Dear Kyle & Kim,

Please return my husband. Thank you.

-Management

The new Master Jeff and Doctor Amy...

While I wasn't too keen on participating in the actual graduation ceremony again, I was so excited that Jeff and I could walk in the same ceremony! In the end, I am glad that I did it. Life has been so busy since I defended my dissertation that a moment of relief and closure never quite came. I was happy to have had a bit of that on Saturday. It really sank in that I was done! Whoopeee! Jeff was equally excited to be done in the lab and to be my house wife for the summer. I am so proud of him and we are both excited for him to start dental school!

Here are a bunch of our pics from after the ceremony. Enjoy!

Jeff by the bull gator before we went in for the ceremony. Some day we hope to be bull gators...



This is me and my mentor, Kelli, as we waited for the ceremony to start. She's the one that "hooded" me.



Jeff was a few rows behind me



The happy grads...boiling in our regalia












Ashley made signs so that we'd know where our families were sitting. It definitely made them easy to find!





Dad had to scoot Ashley to her car...

Graduation BBQ

To celebrate our graduations this time around we decided to throw a BBQ for our family and close friends. It was a great way to be able to spend time with our family and friends and to have some fun while we were at it. Here are some fun pics! (I promise I was at the party but, as you can see, I was the photographer :-) )

We had a delicious spread. Plenty of sweets...



And BBQ...I just finished the left-overs yesterday. I don't think I've ever eaten so much pork in one week!



P.S. See that pretty orange flower thing on the table? Not the actual flowers...the orange table decoration...my sister, Ashley, made a bunch of those in orange and blue and I was so impressed! They are cute, easy, cheap party decorations and they really made a big difference. In her words, she went "martha stewart on my <insert three letter word for bottom>" I thought it was funny...



Little Violet was the bar-tender for the first 30 minutes of the evening.



Colton enjoyed the rice krispy treats



And of course the boys had to play watermelon football! I had to ask the produce guy at the supermarket for an extra large watermelon. We didn't want it to be too easy!



There was a lot of wrestling in this game. I think we need to come up with more rules because that definitely looks like holding to me!



Violet and her Grandma Tobler watching the boys (notice Jan's nice, dry clothes)





The boys with their broken ball. The melon lasted quite a while this time. After it broke open, we were a little sad we had selected this one for playing...it looked like it was probably a tasty melon!



Jan didn't stay dry that evening. She sacrificed herself to take pictures of the boys as they dove into the pool while trying to catch a football.



My dad and Braden messing around.



Funny story...my brother went to the restroom while the party was in full swing. Well, the lights for the bathroom are on a timer. He judiciously decided that 12 minutes would be sufficient for him to complete his business. However, as the time came and went, he found himself in the dark...in a stall...unable to finish things up without any light. So, using technology to his advantage, he proceeded to call all of his family members until my dad finally picked up and came to his rescue. the lesson to be learned from this?? Just give yourself as much time as possible...you can always turn it off if you have time to spare ;-) This picture was taken to recreate the moment he decided to opt for less time...



After the party was over, we had my siblings sleep over. We were pretty beat but, in a good way!



The feature presentation tomorrow evening will be some pictures from graduation. I know you are all anxiously awaiting them! (Note: read this last sentence with sarcasm)

Coming Soon...

complete coverage of our graduation festivities! But for now, we just need to get some sleep...lots and lots of sleep.

It's my kind of town...

I just got back from a really quick business trip to Chicago. I am exhausted! I was there just long enough to remember how much I love that city (even in the cold rain) and I can't wait to go back with Jeff in a couple of weeks.

We managed to squeeze in a quick power-hour of shopping before we had to head to the airport and I'm so glad that we did. I found some fantastic Gucci sunglasses on sale 80% off! They spoke to me and convinced me that they needed to go to a place where the sun is always shining and the grass is always green. I obliged and feel as though I've found a long-lost friend. I'd be wearing them right now if it was socially acceptable at work.

We have a busy few weeks ahead. Hopefully, some of these events will involve pictures that I can post! Here's what's coming soon in the Tobler house:

1. Jeff and Amy graduate (again),
2. Amy officially interviews for her Research Assistant Professor position (maybe no pictures but definitely some new clothes),
3. Jeff and Amy spend a week in Chicago,
4. Jeff is loaned to Kyle and Kim for cheap house labor, and
5. Jeff and Amy go to Washington DC (I hope we see Obama!).

That pretty much sums up May...It's going to be a busy one!

A Treat for Friday...

Oh, David Beckham, how do I love (or lust) thee, let me count the ways...

A Fun Easter Weekend

I have been swamped at work (and home) this week. Hence, the delay in my post about Easter weekend!

Jeff went on a quick trip to Salt Lake City with his family to celebrate his brother Jake's love for his fiance, Stephanie. Their wedding was postponed until August and the tickets were nonrefundable so, they decided to celebrate anyway! It sounds like they had a good time. I have yet to see any pictures...

I spent the weekend with my family in Tampa. We had a great day kayaking on the spring-fed Chasawhitzka river. There were many springs and hillbillies to see. You ever hear that song "redneck yacht club?" I was singing it in my head all day, very appropriate. Ashley called it an "undiscovered White-trash treasure." Lots of beer bellies, very few teeth, a confederate flag or two...anyway, you get the point. The nature was beautiful, the people less beautiful (present company excluded) and it was a great day! Alas, not a picture to be had from my weekend either...

Jeff's thesis cleared the graduate school this week and he is officially done and eyeing his fast-approaching days as a house wife. I'm swamped at work and headed to Chicago for a quick trip Sunday. All I really want to do is stay home and sleep! I suppose I shouldn't compain...our car is fixed, our window is fixed, and life is good even if it is busy!

Why does everybody keep breaking our stuff?

So, our car is still in the body-shop and we've just passed the two week mark with our stinky cigarette rental car. We're not happy about it. Well, today we came home to this...



It finally happened...we had a golf-associated casualty. I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later, living on the fairway and all. We're thinking it was a mean slice or a ricochet off a nearby tree. Now we're beginning to wonder if our car is safer in the shop!?!

It's going to be in the 30's here tonight. With this hole letting all the cold air in we're going to have to cuddle extra close to stay warm (hm..the upside to this??)!

The Tobler-family Reunion Gets an Upgrade...

This is what we'll be doing for a week in August! Let the diets begin before the week of feats-of-(food)-consumption-and-digestion-that-will-likely-leave-the-Tobler-women-shaking-their-heads-and-having-to-reach-a-little-farther-around-their-husbands-for-a-hug! All you can eat at a Tobler-family reunion? Carnival won't know what hit them...

Can't wait!

One of my many idiosyncrasies...

One of the best things about Easter?...Peeps! Sugar-coated, marshmellow-y deliciousness...what's not to love!?! The only catch is I prefer stale peeps. Can't eat 'em if they're fresh. This is one of my many idiosyncrasies that I share with my twin sister, Ashley, and my mom. As an example, here is our email exchange yesterday:

Ashley: Don't worry - I picked up two packs of peeps last night and cut a small hole in the plastic to begin the aging process. They should be properly stale for Easter. Hoorah!

Amy: Yay! I would have forgotten to pick them up early enough so that they would be sufficiently stale. Nothing worse than a fresh peep.

Mom: I agree...totally unsatisfying!

Don't judge. At least if we are going to break diet, we do it on our own terms!