As I write this I am officially a graduate of Texas Tech University. This past weekend I went to Lubbock to wear the silly outfit, walk across the stage, and then drive to a completely different building to get my diploma :-). I suppose you want to know a little more about my weekend...
Thursday morning we took off. My mom rode with me and my dad took the boys. We made it to Lubbock in the usual amount of time and checked into the hotel. (It had those Sleep Number beds and I was severely disappointed... but that's not the point) My dad and I ran a couple of errands right when we got there and got a couple of things taken care of, like picking up my cap and gown, for example. We all went to dinner at Olive Garden, one of my favorites, and had a great evening. After dinner we went swimming at the indoor pool, played Marco-Polo and spent some quality family time together. We were just missing my sister and her kiddos. That night I slept terribly because the bed was set way too soft, but I guess I got enough rest.
I woke up early because Friday morning I went to visit my Lubbock students where I student taught. It was really nice to see them and I got a lot of hugs. I wasn't able to spend much time there, though, which was unfortunate. I'm glad I even got to go see them, though. At 9am I had to go practice carrying the banner for the commencement ceremony. I was the top-ranked graduate in the college of education, and apparently that means you get to carry the banner. I was incredibly honored and couldn't believe I was ranked that high. Practice took about 45 minutes, so not too long. At 10am I had to be at an induction ceremony for some Professional Educators something-or-other. I had to sit on the stage, so that was a pretty big deal. We were told to ask a faculty member to present us with a cord, so I asked my Spanish teacher. She has made a huge impact on me and my education and I couldn't think of anyone better to do that for me. I was honored several times throughout that ceremony and even got a nice present from the college (an insulated mug, a necessity for every teacher!). It was super nice to see my friends, too. Only my mom came to that ceremony because we didn't think my brothers would be up for sitting through it and I didn't really care if they came. After that we went to eat lunch then I had to go back for another ceremony at 1pm that was just like the one I already did, but they wanted to mention me as the banner bearer again and I had to be a model for the "graduation regalia (clothes)" presentation. Immediately after that I had to go get my fingerprints taken for a background check for my certification. It took a whole 2 minutes to get that done, which was awesome, so we were done in time to go to a movie with my family. My grandparents made it in to town about then, so they also met us over at the movies. All the boys went to see Avatar and all the girls went to see The Blindside. I didn't even cry! Which, if you know me, is pretty much a miracle. I had an panic attack, however, because I realize I forgot to pick something up that I needed for graduation the next day, from the Honors College, but thankfully I have a great friend who went and picked it up for me (thanks Katy!). Jason and his grandparents made it in to town after the movie was over, so I went and picked him up. We then went back to the hotel, ordered pizza, and hung out for the rest of the evening. It was an incredibly busy day and I was super exhausted. We slept horribly that night because we couldn't get the temperature right in our hotel room, but at least I slept a little.
Saturday morning was uneventful. Jason and I went and ate breakfast at a cute little diner that served delicious, cheap food. We hung out for a while with my grandparents and aunt, then it was time to get ready for the big show! We all ate lunch together, and my aunt brought my cousin's little girls to eat with us. I had to be at the Arena an hour early, so Jason went with me so he could save seats for everyone. I got in there and just hung out, in the seat they told me, and tried to calm myself down. Then, it was time. I went and grabbed the banner and then it was time to go out there. I was the very first person in the College of Education to walk out onto the floor, they introduced the college, and I heard my family hooting and hollering. I was too focused on not tripping to notice where they were sitting right away, but I found them eventually. The ceremony took almost 2 hours and I got recognized over and over again. If you know me, you know that I don't especially like being the center of attention. I'm glad my family could be there, though, because I know it meant a lot to them to see me go through this. And I know they were proud of my recognitions and honors. After the ceremony, Jason, his grandparents, and my friend Rachel met me at the car. I wish my parents would have met me there, too, but they went straight back to the hotel. They felt bad about it later, but it is done now, so no use dwelling on it. We went back to the hotel, also, and relaxed for a couple of hours. Then we went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Lubbock, Buns Over Texas. Not only was it me, Jason, my parents and brothers, but my aunt, cousin, cousin's kids, cousin's girlfriend, and cousin's girlfriend's son, and even our friends Anthony and Rachel were able to join us! It was a busy, crazy dinner, but it was so much fun and I'm so glad I got to see everyone! It was a super special day and I'm glad I went back to Lubbock for graduation, even if it cost a lot of money and I didn't get to see as many friends as I wanted to.
I went to bed at like 9pm last night because I was so exhausted. This morning we got up pretty early, packed up, checked out of the hotel, and went to eat breakfast at the same little place as yesterday. We made it back to Albuquerque before 2pm, which was fantastic, and didn't do much once we got home. I loved this weekend, other than the craziness of it all, and am so glad I went and did it. I'm glad so much of my family was able to make it out there to celebrate with me. And I'm so glad I got to see my friends.
So, that is a really long description of my weekend. I wanted to just get all my thoughts down so I can look back after I have had time to process it and remind myself about everything that went on.
In case you were wondering, my major was a bachelor's in Multidisciplinary Studies from the College of Education, specializing in elementary and bilingual education, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude in Honors Studies. Say that three times fast.
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