Our apartment is not very big. Not very big at all, in fact. So when we found out people were coming out to celebrate Mark's doctorate, we knew we would have to take the festivities elsewhere. And what better place, close to us, than the Garin Regional Park? So we packed up the potato salad and off we went.

That's my grandma.

This is Evan who works with Mark, not to be confused with the Evan I actually talk about, who is Evan. We decided that we were only inviting Mark's co-workers and research group members (and Amber), since we invite "my" friends and writing buddies to my book parties, and we had to draw the line somewhere. So if you were wondering whose you were, you're probably mine.

This is Mark's immediate boss (not his advisor/company boss), Henk, and his cow-orker, Bo. (Yes, I typed cow-orker deliberately. Scott and I went around a couple of times on the use of this term, as he kept thinking I was doing it accidentally.)

My grandparents with Henk's wife and younger daughter. They hit it off quite well.

Amber was the only one in this picture who turned out looking decent. But Timprov and I were with her originally.

My grandma really enjoys having kids around. Here she is with Genna, Henk's older daughter.

Me and my sister-in-law, Sarah.

Timprov's aunt and uncle, Stan and Judy. (We always say it in that order, never "Judy and Stan." Don't know why. It just scans better, I guess.)

And here's all three Coopers.

More cow-orkers: Arthur and Bei.

We came back here after the picnic, and Mom and Grandma and I went back to the kitchen to try to fit the leftovers into the fridge somehow. We mostly managed. It was a relief to be done with picnic food at that point. Well, done making it, anyway -- we're still not done eating it.

Grandpa did his puzzle and came up with errands for us.

Timprov and Sarah.

Mark's folks.

(Those are the books we'll be moving back to the Midwest. Well, some of them, anyway. Won't that be fun!)

We waited until Sunday to do doctoral robe pictures.