Jesse graduated from BYU Provo on Thursday! We attended the main graduation at the Marriott Center at 4 p.m. We got there around 2:30 and even then the seats were getting hard to find. Karina, Lilly, Don and I found seats though and got settled in. There were still four seats to Don's left and one to Karina's right. Somebody asked if those next to Don were saved and we said no, so they took two of them. Then somebody asked if the one to Karina's right was saved and we said no, so he took that one. Lilly wanted to be on our laps but when she finally decided she wanted her own seat, Don sat in one of those to his left and the two people there informed him that they were saving those two so suddenly Lilly didn't have a seat! So the poor little thing sat on our laps for three whole hours. Believe me, it was cramped! Those seats are made for people who weigh less than 100 lbs.! Then it took us 1 1/2 hours to get out of the parking lot because we couldn't find my car and my auto opener is broken. It was a long day. But totally worth it. Jesse looked so handsome in his cap and gown, and I started crying immediately upon seeing him. The actual program was wonderful, highlighted by talks by Pres. Uchtdorf and Elder Nelson. Amazing talks. We went out to dinner at Applebee's and had a wonderful night. The next day we gathered at the Wilk on campus for his convocation. This is where he actually got to go up and receive his (fake) diploma. It was shorter and more intimate. It was just his department. Karina's Dad and brother joined us for this event. Then we all went back to the condo and had a wonderful brunch prepared by Karina. During this time Jesse presented to his Dad and me his "Stole of Gratitude" - the white scarf he wore around his neck during graduation. He said he was supposed to give it to someone who supported him in his quest for his education. We were extremely touched by this and honored that he would give it to us. (Don gave me his Stole of Gratitude when he graduated from Univ. of Phoenix, so now I have two!)
Then we took Lilly home with us and Jesse and Karina headed off for two nights in Salt Lake. They started out at the Radisson Hotel which ended up being something of a disappointment so they ditched it and went to the Marriott, which was much better. They had a great weekend and we had so much fun with Lilly. They came home today and tonight our house is so quiet without Lilly running around. The cats, however, think it's great!
We sure wish Christie and Travis could have been with us for this great occasion, but Travis is getting to the end of his semester and is very busy, and Christie didn't want to come without him. So I guess we will just have to look forward to Travis' graduation in two years! We will all be together in July in Scottsdale, Arizona, anyway. We can't wait.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
What a proud moment! Sounds like an exciting and wonderful time!
Isn't graduation such a special event? I loved my kids ceremonies.
Congrats to Jesse! That is so exciting! Are they going to be staying in Utah for the time being? I remember those graduation ceremonies. I can't imagine having a baby to hold through the whole thing. We are definitely looking forward to Travis getting his diploma! Hopefully we will see you this summer.
Post a Comment