I mentioned in my last post that there was more I could add, since I meant to publish that post Saturday, but because of one of the things I’m thankful for, I didn’t get it finished until Monday.
That will make sense in a second…
631. My lovely Gardenia! I snipped this bloom from the bush in front of our house, and it’s perfume has filled my entire office. But wait, what’s that in the background?
Yep! I’m now a Mac!
And that’s why Monday’s post took so long, because I’m still figuring out how to use it!
Here’s the story of how this baby came to be mine, starting with my graduation.
Leading up to my graduation, I was preoccupied with planning a graduation open house and getting the house ready for guests, including Brian’s parents and my younger sister, who would be staying with us at the house.
On Friday, my mother-in-law helped me decorate by buying me some plants and potting soil. I wanted to do mixed pots, as shown often in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. We picked variously shaped flowers in purple, yellow, red, and pink.
I also got three little succulents! The’re like cacti, but without the needles!
Friday afternoon, my little sister arrived. She would be staying an entire week. My family arrived that evening, and I made Southwest Meatball Chili for everyone. We stayed up too late talking, and after I went to bed, my father-in-law late that night.
Saturday was the big day!
The ceremony was wonderful. I didn’t expect to get emotional, but I definitely was fighting back tears as we walked in. My name was read, and I walked across the platform and shook hands with the dean, and I became an alumni!
Graduation party time!
I had asked a baker and web design client of mine to make the cake, but I really didn’t know what I wanted. I had a BHG recipe for pink lemonade cake, and the graduation party invites had one of my favorite quotes by Eleanor Roosevelt and butterflies on it, and with that information, she created the most perfect cake! I almost cried when she lifted the lid of the box.
The picture doesn’t do it justice. The butterfly wings are molded gelatin. The frosting is lightly lemon flavored, and the cake has raspberry mouse filling! The pink, purple, and blue matched our mismatched paper products perfectly, and the pink roses my parents gave me! The cake also matched the bowls I used for the mints and nuts!
I so enjoyed the reception. I’m so glad that many of our church friends could make it, even though it was on short notice. It was nice for them to meet my family, and my family to meet them. I felt like both halves of my family finally got to meet each other, because some of my church family are truly family.
After everyone had left and we’d cleaned up, it was time to open presents!
Brian had let slip that he was planning a big surprise for me a week before, but I honestly had no idea what it could be. Deep down, I was hoping against hope for one thing in particular, but I knew it was impossibly expensive. A Macbook Pro cost $1,999, and there was no way we could afford that. But, my HP had been on the fritz for some time, and the blue screens of death, squeaking noises from the harddrive, and issues with Microsoft products on it kept getting worse. I casually let Brian know each time it did something strange, in hopes that after he got a job, he’d be persuaded to get me one. I even mentioned that you can sometimes buy them on ebay for much less, and they might even have software with them.
After opening the other presents – several types of gourmet coffee, a delicate necklace, and handmade pottery, Brian brought out his gift.My heart leaped when I saw the package. It was large, heavy, and rectangular. It can’t be…Brian hovered next to the couch as I opened it.
I partly tore off the paper, and saw that it was our Wii fit box. But a piece of printer paper was attached to it, and I read: “Emily, your MacBook Pro is on the way…” and then my eyes were too full of tears to make out anything else. I hugged Brian for a long time before I could stop crying enough to say thank you, and read the rest of his note. He explained that he had planned to get it for me all along, and had asked his mom and grandma to contribute to it, and he had bought it off of ebay even before I had casually dropped that hint weeks before!
I’m still getting used to it, but I LOVE it! Everything looks so sharp, it’s so fast, and really easy to use, once you figure out what the differences are. Yesterday I realized that I didn’t know how to copy and paste or download pictures, but with Brian and Google, I figured it out! ‘
I’m so thankful for this gift, especially because it represents Brian’s love for me! And if that’s not enough good news, I have more good news to share that I’m saving for my next blog post!
