Graduation!!!

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Yeah! We were just a little pumped. 🙂 Up early, on the road by 8:15am and in La Junta by 9:30am. All dressed up and just waiting to see Morgan graduate. 🙂 Nearly three hours later, we watched our girl get her diploma. Associates of Science degree. Lots of pics, lunch, and then the packing.

Yes, she was so twiterpatted, that she didn’t get packed. LOL! We helped, and by 6:30pm we were finally on the road. It was late when we got home, and we left most of the stuff in the truck overnight. The pizza left over from the night before disappeared as if by magic. 🙂 Starving college students, who knew?

Now our living room looks like a bomb hit it. Girl stuff everywhere. Boxes, bags and bedding. All with a girl in the middle. 🙂 It won’t be like that for long though. She’s off to California with her friend for a few months.

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Graduation 2013

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Today was John Mall High School’s graduation. For a small town, it’s a big event. 31 seniors graduated this year. The center of the gym was filled with their families. Aunts, uncles, dads, moms, siblings and children. In the bleachers are all the friends and community members. Up near the stage on one side was the Board of Education and honoured guests. The staff and band sat on the other side. Morgan went with me and was up in the bleachers, watching a ceremony she skipped by going to college at 15.

At 10:30am, the band began to play Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. Band has only recently returned to the district, and they will get better. I watched people flinch at the wrong notes at the same time they smiled. The seniors filed in and filled the seats on the stage to the sound of hoots, whistles, cheers and clapping.

We listened to speeches. We watched our foreign exchange student receive an honorary diploma. We clapped and cheered as scholarships were handed out for merit, public service, educational excellence and for overcoming obstacles.

We laughed and tried not to cry as the power point program shared pictures of the students as babies and then seniors. We smiled as it shared goofy pictures of school events as well as Prom, Homecoming and everyday classrooms.

Then it was time. As board president, it’s my duty to hand out diplomas to the students and shake their hands. I’m the point of transition from student to graduate. 31 nervous students. 30 hot and sticky or cold and clammy handshakes as I handed them their diplomas and wished them well. One diploma was handed out by a former board member to his niece. He thanked me for letting him honour her, and tried not to cry when he shook her hand and gave her the diploma.

Then it was over and caps flew in the air. They were graduates. All these young people celebrating their achievements  Some so tall when I remember them in diapers. Others so grown up, and poised.  As we moved out of the gym, we shook hands with friends, chatted with people and felt the collective sigh of relief.

An End of an Era

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Yesterday was Morgan’s 8th Grade Graduation. It was a big day in so many ways. It started early with all of us getting up and trying to find an eyeball per socket. Dan dyed Morgan’s hair and helped her with her nails. The chemicals just kill me. Then after we all got dressed in the ‘nice clothes’, we headed to Gardner.

Keep in mind that Gardner School is a small family type school. Under 80 kids, Pre-K through 8th. Rich, poor, rancher, townie or alternative lifestyle… one big family. We had lunch with Morgan and the other graduates. Afterwards, I helped Morgan into her dress and it was time for the ceremony. There were five graduates this year, and Kevin Crossen, their Science/PE teacher gave the commencement speech. Kevin is a big guy. Well over 6ft. He’s standing there giving his speech about these kids he thinks of as his own. Some of them he’s taught since they were 5. He started out saying that he wouldn’t cry, and we could see him trying so hard not to do so. For the most part. We cried with him.

Morgan got the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence and she was the Valedictorian for her class. They did an imovie and gave speeches. Best part though was that Morgan, legendary for her Morgan Moments, didn’t trip once, stumble or fall. 🙂 She’s a klutz, and for once, she was graceful. In heels no less!!!

Afterwards, there was a reception in the cafeteria. Dan videoed the graduation and we took lots of pictures. It was a great day!

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Graduation!

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Yes, Matt graduated the 8th Grade today. He survived Nancy’s class for two years. I’m so proud of him.

Matt outside at Gardner School

It was a bit windy by the time I took his picture. 🙂 However, it was a great day. Started out with a 6am haircut followed by a half day of school. At noon, Dan, Beth and I drove up to Gardner for a roast beef dinner. 🙂 All the parents are invited for lunch. The ceremony started at 1pm. All eight kids marched in as their 1st and 2nd grade reading buddies showered them with confetti. They were the honor guard. Then each student gave a speech. Some were literally “hello, thanks, mumble, mumble, goodbye. Others were very well written. Nancy Moore, their teacher was tearful, as this was her very last class. She is retiring. Kyla McCain did an iMovie with the kids and each one had a 2 minute section on just them. It showed the camera following the around on different days and it gave everyone a “feel” for each kid. It was really nice and each kid got a copy. After everyone spoke, Julia handed out awards and then Nancy handed out the diplomas. They all filed out to the reception. I know that I was glad to get off that hard bench! At Gardner, it’s traditional for the parents of the kids to bring stuff to share at the reception. Beth made brownies. There was also a cake and punch provided by the school. It was nice and we all got to mingle with people we hadn’t seen in a while. Dan and Beth left early as Dan had to head to Aguilar. I took the kids a bit later and we were all home by 3pm.

For me, it was back to the office and an attempt to find some information on DSL in Colorado. Ha! Decided at 6pm to call a halt to the day.

Tomorrow is the last day of school. Huzzah! I have to go pay bills, have lunch with my parents who got here on Tuesday, and do a fw other things as well as attack that DSL list again. Wheee….

I also get to research what part I need to fix my little red car. Dan and I thought that the new coil pack would do the trick. Well, it did part of it. However, halfway to picking up Matt yesterday it died. Right about the 12 mile marker on the way to Badito. The only good thing about the whole mess was that it died in a spot that still had cell phone signal. Normally, there is no signal on that road in may places. It started to pour rain just as Dan got to me. We swapped vehicles and I drove the truck while he took the car. He was speeding in an effort to keep the engine cool as well as get as far as he could before it died. Normally it isn’t a problem as there are never any sheriffs on the road. However, he got clocked going 87mph. I saw the blinking lights as I crested the hill, but didn’t see that it was him until I was almost level with them. I just laughed and pulled in next to him. When the sheriff got done, I hollered over to Dan that he owed me a dollar. That had been the bet. Only he said that I’d be the first one to get a ticket. Lucky for Dan, the sheriff was very nice and only ticketed him for 84 mph which is a lesser fine. It pays to be polite. I’m still laughing! The sheriff laughed because of the bet too! Maybe that’s why Dan got the lesser fine!