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Four Days of Fun and Festivities

May 22, 2012 · By Diane Henkler · 29 Comments

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I took a little time off the last few days to drive up to Vermont to help celebrate my youngest daughter’s graduation from college. It is a 7 hour trip and we rented a cargo van so we could bring home the contents of her apartment.

It seems like we were just moving her into her freshman dorm. Over the weekend, we had the pleasure of sitting on the university green on a fabulously beautiful day, enjoying her graduation ceremonies.

The University of Vermont

It was a weekend filled with pomp and circumstance for 2552 graduates as well as…

UVM 2012 Graduation

Photo Credit:  Elliot Debruyn, Free Press

…lots of well deserved smiles.

UVM College Graduate

The graduation was held outside on the University of Vermont green.  We didn’t have to sit through each student getting their diploma as each separate college of study had a diploma ceremony later in the day.

UVM Graduation Ceremony

The weather was perfect!  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL – even hot by Vermont standards.  My two daughters, myself, and hubs after a long graduation day.

Family

It was nice to see my daughters get to spend some quality time with each other, since they haven’t seen that much of each other the past few years.

Happy College Graduate

The graduate just 2 seconds away from “eye-rolling” about the antics of her proud parents – me on tip toes trying to reach that cheek.

Kissing a college graduate

From the moment we arrived on Friday afternoon, the fun and festivities never let up.   Biking tandem along with plenty of shenanigans on the Lake Champlain Causeway.

Riding on the Lake Champlain Bike Trail

On Saturday, we browsed  the Burlington Farmer’s Market, ate a delicious lunch on the grass and watched the parade of people, cute babies, and dogs go by.

Burlington-Farmers-Market

Ate a Maple Creamy with sprinkles.

Burlington-Bay ice cream shop eating ice cream

Strolled and shopped along Church Street where the people watching is superb.  There are dozens of outdoor restaurants to enjoy great food and drinks.

Church-Street Marketplace Burlington Vermont

My favorite being Leunigs Bistro where we celebrated after the last graduation ceremony of the day.

Leunigs Bistro in Burlington, VT

Burlington is a city that has a little bit of everything and there is always something to do.  After eating, we went down to the waterfront and watched the sunset over the Burlington harbor on Lake Champlain.  There were many people doing the same thing.  It was a magical evening that felt like August.

Dusk-on-Lake-champlain

Biking out on the causeway to the Champlain Islands is one of the activities we have done every time we visit Burlington in the warm months. My girls like a challenge and have rented a tandem bike on occasion. The first time they did, I thought they were going to kill each other. This time, they were pros, totally getting the hang of it.

Tandem-biking on Lake Champlain Causeway

The water was still a little too cold, but the heat of the day made us wish we could  jump in.

Girls-on-Lake-Champlain

Lake-Champlain

One of us climbed down to stick her feet in.

rock-Climbing

Rocks-on-Causeway

After four years of visits, the trip was a little bittersweet – happy to see my child all grown up and ready to go out in the world, but then sad to be at the end of  a wonderful 4 year experience along with a great place to visit.

Girls on Church Street

Time to say goodbye to college life and move on to the next stage in life.

UVM Chapel with grad standing in front of it

It was hard leaving.  My daughter has an internship in Vermont with living quarters provided so she, I mean her sister, my husband, and I moved all of her junk stuff back home.

My car normally goes here.   Now I have to figure out where to put all this stuff until she needs it again.

car-garage

The weekend was perfect and went by way too fast. It was fun just being together with my family and watching my girls hang out together – just being silly sisters and having fun!  No doubt about it, hands down they are the Best 2 DIY Projects I Ever Made.

It was a weekend I will remember for a long time – I think they will too…

sister-having-fun while walking along a street at dusk

What to do when spending a weekend in Burlington VermontMy Weekend in Vermont
Things to do in Paris. When traveling abroad, don't overlook touring the city of Paris or any major city by bicycle.Touring Paris By Bicycle
My Autumn Weekend in Vermont
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Comments

  1. Cindy says

    05/31/2012 at 7:28 pm

    Thanks for letting us come along on such a special weekend. Congratulations to your daughter!

    Reply
  2. Bettsi says

    05/23/2012 at 11:30 pm

    Awww….. I see how bittersweet it is, but you and your husband deserve some congratulations on raising such beautiful and accomplished young ladies!

    Reply
  3. Coastal Femme says

    05/23/2012 at 9:53 pm

    Congrats Diane! You should be so proud..really sweet photos.

    Reply
  4. debbie says

    05/23/2012 at 9:03 pm

    That was beautiful Diane!

    Reply
  5. Lea says

    05/23/2012 at 5:08 pm

    Great pictures! Congrats to all of you! Thanks so much for sharing a wonderful moment in your life.

    Reply
  6. Sue from Vermont says

    05/23/2012 at 12:54 pm

    What amazing photos, and what a lovely weekend you had with your family! The weather really was just perfect. Your photos remind me of what a beautiful state I live in . . . I must remember to appreciate it more often!

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 9:28 pm

      Hi Sue- I love going to Vermont and if my daughter doesn’t stay up there I will miss visiting. We are planning on spending a few days on the Champlain Islands in July or August. I know after that I won’t want to leave. :)

      Reply
  7. Patricia in Denver says

    05/23/2012 at 11:33 am

    What a wonderful weekend and a wonderful family! Congratulations to all of you and thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Betsy E says

    05/23/2012 at 8:54 am

    Diane, Wonderful pictures but the best was how well they matched exactly your thoughts of the day. Congratulations to your daughter, as well as you and your husband! The love your girls have for each other shows and that’s wonderful to see today! Our son (third of three children) graduated 4 years ago and some of his things are STILL here, in the garage. Take it from me, don’t let them get too comfy in your garage!

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 9:37 pm

      Hi Betsy – I thought after my oldest came home from college I would have a plan, but now both are graduated and I have all their stuff :) Hopefully over the next few days we will box it up better and store it in the basement. Her sister will be taking all her stuff into her new apartment come August – so I think there may be hope and I won’t be stuck with it forever.

      Reply
  9. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    05/23/2012 at 7:14 am

    Congratulations to you and your daughter, Diane! I’ll bet she’s very excited to be done. Love seeing all the smiles during your fun time. That tandem bike is great. My in-laws had one in Florida and years ago my hubby and I gave it a try. It looks like you had perfect weather, too.

    Reply
  10. Toni says

    05/23/2012 at 7:12 am

    Diane- I just love seeing the photos from your special weekend- great memories!!

    Reply
  11. Leonora says

    05/23/2012 at 6:03 am

    You’ve photographed this milestone beautifully. Congratulations to your daughter!

    Reply
  12. Mary says

    05/23/2012 at 4:42 am

    Your daughters are just lovely. Congrats to your new graduate on a job well done! And congrats to Mom and Dad too, for lovingly supporting and surviving the last 4 years. :~) We love Burlington and since we live only about 2 and 1/2 hours away, we go several times a year to hit the farmer’s market and shop, eat and of course, people watch on Church Street. (it is superb, isn’t it?) Leunig’s is our favorite, too. All of the food is outstanding, but their duck pate and the poutine are to. die. for. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful and emotional weekend with us. Best of luck to your daughter with her internship!

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 9:45 pm

      Thanks Mary-

      It is so nice to hear from readers in Vermont. Burlington is such a great town – I just love going there. So much to see and do and all in walking or biking distance. I think after 4 years we pretty much tried to do it all. We plan to take a mini vacation out to the Champlain Islands this summer. I know I am going to fall in love and never want to leave. The first time we went to Leunig’s our daughters didn’t like it, as their tastes were not cultivated :) Now they love it as much as we do.

      Reply
  13. Merri Jo says

    05/23/2012 at 12:22 am

    Congratulations! Your photos tell of a fabulous family weekend. It’s such a blessing to have adult kids who enjoy doing things together!
    I laughed as I read the caption of the garage pic to my husband. He liked to tell people that first we paid for all their stuff and now we have to store it! :-)

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 10:04 pm

      Hi Merri Jo – We are all in good company – with all our kids stuff. I may threaten them with the words “Garage Sale” if they don’t claim it after a certain time period.

      Reply
  14. [email protected] says

    05/23/2012 at 12:18 am

    What a sweet post. You must have such a feeling of accomplishment! Beautiful weekend and beautiful family. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 10:07 pm

      Thank you so much Rita and for the comment you left me on an earlier post. I read it and wanted to get back to you, but got overwhelmed with things I had to do that I didn’t have much time to return comments that week. Just know your words meant a lot to me.

      Reply
  15. Shirley Nichols says

    05/22/2012 at 11:57 pm

    Congrats! The pictures are breathtaking! Thank you for sharing with us!!!

    Reply
  16. [email protected] Nikiforoff Designs says

    05/22/2012 at 11:15 pm

    Thanks for sharing this important milestone in your family with all of us! I have two boys, both in the Air Force, and they too are the best DIY projects I’ve ever done (with hubby of course). ;-)

    Congratulations to your daughter and your whole family :-)

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 10:15 pm

      Thanks Connie – Do you get to see your boys much or are they both far from home now?

      Reply
      • [email protected] Nikiforoff Designs says

        05/25/2012 at 12:23 am

        We don’t get to see them too often. :-( We got to see our oldest son & his wife a year ago and the other son, wife and daughter in February. Hopefully we’ll all be together here this summer :-) One son is in CA but getting stationed in Germany for several years. The other son is in NE and will probably stay there for quite some time.

        Reply
  17. [email protected] says

    05/22/2012 at 10:51 pm

    Congratulations to your girl – you must be so proud of her! I loved seeing all of the pics of your time together!!
    xo
    Ashlyn

    Reply
  18. christine says

    05/22/2012 at 10:24 pm

    The last picture says more than words.

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 10:19 pm

      Hi Christine – I love that one. I quickly whipped out my iphone to take the photo when I saw what they were doing. I didn’t think it would come out since the sun was setting, but it is now my favorite.

      Reply
  19. Lynne says

    05/22/2012 at 9:42 pm

    Congratulations grad! Great post Diane . . . Feel proud and happy . . . she is ready to face the world! Well done . . .

    Reply
  20. Centsational Girl says

    05/22/2012 at 9:14 pm

    Oh how proud you must be! Congratulations to you and to your daughter, hope you got a little R&R during all the excitement!
    Kate

    Reply
    • Diane says

      05/24/2012 at 10:24 pm

      Thanks Kate – Yes we did get a little downtime, plus I didn’t log on to my computer at all. Just a peek at my phone once a day :) It was very relaxing. It is now Thursday and I finally feel back to my normal mode

      Reply
Diane Henkler Blogger In My Own Style
I love all things creative, colorful, and DIY. It is just the way my brain is wired. I can't add 2+2 to save my life, but I can help you decorate your home in a style that you will love...YOURS! LEARN MORE
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