Senior Showcase and Graduation Festivities

Since my sister's bridal shower is on Saturday, I have been crazy busy around here! But lots of exciting things have been going on, and I want to make sure I document them all!

Last week was an exciting week for our family because my sister, Julie, graduated from The University of Akron with her bachelor's degree in Interior Design!

I was lucky enough to be there for all the graduation festivities! They began on Thursday night with Julie's senior showcase. This is where she created her own display with her portfolio and best work from her years at Akron. I stayed at her display looking at all of her amazing work and floor plans for over an hour. And my favorite part of the whole thing was the model she made with her friend Meredith (who is also a bridesmaid!) It is a design for an eco-friendly, handicap accessible house. I was so impressed I took tons of pictures, and even a (shaky, low-qaulity) video:

Julie's Model from Jessica Wallace on Vimeo.

Julie, as I said, designed her own display, which I was impressed with. She covered most of her board with flooring, and a little section with pretty wallpaper. She and my dad also built the little ladder shelf on which to display her portfolio and artwork. I thought the whole thing looked so nice! Here are some shots of her board (click on the images to make them larger):
...the funny thing is, she assembled the whole board before she shipped it to the place where the showcase was held, so they had to attach the whole thing to the top of a truck and drive it a few blocks. The pictures were hilarious!

Here's a close-up of some of her work:

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and had so much fun looking at all the displays. It was nice meeting a few of my sister's friends too!

After the showcase, I went out to dinner to celebrate with Julie, our parents, my aunt, Julie's fiance Andy, and his family. We went to a Thai restaurant in Akron, and it was delicious! I ordered a spicy soup. I picture myself going there often with Julie next year when I visit her (and my new brother in law!) in Akron.

Next up in the festivities was Julie's graduation ceremony on Saturday morning. The ceremony itself, although long, was great, and I even got emotional a few times. I was so proud seeing Julie walk across the stage after 5 years of hard work.

After the ceremony, we met Julie outside the auditorium. It had been cloudy and drizzling outside earlier, but it turned out to be an absolutely gorgeous day later! I took pictures like I was the paparazzi, of course. There were people all over the place, it was gorgeous, and there was even live, beachy music playing (including a kettle drum! Loved it!)Julie her husband-to-be, Andy. He graduated from Akron this year in civil engineering, but decided not to walk at the ceremony.

With Mom and Dad

...and Aunt Viv, who works at The University of Akron, Julie lived with her the first year she attended Akron, and she also helped Julie get a job on campus where she worked all the way through school. She has supported Julie a lot through school, so Julie wanted to make sure she invited her to the graduation ceremony!

And here's one with her loving sister :-P

I really like this picture of the sea of graduates. And see? I told you it was a beautiful day!

Eventually we made our way past the crowd, and headed out for a celebratory lunch at Friendly's (Julie's choice).

It was great to see all of Julie's hard work pay off this weekend! As her "big sister," I truly am proud of her! She is very talented, and I know she (and God!) will do amazing things with her life!

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I know I will be posting more this week than I have lately! I've got a lot to write about: Mother's Day, a truffle decorating party, my sister's bridal shower...Oh, and a big, life-changing decision. I can't wait to share!!