Graduation Photo Fest!

"Better late than never!" is one of my mottos, so lo these five months later I am finally posting about Kelly's graduation. These pictures are of his big finish, but it took a lot of hard work to get there. It wasn't easy for him to be a husband, student and part-time employee all at once, but he fulfilled all his roles beautifully, especially the husband part.

Unlike most of our recent posts, this one has a lot of pictures for everyone who couldn't be there. For all you BYU graduates who have gone before, this may be a trip down memory lane. For all you soon-to-be graduates, let this be a reminder that 1) There is a light at the end of the tunnel and 2) You'll reach that light all too soon. Enjoy Provo and student life while you can. You'll be surprised how much you'll miss it. Now onto the show!

The Graduate Himself

The Happy Couple

The Proud Parents
Frank and Lesa Layland, Phoenix, AZ. As you may be able to tell from the photos, they are a beautiful blend of dignified and off-the-wall. We love them and are extremely grateful for all their support!

The Best Friends
Kelly was lucky to have great friends in his program. From Left to Right: Kent Fairbourn, Kelly, Mike Mantilla, Steve Harston, Chris Christensen. The second pic is of the Fairbourns. Kent and Kelly were in the same program, and Brittney graduated with her Masters in Accountancy. Thanks to our go-getter moms who were first in line for seats at convocation, our families were able to sit together during the ceremony.

The Grandma
Carol Henrichsen, Pleasant Grove, UT. We spent many a holiday, FHE and conference weekend at Grandma's house. She has always been so good to her grandkids. We miss having her closeby.

Tate & Nara
Their names are really Nate and Tara, and Tara is Kelly's sister. She found out graduation weekend that she is pregnant, due a month before me, also having a girl-hooray for matching cousins! We were lucky to have three and a half years with Tara in Provo, a year and a half of those with Nate by her side. We're currently attempting to recruit them to Washington when Nate graduates in April.

The Fam
Minus Brandon who was finishing his semester at BYU-I. From Left to Right: Nate, Tara, Melissa, Eric, Kelly, Lindy, Lesa, Frank

The BBQ
The boys grillin'. Didn't take long for Kelly to sport his Alum status.

Rachel Filmore (an honorary Layland) and Melissa being their adorable selves.

Aunt Monna (Frank's sister) came down from Idaho to play too!
Eric almost fooled us with his pine cone bratwurst.
Kelly chowing down.
Didi Party of Ten
A memorable family dinner at Los Hermanos. Our reservation was misplaced, and since "we don't make mistakes," we thought whoever made the reservation must've done so under a funny name. Turns out we accidentally swiped the real Didi's reservation. Thanks Rachel, Eric and Natalie!

The Next Step
With a high five from the cougar, Kelly is ready to go forth to serve!