jaren and we drove around the city. We talked about our memories of Billings.

Our old apartment (that we loved!)...

Billings temple...

Thursday night Jaren and I ate dinner with our friends the Swenson's and the Asay's. We went to Red Robin and had a great time visiting and catching up!

The next morning Jaren really wanted to go have breakfast at Stella's. He had been there several times before but I had never eaten there before. Oh my, it was delicious!

Friday evening we went with my parents to Rib and Chop, one of our favorite restaurants! We also took my parents to Candy Town, an old-fashioned store with more variety of candy then you could dream of! Afterward, we saw The Man From U.N.C.L.E. at the movie theater Jaren and I would always go to when we lived here. We all enjoyed the movie and had a fun day!

Rib and Chop...

At Candy Town...

My mom hates getting her picture taken but I made my parents take a random photo at the theater...

On Saturday we went to my favorite breakfast place, Harper and Madison. Afterward we all went to Jaren's graduation ceremony. Next we went to a few antique stores with my parents and then back to the hotel for a rest. While Jaren and my parents rested, I saw a few friends from Murdock Family Dental (where I used to work).

Later that day we went to Ciao Mambo for dinner (the best Italian food around)!

It's hard to go home after such a fun weekend! But we all had a great time and we are so proud of Jaren!

At Harper and Madison...

Ladies from Murdock Family Dentistry...