Way To Go, Bro!

Again, I must apologize for my lack of posting.  Things have been very busy, with many changes and new things happening.  I haven't had much time to blog and besides, I didn't want to share any news until things were finalized.  Call me supersticious.  Anyway, I'm going to try to be better, I swear.

This past weekend my little brother graduated high school!  Patrick and I are so very proud of him.  He graduated 6th in his class (of over 450 students) and he wore many cords and medals symbolizing all his accomplishments.  Look at him all decked out:

In the fall he will be attending a state university in NH for atmospheric sciences.  He wants to be a meteorologist.  I told him he needs to get better at lying if that's the profession he really wants to go in to.  His choice of school means he won't be too far from home, which is nice in a way.  I know his leaving for school is harder on my mom than when I left because he hangs out with my parents more than I did.

I know my whole family is really proud of Evan and we are all wishing him the best of luck in school.  Although, none of us really have to worry about him not studying.  I keep reminding him to enjoy these next few years because they are going to fly by.  Hopefully he listens to his old lady of a sister.

Graduation Recap - Commencement

So I forgot to mention in my last post that at the Honors College Celebration I was also given one of the two service awards for service to the college.  It was really a nice surprise.

Anyway, the last thing to recap is the actual commencement.  I must say, much of the reason I even marched was because it was important to my parents.  Personally, I think the ceremony is long and impersonal and I could have done without it.  However, I do think I would have regretted not going later in life, so I decided to do it.  It was interesting because as I was pausing to reflect on the occasion I found that I really didn't feel much of anything.  When I graduated high school I cried because I was so excited to be out of that place.  When I left a summer program I cried because I didn't want to go home.  College graduation: nothing.  I wasn't upset and I wasn't overly excited either.  Something tells me I'm not really going to appreciate this event until later in my life.

The morning started out with one last trip to our department.  We had a small breakfast and chatted before the ceremony.  And took lots of pictures.  This is me with the four other chemistry majors that graduated this year:

We even look normal.  Not nerdy at all.

Then it was time for the ceremony.  Lots of important people spoke, like the president of our university;

And a mere 1.5 hours later it was time to cross the stage and receive our empty diploma holders.  Here I am with my pal Chelsea, a fellow chemistry major:

Another 45 minutes went by and we were released out into the world for copious amounts of pictures.  So here they all are.  First with my family:

My parents:

My awesome aunt and uncle who made the long-ass trip up to see me graduate:

Me with Patrick (I should note that he is wearing essentially the same outfit he wore to my high school graduation):

And then finally, because my dad was jealous of my sweet out fit, he decided to try it out for himself:

And there you have it.  All graduated and now poised to face the real world.  I've kept it quite, but I did have an interview last Monday.  Haven't heard anything yet, but I'm really hoping some other places start calling soon!  Keeping my fingers crossed for the best!

Gradutation Recap - Honors College Celebration

Whew, now that graduation is over, I can finally recap!  It was literally a weekend event, so I'm going to do multiple parts.  The first big event was the Honors College Celebration.  Participating in the Honors College is one of my biggest college accomplishments.  It's probably what I am most proud of from my college career.  Being part of the Honors College requires some additional classes and writing an Honors Thesis, which I successfully defended several weeks ago with highest honors.  You can read about it HERE.

At the end of the semester, the host a brunch to celebrate the students graduating with honors.  I was one of 86 people who graduated with Honors this year.  They give us sweet medals to wear at graduation and steins that are handmade (to help us catch up on the drinking we missed out on while we were busy working on our theses).  Here's my advisor giving me my medal:

And this one's a little easier to see:

And this one is me with the our Dean, Charlie.  Check out the bling in this photo:

We also spent some time walking around campus and taking everything in one last time.  This is Patrick and I in front of the building where I spent the last four years of my life:

Later that evening, we went out on the town to test out my new stein.  Here's one of my parents:

And one of Patrick and I:

Up next, Commencement Recap!