Graduation
Well graduation is over and done with for now. *wink, wink* The ceremony was wonderful even if most of my friends and family were unable to make it for whatever reasons. Things come up and life happens, what are you gonna do about it?! KWIM? I was VERY suprised to learn that there was someone there supporting me that I did not know was there.... amused_redbear had come to see me walk! *clapping like a child* I was so suprised to find out, and sad that I did not get a chance to see him there! That's OK though... he was VERY smart and ran for the hills as soon as I walked b/c he knew that traffic would be all fudged up! (Thanks clarksville PD, true to form, the traffic sucked!!) So anyway, the guest speaker has a wonderful speach, I am sure, but I about fell asleep b/c I am running on no sleep as it is. If it wasn't for the "slap happiness" that had kicked in after standing in "line" waiting for graduation to start for 45 minutes, I probably would have snored through the whole evening! I think I will always remember that evening because of the little things that happened...
* My son was cheering for me for the first 10 minutes of the ceremony, then the guest speaker began, and Donald feel asleep! Although he did wake up, after much coaching from my husband, in time to see the graduates standing and clapping as the facility proceeded out! LOL! I love it! Poor little guy just needed a nap!
* One of the girls in my degree program was remembered in the program but not in the graduation line up! They had to make her a card with her name on it using a cigarette box torn open and they just stuck her in line behind me! So we chatted it up all night! She was a bit pissed that she paid her money to walk and they forgot her!
* The girl behind me, the guy in front of me (A freaking giant, he had to be 6'6" or taller) and myself made fun of people all through the ceremony... like the girl with her cap pinned to the front of her head looking like some sort of dinosaur appandage, or the girl who is graduating with a degree in early education wearing the thigh high hooker boots and leather miniskirt under her gown, and even the "harry potter" looking reject outfits the facility was wearing!! LOL!
* Oh, and the PIMP! That guy was crazy! He was standing at the top of the stairs that we had to walk down to get to the floor where the graduates sat... he was wearing a bright white faux fur coat, rinestone encrusted sunglasses, gold plated pimp cane, pink and brown leopard patterned shirt and banding on his fadora, the fadora itself was bright white with a huge feather in it, leather pants, and the wing tip shoes!!!! OMG! The gold teeth, solglow gericurl juice, and one diamond earing topped off the whole look... it was freaking pricesless. Did I mention that I graduated from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville freaking Tennessee?! LOL! OMG!!!!
* The ASL interpreter, who had up until a point had signed everything including the National Anthum, suddenly signed "I do not speak french" and sat down as the master of ceremonies announced that the musical selection would be sung as an opera and IN FRENCH! LOL! That was funny since you saw it in full color on the jumbo-trons!
* Dr. Prescott (the dean of my campus... I don't go to main campus) got a huge kick seeing me walk, after shaking my hand he said... hey you finally did it! I was like, yeah but a different degree than I wanted! He laughed and said "see you in January then?" I was like, you betcha! (Long story but it boils down to I graduated with my 2 yr degree in police science back in '01, he promised me that if I held out in the Professional Studies (PM) program for one more year that the 4 year Criminal Justice program would start and I could double major or transfer over to it. *cutting out long but funny story* The 4yr criminal justice program finally got a federal grant this year and started two terms ago! Better late than never, huh?)
Anyways, it took us 45 minutes to get home (its 15 min drive tops) and halfway home DJ realized he has to potty and I mean NOW! So we stopped at McD's and hubby made a joke about me graduating and being asked "What will you do now" and I reaspond with "I'm going to McDonald's! (referance that quote, I'm going to Disney!") DJ did his thing and we bought him a happy meal and Jim and I shared a cheeseburger (first McD's cheeseburger since surgery.... it was yuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm) before heading back home for the 5 o'clock party! Thankfully, everyone was running at "various degrees of late" so it gave me time to shower and get the house picked up and the floor mopped! YEAH, I like a clean house even if it is gonna get messed up! LOL! I am weird! The party was fun, had a few laughs, learned some new card games, stayed up wayyyy too late, and slept like a log after we sent everyone home. (Well we kept a few stragglers, but I consider them family anyways...LOL! *wink, wink*)
I just wanted to take a few moments and thank EVERYONE who has supported me in the last 10 years of my journey to this point. It has been a long road full of lots of challenges but I made it through it and I did it in style! I was the only one of my degree program to graduate with honors this time around, so that was a very nice suprise to me! *puff up, puff up* I could not have done it without all of you! Those who have supported me online and on the phone, those who have babysat for me last minute b/c Jim did not come home from work and I had an exam that night, those who loaned me money when the room and board was due (first year of college--- thanks Jim), those who held my hand when I was stressed and those who made me laugh when all I wanted to do is cry... everyone of you helped me to get to this point and do it so well! THANK YOU! I could not have done it without you!