Well on Friday, I had my celebratory barbecue. I really don't like being a hostess. But I love my peeps and I love food and I wanted to celebrate this life milestone! I invited pretty much everyone I know. About ten people who said they would come didn't come but I still had a great turnout. I tried to operate my new grill but my dad and friend Kevin had to save the day because it was scaring me, what with all the flames.... haha. For my own purposes, here's a list of my guests: Mom, Dad, Cameron, Casey, Rebecca H (Christine's sister) and her two kids, Kim and Kadin, Kevin, Jeff and Astrid et al, Jenny and Bethany, Shiloh and her girls, Heidi from school and her two kids, and Michael. I hadn't met Michael before but I participate in a Facebook group for LDS midsingles in the Treasure Valley and I invited anyone who wanted to come and he came, which was cool of him. Seems like a nice fella.
Matthias was at a father and son campout with Chris. So nice of him to take my boy! But Anna was with me and we had a great time. Here's some proof:
It was way fun.
Saturday, I woke excited. I would be graduating that evening! I couldn't wait. I got off work early, thanks to VTO, and I went shopping for a dress to wear. I went to Ross so I bought three dresses..... oy..... I love them all so much! Originally I had five dresses that I really wanted. I'm so blessed to be able to afford three new dresses! Of course, they were only $15 each.... man I love Ross. :)
I mentioned in my previous post that I have never participated in a graduation as a graduate. I was sooo excited, people. I drove to the Taco Bell Arena and didn't even get lost. I parked and put my keys down to grab my cap and gown, made sure I had my phone and my camera, and stepped out the car. I lock my doors wherever I go and I of course locked them then, and about four seconds after I shut my locked door, I realized I didn't have my keys. I looked in the window and sure enough, they were resting on the passenger seat. Doesn't that just figure? I can't have a perfect day! I'll always do something to sabotage perfection! Well, I put it out of my mind and followed some people who were dressed in black robes like me. I got to the check in table where I was supposed to get a card with my name on it. I told my name and they did not have a card for me. I was frustrated because I'd had so much trouble getting to the point of graduation to begin with. Somehow, the school didn't have my typing test that I took with them so to them, I hadn't completed a required course for my program. It was a long process but we figured it out, or so I'd been told, but when they told me they didn't have my card, I inwardly panicked a bit. But they told me to go somewhere else and write out a card, which I did. I hoped that my name was in the program.
After that, I turned to find a seat and that's when I saw Joy, a woman from my classes, and Teresa, the best instructor ever ever. This semester I had three classes with Teresa. She is AWESOME! Joy took this photo for us (Look! I look like a graduate!):
I'm kinda bummed about my hair because I had it SO CUTE before I got there. Don't know what happened, maybe the wind outside.
Anyway, that's Teresa, and I just love her. She was a wonderful instructor; very knowledgeable, kind, compassionate and skilled. I will miss seeing her seven hours a week! Normally, I'm quite shorter than she, but I had on these amazing heels I'd just purchased. :)
Teresa had seen the program and assured me my name was in it! YAY!
Then Joy, Connie and I found a row of seats together and waited for some others from our class. So here's the three of us.
Wonderful women they are! So proud of them!
I kinda felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie, seeing so very many people in robes and caps. It was very exciting. I was a graduate! I was looking around at the hundreds (around 600 total) of graduates, and I was so proud of them all! I love CWI for very many reasons, and one of those reasons is the great diversity of people. All ages attend, all religions, all family stations, all walks of life (except, perhaps, the very rich). I was thinking of all the stories that were in that room with me. All the trials and the joys, and I was just so proud of every single student there! Look what we did!, I wanted to shout. Look what we all did! We made it through despite our unique challenges, and we're all here now, at our graduation! I would bet that to most everyone there, graduation meant so much more than completing a few academic courses. I wanted to know everyone's story, and to tell them all how incredible they are to have done something great with their lives.
Though I was proud of them all, I was mostly proud of my class. These are the women I've spent the last 8 months with, and I love them and I will miss them! Here's a few more of them:
L to R: Kayla, Connie, Me, Teresa, Darcy (our department head, and a fantastic woman, looking here especially Harry-Potter-esque), and Joy. The other women in our class that showed up later were Elizabeth, Christina and Lia, and I wish I'd had a picture with them as well, but I didn't get one.
This is already pretty long and I have so much more to say so I'm ending here for now. Thanks for reading!
Matthias was at a father and son campout with Chris. So nice of him to take my boy! But Anna was with me and we had a great time. Here's some proof:
Anna totally picked a bunch of weeds from the narrow side of the house.
Saturday, I woke excited. I would be graduating that evening! I couldn't wait. I got off work early, thanks to VTO, and I went shopping for a dress to wear. I went to Ross so I bought three dresses..... oy..... I love them all so much! Originally I had five dresses that I really wanted. I'm so blessed to be able to afford three new dresses! Of course, they were only $15 each.... man I love Ross. :)
I mentioned in my previous post that I have never participated in a graduation as a graduate. I was sooo excited, people. I drove to the Taco Bell Arena and didn't even get lost. I parked and put my keys down to grab my cap and gown, made sure I had my phone and my camera, and stepped out the car. I lock my doors wherever I go and I of course locked them then, and about four seconds after I shut my locked door, I realized I didn't have my keys. I looked in the window and sure enough, they were resting on the passenger seat. Doesn't that just figure? I can't have a perfect day! I'll always do something to sabotage perfection! Well, I put it out of my mind and followed some people who were dressed in black robes like me. I got to the check in table where I was supposed to get a card with my name on it. I told my name and they did not have a card for me. I was frustrated because I'd had so much trouble getting to the point of graduation to begin with. Somehow, the school didn't have my typing test that I took with them so to them, I hadn't completed a required course for my program. It was a long process but we figured it out, or so I'd been told, but when they told me they didn't have my card, I inwardly panicked a bit. But they told me to go somewhere else and write out a card, which I did. I hoped that my name was in the program.
After that, I turned to find a seat and that's when I saw Joy, a woman from my classes, and Teresa, the best instructor ever ever. This semester I had three classes with Teresa. She is AWESOME! Joy took this photo for us (Look! I look like a graduate!):
Anyway, that's Teresa, and I just love her. She was a wonderful instructor; very knowledgeable, kind, compassionate and skilled. I will miss seeing her seven hours a week! Normally, I'm quite shorter than she, but I had on these amazing heels I'd just purchased. :)
Teresa had seen the program and assured me my name was in it! YAY!
Then Joy, Connie and I found a row of seats together and waited for some others from our class. So here's the three of us.
Wonderful women they are! So proud of them!
I kinda felt like I was in a Harry Potter movie, seeing so very many people in robes and caps. It was very exciting. I was a graduate! I was looking around at the hundreds (around 600 total) of graduates, and I was so proud of them all! I love CWI for very many reasons, and one of those reasons is the great diversity of people. All ages attend, all religions, all family stations, all walks of life (except, perhaps, the very rich). I was thinking of all the stories that were in that room with me. All the trials and the joys, and I was just so proud of every single student there! Look what we did!, I wanted to shout. Look what we all did! We made it through despite our unique challenges, and we're all here now, at our graduation! I would bet that to most everyone there, graduation meant so much more than completing a few academic courses. I wanted to know everyone's story, and to tell them all how incredible they are to have done something great with their lives.
Though I was proud of them all, I was mostly proud of my class. These are the women I've spent the last 8 months with, and I love them and I will miss them! Here's a few more of them:
This is already pretty long and I have so much more to say so I'm ending here for now. Thanks for reading!
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