Knitting In Public

My entries are a little out of order, so I hope I don’t confuse anyone!

We attended the graduation ceremonies at MIT on Friday, June 6, 2008.

There are over 12,000 people all in one place, and the only place large enough is Killian Court - an outdoor venue. The ceremony is held in any weather conditions, other than electrical storm or hail. We arrived shortly before 9 a.m. for the ceremony which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. It had been raining for quite some time, and all the chairs had puddles of water on them. They handed out rain ponchos until they ran out - umbrellas were forbidden (during the ceremony, to keep from blocking the view of others around you).

Of course, the covered portion was for the staff and speakers.

Naturally, all 12,000+ people can’t be close enough for picture-taking and a ‘real’ view, so they set up jumbo-trons so you could see what was going on. Unfortunately, we didn’t think this through, and we were on the other side of the main aisle, so our view was frequently blocked by people going up and down the aisle. We did see Molly when she received her diplomas though! (Yes, I said diplomas. Multiple. You knew she was a smart kid, right? Two separate Bachelor of Science degrees. Apparently many of her friends received two degrees as well.) We also saw “that Chris kid” graduate with his Master’s degree. We were positioned very well to see them both march in:

The graduates:

And the obligatory parental photos:

Here’s Molly and Julia at the Department reception for the graduates:

And the photo of Molly and Kate - roommates for four years and fabulous friends forever

We are so proud of you all!

Here’s the dorm gang

They all decided they wanted one last gathering, so the graduates and families headed out to a local Italian restaurant for dinner together - and of course, another photo of the gang

(Sorry for the freaky red eyes!)

We had a lovely dinner and the chance to meet all the kids Molly had been telling us about for four years. All the kids came over and introduced themselves, and we were able to connect the stories we heard with the person. That was the end of the “scheduled” activities for us, but on Saturday we met with the soon-to-be in-laws. They helped the kids pack up their dorm rooms, then took us out to the aquarium and then to dinner. Chris’s uncles were there as well, and they treated us all to dinner. It was nice to have the opportunity to meet the extended family before the wedding. 

It’s hard to believe that the four years at MIT are over. There is another graduation in store, however - just three short years away - as Molly graduates from law school.

In the meantime, perhaps this will be MIT’s graduation speaker next year…..?