Sarah Graduates & We Celebrate!

Sarah's graduation FINALLY got here last Saturday, June 12.  We weren't sure we would get enough tickets for all of us to attend, but at rehearsal, Sarah was able to obtain that one ticket we needed so Papa could go as well. 

Before we left, Matt picked up the pig for the pig-picking and Mr. William, his neighbor, brought his cooker and they prepared it for cooking.  It will take approximately eight hours to cook.  Mr. William made the cooker out of an old oil barrel.

Graduation was very organized and the gym's AC worked great, thank goodness.  It has been very hot and humid -- in the 90s -- for the past several days.  The Valedictorian graduated with a 4.707 grade point average and will be attending Penn State in the fall -- pretty impressive.

The following picture is Sarah looking for us in the bleachers...great pic.

We are so proud of her.

And so are Mom and Dad

Following graduation, we prepared for the celebration.  Alissa made BBQ potatoes and beans.  She also picked up some Cole slaw and hushpuppies.  The hushpuppies looked more like onion rings, instead of the crispy balls we are used to.  We also had red velvet cupcakes, Sarah's favorites.

And the pig kept cooking.  Oak wood was placed in a barrel and then the hot coals were scooped and placed in the cooker to give the meat that special wood flavor.

Jordan and Dalton watch from the sidelines:

We placed tables in the garage with different pictures of Sarah as a baby and all grown up with balloons as centerpieces:

The following is Sarah's final project for her high school yearbook class.  It is a pic of her and her boyfriend, Jordan Thomas, affectionately referred to as J.T.  In the bottom right corner, you can see the actual picture she used to draw it on the large poster board.  All areas are filled in with bits and pieces from various magazines.  We think it is a creative masterpiece.

As the pig cooked, we nibbled, eating the ribs and Mr. William ate the brains -- YUK!!

Finally, it was ready and Mr. William chopped the meat in small pieces.

I grabbed some of the meat before it was saturated with the NC sauce of vinegar and pepper...not anything like AR or TX BBQ sauce.

We did not keep a list of attendees, but I would estimate we served 30-40 people, although I didn't take a picture of the final crowd...guess I was too busy:(

My sister, Cheryl, with husband, Greg, and grandson, Gavin, drove from Clayton, NC, to join us in the festivities. 

We left Nashville, NC, on Monday, June 14, for Mt Airy, home of Andy Griffith, where we plan to spend two nights at the Mayberry Campground.  Be sure and check back to see what we find there.

We are very blessed to have the opportunity to travel and see our great country.   I have not figured out how to insert a map into my blog...I'm just not very computer smart, so in the meantime, you will just have to look at your own map to see where we actually are:)

'Til next time -- may God continue to bless our voyage and may God bless our family and friends.