BEST DAY—December 14, 2023
All good things must come to an end,
and yet, it's just the beginning.
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| Matt snapped a photo of me submitting my last college assignment. |
"Time truly does take care of itself. Trying to put into words what my educational journey has meant is difficult. It is like trying to describe motherhood—it is sacred. I shudder to think if I hadn't embarked on either journey. Relationships and knowledge are the two things we take into the next life. They are what I choose to spend my time and energy on." -Abby
So, yes, I did want to make the trek to Rexburg, ID to walk in my graduation ceremony at Brigham Young University-Idaho on December 14, 2023.
Keep Your Pants On
We left on Wednesday, the 13th to drive to Idaho. It was a wintry day! I figured that waiting till spring was no guarantee for better weather. Spring storms can be the worst. I was surprised, however, that the girls didn't pack warmer things. We checked into our room after dark and everyone must have assumed we were staying in for the night. No no no. We were here to celebrate! I said, "Ava, put your pants back on 'cause are going down to the lobby to make a yummy drink and then walk to those lights we saw while driving in." My party, I'm calling the shots.
The pictures don't lie. The misty night was magical.
How have I not discovered Merry Christmas by Ed Sheeran and Elton John? It will forever be the anthem of the week.
Other favorites we wore thin on the drive were Kelly Clarkson's When Christmas Comes Around and Katy Perry's Cozy Little Christmas. For some reason, Callie's phone was hooked up to the car screen so we could see every time she got a text, "Another one from Ben," we'd say.
She was like, "Gah!"
Back at the hotel, I chose an old-fashioned movie I have yet to see, Holiday Inn. No one gave extra opinions or objections on what I chose.
My party.
We were getting ready to start the movie while Callie got ready for bed. She was in and out and fiddling around with bags and bedding. After a while, Ava laughed, "Callie, are you ready for bed yet?" It had indeed been a while. None of us could stay awake to finish the movie.
The BIG Day!
December 14, 2023
"The day of my graduation felt as special to me as my wedding day and the day my kiddos were born." -Abby
Matt commemorated by giving me gorgeous gold hoop earrings. We took advantage of the friends and family buffet for brunch. Ava was my official photographer/cap-pinner. I wore the same cap and gown that Grayson graduated high school in and Mallerie BYU-Hawaii in.
ChyAyn later mailed me a beautiful necklace, which read, "She believed she could, so she did." Perfectly fitting. Especially since I was able to finagle a way to pay for it all without working or getting a loan, thanks to Plasma!
The day was broken up into two parts: Commencement and Convocation. The Commencement speech was in the main auditorium. That is where I marched into "Pomp and Circumstance" with the other graduates. The speaker was Carlos A. Godoy. I thought it was great and was glad my family could hear it. I asked Callie what she thought, but apparently, she had spilled her water bottle in her bag and had spent her energy on dealing with that rather than the speaker. Here is a bit of what he said.
"The university will award 2,177 bachelor’s degrees and 797 associate degrees. Of the graduates, 1,715 are women, and 1,176 are men. Campus-based students make up 1,761 of this semester’s graduates, while 1,129 of the graduates are online students, and 1,208 of those graduating started their college career as BYU-Pathway Worldwide students."
We had a fair amount of time to kill in between and found refuge at Cafe Rio across the street, a short walk but it was cold!
The convocation was in the Hart Building with just my department. I was a blubbering mess walking across that stage. It meant the world.
My bachelor's degree is in Professional Studies, which consists of four certificates I chose: Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), Child and Family Advocacy, Human Services, and Human Resource.
Hugging the fam brought more tears.
I love looking at the dining room wall and seeing my degree hung up with Matt's.
Christmas Kick-off 2023
Christmas with MariE!
What a fun start to the season! Matt and I attended Christmas with Marie at the Eccles Theater on Dec 2nd in Salt Lake City. We also dined and shopped at City Creek. Each of us took home a new winter coat.
I fussed up the upstairs with Christmas decor. If I wait till I am in the mood then I thoroughly enjoy it. I've accrued quite a collection of odds and ends through the years. Though I am basically putting the same things out, I mix and match things differently so it feels new. I also had a fun time browsing Sunriver Gardens this year and added a few new pieces such as mini houses and red mushrooms for my Christmas cactus. Knowing that the taking down isn't my favorite, I used a lot of pink with the red to be able to leave it up till Valentine's if needed. The sunlight that comes in around 11 a.m. each day is dreamy. I made sure that if I worked that morning, I was always home by then—just to enjoy it.
December consisted of other festivities as well, such as the ward party, a date dance, a local production of A Christmas Carol: A Radio Show, and a Christmas dinner.
I found myself with a somewhat free afternoon. I think I looked at every item in the store...twice.
Memories are attached to every item I own.
2023 Merriest Christmas Card, Look Familiar?
Santa's Workshop
Parcels upon parcels. Without a main office, Matt gets all shipments sent right here to our house.
(See what I mean about that natural light that comes streaming in?)
A Night in Bethlehem... Sort of...
Without enough warning, Graham told me he would represent Joseph during the nativity at the ward party (about an hour before we were to leave). I was partly joking when I suggested a blue maternity dress I still owned. He wore it over his jeans. He also grabbed a blanket off the couch to put over his shoulder and wrapped his shemagh he uses for airsoft around his head. (I think it was the opportunity to wear his shemagh that got him to agree to play the part at all.) We all looked a bit silly leaving out the door. I had on my new camel coat and a scarf over my head. Someone called me Jackie O. Matt had on his Mexico shirt, a curtain panel over his shoulder tied with a scarf my mom knitted around his waist, and a scout bandana on his head. Oh my. When he got up to give the Bishop's message, it was hard to take him seriously. I didn't take a picture because I didn't want to have one. In addition, for the Bethlehem dinner, we were served ham and Costco cake. Pretty sure they didn't have either of those things...
The Winter Ball
Callie was a glistening snow angel that night. Ava helped her pick out the dress.
Carol Didn't Show Up
Can you feel the awkwardness of the turnout during the local production of A Christmas Carol: A Radio Show? We were in the back section and an entire row got up and walked out partway through. Eeek.
December 10, 2023
Next up...my college graduation!
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