Graduation!!!

Wow... I'm behind on blogging. Sorry about that. I'll catch up.

On July 23rd I graduated from BYU-I with a bachelors in communications and a minor in English.

Let me just say this: You really don't appreciate what you have till it's gone. I was so sick of school. So ready to be done and get on with bigger and better things in my life. Well... Now I really miss it. Dave is getting ready to go back to school in 2 weeks for his last semester in the associates of architecture program at BYU-I and I really just want to go back with him.

I catch myself thinking about what classes I am going to have and whether or not I will have alot of homework this semester. I wonder who I will meet in classes and who I will already know. I try to think about the teachers I have and if I had heard of them and if they will be good...

then I remember that I'm not going back. ever. That makes me nervous and scared. I worry about being so ready for a change because that is what I am accustomed to... Change.  Every three months my life and schedule changes. From semester to semester to break... then it starts over. By the end of the three months, I am ready to start something new. Ready to switch up my schedule. Ready for change.

When that change doesn't come, when I'm still at the same job, doing the same thing, same 8:00-5:00 schedule... I'm scared that I'm going to get so sick of the same things that I'm going to rip my hair out!!...
Then I remember that I don't have to do homework ever again and that makes me happy.

ANYWAYS...

We'll get back to graduation.

Dave's Mom and Dad came down so they could come to graduation. It was awesome to have them there. It made me really feel like I was an important person in their family. They got there pretty early and we were able to hang out with them and talk for a while. We met my parents and then we all got ready to go to the banquet.
The banquet was in the brand new addition to the Manwaring Center called The Crossroads. Dave says that this addition makes him feel like he is in a real college. This place is HUGE!! and SUPER nice. They served us some yummy dinner and the speakers were short and sweet. There was a pretty musical number too. After that, they inducted us into the Alumni Association and everyone clapped and were happy for the graduates. Yay me!
Right after that, we had to go put our gowns on and line up in the Clark building. We snapped some quick pictures before Dave had to leave.

Dave, his parents and my parents got to go sit in the Hart and wait for us graduates to walk in. That was the longest and most horrible wait that I have ever had.  I was stuck in the line on the stairs in the corner of the landing. People kept crowding me and I had to keep asking people to move so I wouldn't be stuck in the corner. It seemed like it lasted FOREVER! And it was so HOT!!! But, soon enough the line started moving and I got to know the people in front and behind me, so it was all fine after that.
We wound our way down to the Hart building and the best thing of all graduation happened then. On the way there, all the teachers and professors stood on either side of the line and applauded us as we walked through. All the teachers that I had gave me high fives. My conflict management (hardest class and hardest tests I have ever ever ever taken!) teacher hugged me and told me that I got an 86% on his last test and I had passed his class with B! My department head hugged me and said that out of all of her students, she was very proud of my improvements and accomplishments! After everything I have done over the last 4 years, this was worth it. All the work, sweat, tears, late nights, long papers, hard projects, dry classes, terrible tests, exhausting days, and desperate prayers, all of it became so real and so special. People actually appreciated how hard I had worked and how much I had done. It's so worth everything I went through just to have these people that I hold in such high esteem pat me on the back and tell me "well done". I could barely contain my emotions.

We walked into the Hart and sat through Graduation. It was long, but the speakers kept it spiritual and interesting.

Where's Karlee??

Soon, my name was called and I walked across the stage and accepted my diploma.

 The department head Sister Bergstrom hugged me again and said that if I ever needed anything, let her know. I'm so lucky to have met so many great people in college.

 Hey! Where's my diploma??
When it was over, it was dark outside, so we snapped some quick pictures in the hall. Terrible lighting, but that's all we had to work with.

 My mommy and daddy!

Dave's mommy and daddy!

So, I'm graduated! I'm ready to start my next big adventure in life!