"Here's to goodbye, tomorrow's gonna come to soon"

So about 10 hours ago now, a group of my good friends, my fiance Lisa and I walked through a line of faculty members shaking hands and giving out hugs and entered the Kardatzke Wellness Center and began the graduation ceremony. While I thought graduating would sink in today, it didn't really.

It was a great day. It started at 9:00 a.m. with Bachalloreate, which is a wierd word for pre-graduation chapel-type of service. After the service, which was pretty nice, Lisa and I went to Hacienda to enjoy a good pre-graduation meal and then took a quick nap at her house.

There were some very explicit pre-graduation instructions at 1:30 p.m. Then graduation. Going through it with about 10 good friends was a cool thing. Seeing your peers and friends earn that degree that you've worked for together over the past 4 years was a cool thing. Standing up and realizing that this is it was a cool thing. Seeing the love of your life receive her diploma about 30 seconds before you get your was a cool thing. Seeing your best friend since 3rd grade get the same thing about 10 min. before was a cool thing. The service was 2 hours, which was surprising to my "it'll be 3 hours at least mindset."

After a marvelous photoshoot with friends Lisa and I went back to my childhood home where we had a cookout with family and a few family friends.

I don't really know when it will sink in. I do know that despite it all, this has been a good year. I do know that I will miss my friends someday soon. I do know that I'm very very grateful to have at least a few weeks before any major changes begin. Without those few weeks this moment would be much harder.

Congratulations readers who graduated. I love you guys. You totally are awesome and it was an honor to walk with you. Let's see while hoping not to miss anyone, you reader / grads are: Nate P. Ricker, Jason, Eileen, Phil, and of course, Lisa Ann.

You guys rock. ConGRADulations!