High School Graduation

Here are a couple terrible, blurry pics from Jake's graduation a couple of weeks ago.




I need to get a new phone. I DO have a digital camera, or two, ok three. Here's my dilemma. I NEVER get prints made and I'm too lazy to buy a new printer, photo paper, more ink cartridges, etc. My last memory card has 125 unprinted photos on it. My phone is on it's last leg and I want something more shiny and sleek. Maybe that's what I'll do this weekend while it rains and rains and rains here in Ohio. Phone shopping. My husband will cringe when he reads this because he knows I'll disappear with my new phone to "transfer data" and he won't see me for hours because I'll be playing ringtones and assigning ugly pictures to your ID's. Don't worry I don't do it just to you; here is the pic I use to ID myself on Facebook. No lie.

Here's the skit if you have no idea what this is from.

Where was I? Oh yes, graduation.

What were you thinking about during your high school graduation outside of how you were going to style your hair around your cap or what to wear under your gown?

I remember thinking about how glad I was to leave high school. I graduated with 67 other young men and woman. A bunch of small towns making up a small graduating class. Most of my friends were beaming and chatting about starting college, roommates, summer vacations, and graduation gifts. I wasn't sure what I was going to do after graduation. I didn't take my ACT exam until the April before graduation. When I received the results in May, I was surprised to see that I received a pretty high score. I mailed one college application in May. Fortunately, I received my acceptance letter in June. That is the way I lived my life for the next couple of years. Don't aim, just shoot. Spontaneous, no plans, not alot of goals. My parents expected pretty simple things. Pay your own bills, stay out of jail. I did pay my own bills but managed to get arrested. Only once though. I hear you judging me. Stop it. It's a funny story, but I'll leave you in suspense and blog about it another day. I can assure you it wasn't for drugs, shoplifting, solicitation, or indecent exposure. You're already thinking, "it can't be THAT great of a story then" and you're right. It isn't. But I did get my picture taken wearing a sign with numbers like Lil' Kim. Holla!

Anyway, graduation represented freedom. Freedom from the kid that never shut up, the dudes that thought they could get away with everything based on their varsity letter, the mean girls, my agonizing math class, the labels based on social status . . . and I was one of the "popular" kids. I could go on and on. I can't imagine how much graduation meant to the kids that were tortured and emo.

Graduation = Freedom. That's alot to celebrate.

Congratulations Jake.

Your life is just beginning.