Party Like it's MY Birthday!

What comes after April?

May!

What comes at the beginning of May?

MY BIRTHDAY!!

That's right...the most beloved day of the year!
I was really lucky this year because I got to milk it three days in a row (May 1st-3rd).

May 1st -

Jason and I met up with the Grubers for lunch and an evening of fun. Amy and her kids were still in town, so that made it extra special.

If this cake looks delicious...that's because it was!...with all the right toppings!

 There's nothing like having the little serfs...I mean children...open your gifts for you!

My (Day 1) birthday was awesome! Thanks Grubers!

May 2nd - 

May 2nd was a Sunday, so that meant Sunday dinner with my family. There's nothing like 2:00 pm church on a fast Sunday...So Jason and I were very anxious for the meal that my family prepared. It was definitely worth the wait...as it always is. 

Playing a pre-dinner game, called Blocks or something like that...

...I'm not smiling because I didn't win...so I'll probably never play that game again...

Don't try to add up the numbers...they were just short on candles

I don't remember the house fire...but this picture makes it seem like Jason saved us all from one

My (Day 2) birthday was just as great! Thanks family!

May 3rd - 

Finally, the REAL birthday!

I woke up to an amazing breakfast of orange-cranberry (strawberry) muffins and an omelet for a queen! What I mean by orange-cranberry (strawberry) muffins is Jason knew I didn't like cranberries in my muffins, and to his dismay, when he went to the story EARLY that morning, that's all they had. So, he did his best to remove the cranberries and replace them with fresh strawberries!...we found out it doesn't exactly work that way...but the thought was there! It was so cute!

After putting in a few hours at work, I came home to this masterpiece:

The culprits: Amy, Harlan, Clara, April, Alex, and Mya!

They decorated the room (as you can see) with streamers, balloons, little notes, drawings, candy...the works!! It was such a surprise coming home and seeing this. The bed was covered with my favorite candies and treats!So sweet!! (No wonder why Jason worked so hard the day before to clean the place up!)

After that, Jason took me out for an afternoon of shopping. He said I couldn't leave the mall without spending  X amount of money! He knows just how to make me smile! :)

That evening, I had to rush off to dance practice (our concert was the next weekend and so I couldn't miss). But I didn't mind, no better way to spend the rest of my birthday than dancing with two of my best friends!

Even later that week I got to nibble away at my birthday even more. Amy Stallings treated me to dinner one night, and Jaleah and Bryton treated me to another. It's great to know that I am so loved! haha

And that concludes my Birthday Extravaganza!

Yet another amazing year!

Graduated at Last! Part IV - To Top it All Off

Remember the awesome gift Jason surprised me with when I finished classes? Well, I had a lot to live up to when he finished his classes. I started realizing how often he mentioned wanting bikes that we could ride around on. The wish finally clicked... so after his last final, I broke the news that we were going to be getting bikes of his choice! To say the least, he was very excited!!

It took us a little while before we found some Beach Cruisers that we really liked (we didn't end up getting them until June), but here is a look at Jason's (eventual) Graduation Surprise:

Aren't they cute? I think we picked out some keepers!

Graduated at Last! Part III - The Party Continues

The next day (Saturday), we continued the party in Alpine to take advantage of the time that Amy, Alli, Grandpa, and Alan had in Utah. Robby even made it into town, which was a special treat for us and especially for Amy.

We showed up in our awesome (free) 2010 BYU Alumni shirts...they were quite the hit!

The day was filled with food, family...and dams??...you'll see what I mean:

Karl, Alan, Grandpa Banks, George, and Jason

Allison, Kaitlyn Pacada, Grandma Blair (Kaitlyn's grandma), Nancy, myself, and J-Dawgs! 

My first J-Dawg ever!

Amy, Nancy, me, and April

Jason taking over the BBQ

The most interaction Clara and I have had her entire life!! A very proud moment!

Harlan, me, Jason, and Alex relaxing on the hammock

Now comes the infamous dam building in the Gruber creek! It is quite an ordeal:

...it actually turned out quite beautiful this year!

The party didn't end there...we made our way up to Alpine the next day to enjoy Sunday dinner and fun!

We always manage to fit in a game of Nertz!

Jason found his old kite and thought it would be a perfect activity for the kids to enjoy...and like always, he was right! The kids loved it! Last year it was the airplane, this year it was the kite...he always knows just what they'll love!

This is the little rascal I got to play with while the boys were putting on their show!

Mya is just too cute!

We concluded the party later that week with a fun outing at Boondocks in Draper. The kids absolutely loved the play area!

Karl, George, and Grandpa Banks...loading up on the tickets

Karl and Alex playing some air hockey

To say the least, we had a VERY enjoyable graduation week/weekend! 

Thanks to everyone who came to support us and who helped make it so special for Jason and I!

Graduated at Last! Part II

While Thursday was spent primarily with the Gruber side, Friday was the day we got to spend with my family. Before the Convocation, we met up at Macaroni Grill for a very nice lunch. Warning to the wise, be careful where you go around graduation time...restaurants are very busy and may change the menu at will.

Perhaps my dad was attempting to get a panorama shot of our table? 

Nice to see all were in attendance...

 Apparently, Bryan did not want his presence to be known...while he artistically displayed Obama propaganda on the table cloth/sheet...

 

Jason and I receiving generous gifts from my parents

After lunch, it was another rush as we made our way back to the Marriott Center for the Convocation Ceremony (again, we chose to attend with Jason's School). I'm telling you, I've never had to make so many lines, just to sit down and form another line...whilst getting up to move that line into another section of seats...proceeded by standing and reversing that line to make it to our diplomas. 

After making it through our first line, Jason found his friend Austin
(who he had several classes with)

And then began the REAL lines...

Having family on both sides of the event center allowed for many photo opportunities:

I apologize for the blurry pictures (these are the best ones of the bunch)...

...either we were walking like the vampires in the Twilight films...

...or my parents REALLY need to invest in a tripod...or SOMETHING!?!

After (I'd say hours) of filling in the rows, we were treated with a "thrilling" talk from Bill Marriott.

The excitement is just gleaming from our faces!

...at least he was a cute old man...

We did manage to smile for a picture though:

We made our way through, through the final line, where my parents managed a quick shot before entering the ramp for our diplomas:

Jason's moment:

Emily's moment:

(apparently, I didn't want anyone questioning my catwalk skills...
...so fierce...)

It's official!
Jason and I officially graduated from Brigham Young University on April 23, 2010 with bachelor's degrees! Jason graduated in Business Management (Finance Emphasis), and I graduated in Sociology.

The following may feel like a painful overload of pictures...but imagine how we felt!...

 

We were given fun candy leis from Jason's sisters!

Happiness all around!

Throwing our caps! (no, of course we're not faking...er, um, yeah...)
Jason looks very convincing!

My face = Excitement overload

Afterward, we drove to Draper to attend our graduation party that was starting without us. Somehow, my grandparents, aunts, and cousins, thought the party started at 7 pm...while we didn't start taking pictures until that time (and as you could tell, that took awhile). Meanwhile, our party guests were locked out of my parents house sitting in their cars. Thanks to their patience, we finally made it to Draper (probably around 9) and enjoyed cake and ice cream!

Thanks to everyone who made our graduation so fun and special! I can't believe we are both done...it was definitely a bittersweet feeling! I'm so proud of Jason and I for working so hard to achieve our goals. I'm especially thankful for Jason; I know his school load was very difficult and I'm so happy I finally have him to myself!!