Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Deja Vu

Didn't we just do this? Yep! But, this time it was my turn, and boy does it feel great to be done!!!
And, as you can see, I am just trying to ignore the fact that I still have to pass my boards for the time being.

I actually had two graduation ceremonies. The first was my graduation from the University recognizing that I had completed my Masters in Physician Assistant Studies. Sounds important huh? Don't let the title fool you.

Then, I had another ceremony where we received our Physician Assistant Certificates stating that we had completed all that was necessary to be deemed worthy as Physician Assistants. At the end of this ceremony our class historian played a slide show full of videos and pictures she had taken throughout the year. It was really a lot of fun to see.

My graduations (and this is my opinion-- which may be biased) were way more entertaining than Derek's. I mean if you had your choice would you rather go watch a bunch of PAs graduate or a bunch of lawyers? I rest my case. We had no speaker going on for over an hour about their anti-American political views, and that alone made my graduation 100 times better.

I was so glad to have my Grandma fly out to support me at graduation. Plus, that made it so Derek wasn't sitting alone the whole time. Thanks for coming Grams! You're the best!!!
The 2 Hawaiian girls were nice enough to bring leis for everyone in the class. And, they smelled great! Derek took so many pictures that I was having a hard time choosing which ones to post, but here are a couple pictures of me with all my closest buds from the program:
Sunday after taking Grams to the Rose Garden, the Portland Japanese Garden, Powell's Books, and Multnomah Falls off the Columbia River Gorge, we said fair well at the airport and then Derek and I started the journey with my car out to Utah.

We stopped in Hagerman, ID to stay with my good friend Crystal, her husband Patrick, and their adorable daughter Kaiya for a couple nights in their cute little cabin.
Her husband Patrick easily found favor in Derek's eyes when he took us on a private tour of the Japanese internment camp where he has been working all summer. This picture we took inside a shelter that the Japanese had made to store their fruits and veggies in. Derek took the picture himself and somehow managed to get all of us and himself in the picture as well. I was quite impressed.
Thanks again guys for letting us stay. It was so great to see you, and we had a blast!

We have now finally made it to our little condo full of boxes for us to unpack in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The day we arrived we had the first, of I am sure many, family parties. I couldn't resist this picture of my nephew and niece touring the backyard in this sweet ride.

19 comments:

carizolli said...

I'm happy to hear you made it safely to Utah! And congrats again on graduating! I loved the picture of you kicking up your heels *lol*

Pacers said...

Hey there Master. Congrats on the first graduation. :) Ryan and I were just wondering last night if you guys had made it to PG yet. And did you do your NYC trip? I can't imagine that you wouldn't post pictures of it! I'm totally jealous that you got to see Crystal. How fun. You guys look like you had fun. So where did you end up getting a place in PG? I hope it is a nice place for you. Sweet - keep us updated on all your fun times.

ashley said...

Congratulations! And I'm totally jealous that I don't live on the way from OR to UT. Good luck on the trip to New York, can't wait to hear about it. I hope you got tickets to the Mets, too... haha.

Alissa said...

I am so proud of you! CONGRATULATIONS! It must be such a relief for both of you to be finished. Hooray!

Christi said...

Congrats Chelsea! That is awesome that you are done. Good luck on your boards, I know you will do great!

Lima Bean said...

Wow--fun to see all those pictures. We miss you and are happy to see the update on your life. That trip to Vegas to hang out with Tara in October seems like a lot of fun.

Mary said...

CONGRATS LADY! My favorite pic is of you all by yourself holding your diploma and kicking it up. Captures you to the T. Glad you arrived safely to UT. Fun to have Grams all to yourself! Looking forward to hearing about your next adventures!

PJ Productions said...

You look adorable in your graduation garb! Congrats on being done and good luck with your boards. Hope that Utah County isn't making you too crazy!

Emily said...

You also look way more excited in your grad pictures than Derek looked in his.

I'm so excited for you guys! You're all done with school and you moved to a new place! So much cool stuff!

Good luck with all of it!

Wendy said...

congratulations and welcome back to utah! i am happy you are there because i know i will get to see you!

Lizzy said...

Congratulations on graduating! I don't think it would take much to make any graduation more exciting than a law school graduation.

I can't believe you're already in Utah! Um, when are we going to hang out? I need to help you unpack. Call me!

Heather said...

Congratulations Chelsea!! You have worked so hard & now you're done & yet just beginning. We'll have to have a get together sometime soon. It'll be fun to have you guys here!

LeaAnne said...

Hey..Sorry I did not get to hug you and say **Thanks** For teaching that primary class! Sam will really miss you so much!
I know you Utah adventure will be great!! Hugs to you smart girl! :)

Ilene said...

Congrats! You look so mature and knowledgeable. I can't wait to start consulting you on the strange growth I have protruding from my ankle...

Tara said...

YAY Chels!! The Thompsons are very proud of you. That is so awesome that you are done! Call me after you are done frolicking around NYC. Can't wait until Oct!!

Jen said...

Cute grad pics!! Ok, you got there, could you move back here already??? Dustin can't seem to move on with out you. He stil asks about you!

Tamara said...

Congrats....I bet that it feels great to be done:)

Teresa said...

Congrats on graduation, I remember picking strawberries and talking to you about your classes when you very first started, and now here you are all finished!! What a great accomplishment. Also, welcome to Utah!! Glad you made it okay, hope the unpacking goes well. Good luck on your boards, you'll do great!

Bryan, Mary, Abby & Lorin said...

Congratulations Chelsea!! I'm so happy for you.

And, where in PG do you live? My best friend Jessie Eyre lives there with her husband and little boy Wyatt. They live in a condo complex called Cambridge Court. I wonder if you're near by. I hope so.

I hope you enjoyed NY!