Two Bachelor's Degrees, a Daughter, and Three Years of Marriage Later...

...and we graduated!

Yes, we actually made it. It's almost unbelievable, and definitely still a bit surreal. All those mid-semester "burn outs", where Derek and I told each other countless times how we wished we could be done already, are now laughable memories. (Though, at the time, a couple brought me close to throwing a pity party that would rival the ones held by my five year old self.) It felt like I was never going to stop being a student. And now, as I sit at this computer in the warmth of my parent's home, it feels like it was forever ago that I was in the world of professors, classes, tests, pop quizzes, and finals.

The day of graduation was insane. Derek and I were busy finishing up the packing and cleaning of our apartment. Reece never let it cramp her style though. She continued to play with her toys and act as though having a gigantic mess in the front room was completely normal. (Which it definitely wasn't because my house was always perfectly clean. Don't argue with me on that one. Just let me have it.) We started our graduation day early in the morning by finishing up some packing. We had my mother in law, my parents, Morgan, and Adam there to assist us, which was amazing! They were all such a huge help. I really don't think we could have done it without them. 

Reece and her Grandma Thetford

Reece helping Grandma Dorene clean the blinds.

We all stopped around 2:45pm to order lunch from Jimmy John's and then got ready for graduation! As graduates, we were supposed to be at the school at 5:00pm. We, of course, were running late, but we got there with plenty of time. Here we are, standing in line. How cute. 

Since Derek and I graduated the same semester, we walked together. We decided that we would walk with Derek's college, Business and Communication, so that we could receive our "diplomas" together. I was pretty bummed about that because I had so many good friends who graduated with us but were in my college that I missed out on seeing! Luckily Ashley came and found me though! I had Strength Training Theory & Application and Health & Fitness Appraisal & Prescription with her Spring semester. We became good friends, and our last semester we had Water Aerobics together! It was so much fun. I was the T.A., and as such didn't have to get in the water every day, but I did so that I could not only get a workout in but get in some chat time with Ash! She is one of the many people that made me sad to leave Rexburg. But, as fate would have it (or the order of the alphabet) our names were right next to each other in the program! How perfect.

I would love to say that I remember some profound thing from what President Clark said during commencement, but really, all I remember is how excited I was to be graduating and to be sitting next to my totally awesome husband. Derek was drifting in and out of sleep, and I was sitting there feeling giddy at the fact that I was finally there. 

After commencement, we waited in the gym for our families to come down (and that's actually when Ashley found me, forgive me for the non-sequential placement of pictures) and once they did, the picture taking frenzy began. To be perfectly honest, I loved every minute of it. That was our moment. We had worked so hard and sacrificed so much to get to that point and I felt completely fine being in the "spotlight" (of our small gathering) for those few minutes. 

During Commencement

I love the moment that was captured between Derek and Reece in these pictures. She sure does love her daddy.

My awesome younger sister, Morgan. I love this girl! She is beautiful.

And, ladies and gentleman, my ever handsome brother, Adam Joseph. He is stud though. Really. I love him to pieces.

After the onslaught of pictures, we headed to the Hart Building for Convocation. We found our seats down on the gym floor, and it just so happened that Jeff (who was one of the people I worked with during my internship) was just a couple rows in front of us, so we invited him and his wife Hillary to come back and sit with us. It was fun to see him again. And it was at this point that Derek gave me a hard time for whining about not getting to go to my college's convocation. I was a little disappointed that we were going to his college's because it was in the Hart, while mine was going to be held in the I-Center. Derek gave me a hard time because, after we looked at the program, we realized both President Clark and Sister Burton (the current General Relief Society President) were going to be speaking at the convocation for the business college. Overall, it was a great choice to walk with Derek's college. Not only because we got to hear from Sister Burton and President Clark again, but because we also go to see the Christensens! Brady and Kristen were some of our good friends while we were in Rexburg. They lived on our street, and were always such sweet people to us! We took some pictures with them, but I don't have them at the moment. I'm going to have to remember to ask Kristen to email me a couple. 

When we went up to have our names read, we gave both of our name slips to the reader and he read them together. It was fun to have our names read together and walk across the stage together. Sister Burton gave us a big two thumbs up as we walked toward her, and told us she was so proud of us for finishing and doing so as a couple. President Clark made remarks on the same thing. It was all kind of a blur, and we had to wait a really long time for all of the graduates to walk across the stage, but it was fun. Afterward, we rushed to our families, and they took more pictures!  

During convocation.

Reece was so tired! Her cheeks are all flushed and everything. But she was a trooper through the whole ceremony. Didn't make a peep.

I love the look she is giving me here. 

We're officially graduates!

In a way I feel as thought I wasn't quite ready to be done with school. But, in a lot of other ways that greatly outnumber the one way where I feel I wasn't ready to be done with school, I'm very glad that I'm done. I've graduated! I know that one day I will go back and get my Master's degree. But not right now. Right now is a time for me to focus on my husband, our amazing daughter, and the beautiful future that we have ahead of us.