Friends and family, I'm behind on blogging yet again. It seems rather common these days, unfortunately.

Several weeks ago, I had a surprise visit from Renee, Devon, and Shanna! She's an adorable little kid as you might guess from the picture below. Apparently she was rather docile after being awake for an unusually long time (not too unlike fellow classmates I know). Behind us, you can see the aftermath of some Putnam study sessions. Speaking of math, I added a math degree to my education which means I will graduate in December '09 if all goes well.

The BIGGEST news is that Michelle graduated from nursing school!! I was fortunate enough to fly out for the weekend and witness it all in person. We celebrated with family, ate out several times, and helped move her out of the dorm housing. I also got to say hi to some old friends as well as Claudia, Shelley, Jon, Chris, and a few others. I wasn't so keen on flying back to school - especially with a backlog of homework, grading, and projects.
Here is Michelle's awesome family (Jenny, Kris, Michelle, David, Michael) and the prized diploma. I'll get one too eventually, from what I'm told. Jenny is due in a few months which will be pretty exciting. Michelle and I will both have nieces it sounds like.
After the hectic day of ceremonies, family, and moving furniture, Michelle and I had a few hours to escape for a short ice cream date in Lincoln. We explored a nearby train station and got some photos near sunset. The shadows are a bit extreme, but I think the photo turned out well anyway.
We watched a movie and barely had time for a nap before leaving for the airport at 4ish AM. As usual, it was not pleasant saying goodbye but I'm thankful for the time I did get to celebrate a milestone with a great friend. Not just a great friend - an amazing girlfriend that I adore (and miss already)!