Last Sunday, doorboy/bartender Andrew graduated from college.
Some of us have known him since he was knee-high and mopping the bar's floors. He pretty much grew up at the bar, and he started working the door the minute he turned 18. It's hard to believe he's 21(almost 22!) and a college graduate.
Thanks to my photo organizational skills and his own Illustrator skills, Dave was able to put together a creative, thoughtful and often funny collage of our favorite pictures of Andrew through the years. I wish I had a better picture of the banner to share, but this is it:
The big picture in the middle? That's always been our favorite. On the night of Andrew's senior prom, Dave enlarged that one and hung it in the upstairs office at the bar, knowing Andrew and his friends would be stopping by to drop stuff off.
There's several pictures from our Orange Bowl trip in 2008, the one where Dave and I were "chaperones" for Andrew and his buddy Matt. There's float pictures, from the one of Andrew dressed as a sheik and riding a camel, to the Love Boat float where his fourteen-year-old mouth was full of braces, to this year's float where he wore a gorilla costume in sweltering heat.
Pictures with his mom and dad, and pictures with his girlfriend. The banner is a great representation of photos of Andrew's life.
We hung the banner at the bar on Sunday after graduation, for Andrew's first party. Later that night, another party took place at his parents' house with a band, food and family, and the banner hung on the house.
Congratulations, Andrew. Our little boy is all grown up!