Graduation!

My favorite picture from the whole event :)

*This post looks super long, but mostly it's a bunch of AWESOME pictures. Actually, please excuse the poor quality of many of them. I don't know what is up with my camera.*


So, I actually technically graduated in December from the wonderful BYU, but I just barely walked on Thursday and Friday! Honestly, at first I wasn't so sure I wanted to walk. I kind of thought of it as a waste of money; I mean, I got my diploma, and I would have to pay for the cap and gown on top of not going to work, and I had already walked in my High School graduation, anyway. Then, my parents told me they would fly out to see me walk, if I did. And I got a serious attitude adjustment!

I am SO GLAD they convinced me to walk. Even though no matter what I did, I would have my diploma, there's something to be said about celebrating it officially in a ceremony. And it puts a nice closure on going to college.

SO, Wednesday night Dahl picked me up and took me shopping for a graduation dress. He is the best shopping buddy in the world, mostly because he is so nice, but he will tell me if he doesn't think something looks the best on me. When we first got in the car, he asked if he could make a rule: we don't get another dress with pockets, because "it looks like a big kangaroo pouch". We found one on sale at Dillard's that I thought was really cute. Everything was perfect... except it had pockets, complete with a "kangaroo pouch". Dahl decided he actually really liked it; he said the other one I had was made of different material but this one looked better with pockets. So, we ended up getting it. I guess you can decide what you think!

Pockets! They were SO useful during graduation- you can't tell under the gown what it looks like so I carried phones (yes plural-- the girl next to me didn't know what to do with hers), cameras, the collar that I never figured out how to put on (yes, I still graduated from college...)

We picked Nicole up Wednesday night. We went out to eat at Chili's, and took her back to our house. My parents flew in Wednesday night super late and went to breakfast with Heather Thursday morning, so we didn't end up seeing them until that afternoon. That morning Nicole did a photo shoot of me in my graduation dress. She was so funny! No matter what I did she would yell, "YES!!! YESS!! The camera loves you!!" We had lots of fun.

Hair I did ALL by myself. Kind of a big deal because I NEVER do my hair. Waterfall braid with curls!

Trampoline! And an excellent view of the "kangaroo pouch" ... haha.

I feel like this is an awkward pose... but I still kind of like it. 

My parents took Dahl, Nicole, and I out to lunch at Zupas, which was amazing, as usual. Then we went to my first graduation ceremony. It was the big one, where everyone from BYU graduates together so we just sat in a huge clump. My biggest regret was not figuring out who else was walking that day so I could walk with them. I thought it would be a little more organized, but they basically let you sit with whoever you wanted, and since I hadn't prepared at all, I sat with random people. It was okay, though; they were still nice!

Donning my cap and gown for the first time!

I love this candid... look how happy everyone looks, and what a cute laugh-er my mommy is!

Then, we took some pictures around campus, which was fun:

 Forever Sisters <3 

Connors

Awkwardly getting lifted up to sit in the Cougar. Hey, it's hard in a dress and slippery graduation gown!

Kissers!

Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve

Ignore Dahl's face...

After that, we went to Los Hermanos with my Aunt Carol, her son Jonny and his wife Tiffany and little boy Joshua, and my Aunt Lila. It was so fun to see all of them!

Parents :)

Joshua is SOO CUTE!

Aunt Carol, Aunt Lila, Me, Tiff

  The whole fan- damily except mom (taking the pic)

Hubster

My parents and siblings were SO GENEROUS, and gave me a beautiful doll ornament from Williamsburg, and an iPad!! I was SO surprised! I honestly wasn't even expecting anything except to see them, and they were so kind to give it to me. Dahl and I have been having lots of fun playing around with it :)

Me being surprised out of my mind. Heather looks so cute!

!!!!

That night, we went back to watch an episode of Lie to Me at Heather's. And then I stayed up until 2 AM chatting with my parents. I love them!

Friday morning we went to the more specific graduation ceremony for just Marriott School grads. This one they actually called my name and I got a fake diploma.

Me walking

They had us in alphabetical order this time, and it ended up being really fun because I was next to a girl I knew who actually was one of Heather's good friends from her freshman year. She was really fun to chat with. Thanks for being my graduation buddy, Bridgette! On my other side, was a couple who were getting married the very next day! They were so cute! When we were walking out to get in line to walk across the stands and get our diplomas, it was super funny: The girl passed her family, who told her to grab him for a picture. So she did... except she grabbed the wrong guy and pulled him close for the picture! Somewhere in the walking, her fiance had gotten behind a random guy, who was fortunate enough to almost get his own date for graduation! How funny is that?? I hope they got a picture :)

Fake Diploma Awesome-ness. In front of me is 1/3 of the girl who grabbed the wrong man!

Next there was a reception at the Tanner Building which was lovely.

Then we went to lunch at Cafe Rio with Brenley and Eric, who were kind enough to come to my graduation! I'm so glad I have such supportive parents and parents-in-law!

Best in-laws EVER!

We went to visit Heather's elementary school that she is interning at next year (!!!). It was super cute! Then, we took her back to go to work, and went to Pizza Factory for a delicious dinner.

We also watched Chasing 3000, a movie my dad has been wanting to show us for awhile.

The next morning we had breakfast at Heather's with Troy, one of our good friends, and then it was time to say goodbye.

I got a little teary bidding them farewell... It was SUCH a quick visit, but it was so fun to see them. I have the best parents!

*Here I go with the boring, why I'm glad I went to BYU segment, so you can skip if you don't care.*

I'm so glad I went to BYU. I never even considered going to another school-- it was always the one I wanted to go to-- and I can't think of another place that would have been better for me. I love the environment, the people, the professors, the standards, and the fact that I met my sweet husband while attending this school. I feel like I got an exceptional education for a ridiculously good price (especially considering I was blessed to be able to maintain a full tuition scholarship for 3 years, a half tuition for 1 year, and the last baby semster I only took 7 credits. Plus I got grants and my work paid for it, too. Basically, I got paid to go to school. How awesome is that?!), and I truly loved my time there. Also, becoming a BYU student marks the first time I ever cared about sports. And I still don't really care about them unless the Cougars are playing. LOVE my Cougars :) 

I already miss going to school and being a student-- it is always amazing to me when I think about how this is probably the only time in history where someone like me, a middle- class woman, not only could but would be so encouraged to go off to school thousands of miles from home, by herself, to pursue a higher education, and I always felt like I was part of something so amazing and big and wonderful. I am so grateful that getting an education is something I was privileged and blessed enough to be able to do. I know that no matter what I do with my education, it will be time well-spent, and I hope I can pass that on to my children.

(Nicole: I love where you're going with this, the "Y" like BYU! Me: Oh.. Not what I was going for but yes! I will definitely use that reasoning!)

Go Cougars!