I've Gradu-a-mated!

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We've gotten the new keys to our shiny new apartment (we're moving this weekend, so updates soon!), my folks came to visit, I finished my classes, and I graduated this past Saturday!!

Officially, Cameron and I have been in Los Angeles for 11 months and 8 days. How bizarre is it that I've already graduated in such a short time?! Graduating this time was definitely the most fun for me. It was outdoors at one of my favorite spots on campus, sunny with a nice breeze, and all of my cohort-mates were there to celebrate as well. Most of my group had decorated our caps, and it was apparent that our program was the most outgoing of all the programs in our department (we had the most decorated caps, we brought snacks for the ceremony, and when the ceremony closed, we finished it off with a rousing 8-Clap. Linked is my favorite video, and here are directions if you are itching to learn the 8-Clap.)

One of the traditions I like here (meaning SoCal) is that leis are given out as a part of the graduation hooplah. My supervisors in the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs office gave me a kukui nut lei with UCLA colored ribbons on it. So cute! Many of my cohort had the traditional orchid lei- you don't see these on the East Coast!

I can't believe it's already over!

Best source of support I had all year-- this guy! 

The epitome of my artsiness- my graduation cap! A few girls in my cohort and I had a graduation cap decorating party; lots of fun and laughter. 

Here's the biggest difference between a Bachelors and a Masters gown- the hood. The light blue signifies the department, in this case, Education (my English one is white), and the lining reflects the school's colors. 

LA Wine Fest

Over the past few weeks, I've been struggling with what to post on the blog. Between Cameron starting his new job two(ish) months ago, and my finishing up my program (I passed my exams, woo hoo!), we honestly haven't been doing anything noteworthy. Seriously, not much has been going on. Well, I can recap a few mentionables before I get to the LA Wine Fest.

1. The weekend before Memorial Day Weekend, a few girls and I went to Las Vegas for a night. It was a pretty relaxed trip with my highlights being a quick trip to a Leonardo Da Vinci exhibit at the Venetian, playing a Star Wars slots machine (first time at a slot machine!) and being in bed before 1am.

2. I dropped my phone down the elevator shaft at my apartment about three weeks ago. A super handy neighbor retrieved it for me. But talk about dumb luck, right?

That's really been about it in news from of our lives. However! This past weekend, Cameron and I went to the LA Wine Fest with a friend of mine from the cohort and her fiancee. It was fun to sample different wines and beers (and snacks) and enjoy some time out in the sun. The gentlemen wanted "optimum tasting time," so we stayed from about 2:45-6pm (the Wine Fest started at 2pm). There were food trucks (so I was very happy) and different craft booths as well. I snagged a bunch of photos a local artist took around LA. I've got a project in mind for them, but more on that later :]

In case you've forgotten what we look like, here's some recent shots!