Yesterday was a good news/bad news kind of day.
The bad news was that I got up at 3:20 a.m., spent five hours in a car, listened to lots of speeches, and then immediately turned around (leaving #2 daughter alone in her cap and gown, sob!) and spent five more hours in a car, arriving home shortly past 9:00 p.m. While #2 daughter did find a celebration to join, my day also included two teenage boys who complained about 17.8% of the time, scary roads in the rain, and Burger King drive-through.
The good news outweighed the bad news.
I did not have to drive at all, and got the Regal Orchid Jasmine sweater done up to the shaping on the front.
There was great music, including not just #2 daughter’s vocal ensemble, but also a brass medley of “When the Saints Go Marching In” and the Hallelujah Chorus that made the entire day worthwhile. Bagpipes, too, and you just can’t help feeling festive when there are bagpipes, right?
The speeches were not bad at all, as speeches go.
There was a brunch which was lavish and delicious, and removed any lingering sympathy we might have felt for #2 daughter’s having to eat dorm food. The fact that we had been up for seven hours before eating it doubtless added to its splendor, but it was still very good.
We had the opportunity to meet or to see again a lot of #2 daughter’s friends, and often their parents as well. The boys got to be told repeatedly how much they look like their sister. My husband and I got to be told repeatedly how proud everyone is of our daughter.
And of course, the big point of the entire thing was being there for a milestone in the lives of all the young people we were honoring at graduation.
Our daughter commenced!
Congratulations to all the Jewels of Knowledge, and thank you for letting us be a small part of your college experience!
Your daughter looks so happy and radiant – great picture. Congratulations!
Took me back to my own graduation (which admittedly isn’t that hard, considering it was about four months ago) and all the good feelings that went with. Congratulations to you and daughter! 😀
Oh, speaking of which – did she have trouble keeping the cap on? I have such a massive head that the cap would barely stay on – it kept squeezing up to the top and nearly falling off – I had to walk very straight and careful up to the place where she shake hands and take the diploma, because it was the one point I didn’t have one or both hands holding my cap on. Oh well! Me and my husband are going to have huge-headed kids someday.
She looks so happy! Congratulations to her!!
The bad part of yesterday sounded so bad that I did’t think anything could make it truely wonderful, but you were right–the good was much better.
The music sounds like it was wonderful. Being there for your daughter was the most important. That photo of her is great! It says she’s smart (the cap), you can see she’s beautiful, and that smile is dazzling!
And, as if all that weren’t enough, you got to knit!
Hopefully you have today off to help deal with the sleep deprivation.
what a lovely daughter you have. kudos all around (especially for getting up so early to make the trek. wow!)
The good certainly sounds like it outweighs the bad. Congratualtions to you all. (Just what exactly does ‘commenced’ mean? I’m assuming it is the same as graduation from university.)
She is beautiful! How proud you must be!!!!!
RYC: The Good Life is philosphical, and encouraging and practical! I gleaned quite a bit of gardening information from the agriculture chapters and inspiration from start to finish! As for the Happy Hooker; lots of cute patterns and Deb has a way with wit, so I personally plan on purchasing this book later on. Gotta love the library, though. I would be broke and homeless trying to keep up with my book habit. I listed my fav cook books on my blog today, so hop over and check ’em out!
Thanks for commenting on my site! I know it was a REALLY long read, but it was kinda in response to another xangan’s comments…LOL. I imagine that racism is a problem everywhere, but my focus was on the South, because historically, there is more of a CONSENSUS of racism here and Southerners seem to be more ACTIVE in their racism. Because religion is so prevalent in the South, and education is so lacking, people are more willing to hold on to their beliefs, they’re more conformist on the whole, and they are less resistant to change. Southerners seem more willing to actually discriminate against other races and really seek to deprive them of their rights than in other areas of the country.
Congratulations to you and your daughter on her commencement! I know you are so proud!
Yes, it was great! Bitter-sweet, though, seeing so many of my good friends graduate. I can’t imagine college life without them. On the other hand, it gives me hope that there is an end and it is indeed attainable.
Oh, and I think I saw you during the walk around the quad–I was standing behind your boys for most of it, anyway, but there were so many people milling and yelling.