I DID IT!!!

blood...sweat...tears...anger...joy...peace...laughter...

just a few of the adjectives that describe the year for me. like i said in my last post...i can't believe it's flown by. sitting in my seat this morning with my dad behind me, a great friend on either side of me, and three more good friends in the audience along with my mom, grandmother and brother...it was surreal.

i guess it will all hit that i'm finished with school for the time being here in a few months. i cannot imagine life without class, papers, exams, lectures...guess it's really time to start being an adult.

pinning was thursday night, and it was really pretty neat. small, intimate ceremony. my dad had told me he was going to be a little late because he had a meeting at 4:00 in Amarillo, but he would just slide into a seat in the back when he got there. no problem. i was sitting in the very front row on the opposite side of the room from the doors, so i never saw if he made it in by the time i got pinned and they read my little thing about my future plans and la-dee-dah. at the end of the ceremony, i got up and turned around to where mom, mutha (Lauren's mom) and my grandmother were. i was about to say something, and then i noticed that Pam's mouth was just hanging open. "what?" i said. "what's wrong with you?" she couldn't say anything, just pointed to a spot in front of her. i turned to look, and there was my dad...

WITH MY BROTHER WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN GERMANY!!!!!!

dad and mark had been plotting this for like three months. he'd only just gotten the approval a few weeks ago. dad had a meeting all right...he had to pick bubba up at the airport! they missed the whole ceremony; they'd only just made it in time for the ending prayer because the ceremony only lasted like 45 minutes. BUT BUBBA CAME HOME!! he's here til the 28th, and they're doing Christmas early in louisiana and then coming to my house on the 24th, even though i gotta work :(. anyway. it was wicked exciting.

Friday we got up and got Krispy Kremes and kolaches from Donut Depot. Karyn came over for breakfast, and we all just sat around talking and hanging out. Did a little shopping later that day and then Stella's for dinner, which it was a miracle we got in since it was Friday night, we had no reservations, AND Tech and LCU's graduations were the next day. yum.

Saturday morning...we got up too early. i know, i know...i'm about to start day shift and i better get used to it, but bear with me...it's gonna take a while. Graduation was good, even though we had to prance up and down the stairs to practice too many times. Seriously...we've made it through to a bachelor's degree; i think we can walk around in a circle and make it to the right seat. whatev. thanks trisha and cake for coming...you guys REALLY didn't have to do that, but thanks...nice to know you love me. :)

lunch at roadhouse (cheese fries...yum!) and then the fam decided they were going to go back to amarillo early so mark could have more time with his friends...he'll be here christmas eve, and he's back in the states in feb, so that was ok with me. besides, i was exhausted and in desperate need of a nap.

so overall...good weekend. it was wicked cool to hear my name called and walk across that stage, but it just doesn't seem real yet, like Christmas break will be over and i'll be back in class. i don't think it will be a hard adjustment, though... :)

blessings,
amy :)