BRANDED

I officially GRADUATED!!!  Last week was the best/worst week of my life.  Where do I even start?

I’ll just concentrate on the happy, because overall last week was worth never forgetting!  I mean, how many times do you go through 6 years of college for a bachelors and walk across the stage with an empty diploma holder in hands?  One more year and I should be a doctor!  I finished my finals on Monday, and even though it seems surreal I am officially DONE with classes.  My whole family came out to celebrate.  Priceless.  And let me tell you, my family and the dietetics program knows how to celebrate.  It started Thursday morning with a panoramic picture of all the girls in the program, then to the University commencement where President Uchdorf received an honorary Doctorate.  His speech/talk was so exhilirating because he was so excited to be there!  Seriously, if there’s no other reason to pay $2000 tuition every 4 months to sit in a classroom and work on endless hours of projects and studying, sitting in a University commencement is elation enough for me!  Maybe I’ll go get a masters so I can feel the uphoria again, sound good government?  You’re paying next time   One of the speakers talked about being branded with the BYU logo now that we’ve graduated, and to make sure we live up to par with the reputation established.  It’s great to be numbered among countless stellar graduates, and I am honored to take that name on.

As if Thursday wasn’t enough, there was more on Friday.  Cecilie walked that week too because she finished in December, and the nursing program had a really nice graduation ceremony for her.  The keynote speaker was really interesting to listen to as well.  He talked about how to succeed in the business world and in life.  I wrote notes somewhere, maybe I’ll find them when my retainer surfaces.  I ran from Cecilie’s ceremony to mine in the Marriott Center and in my haste Cecilie had to rip off her graduation gown and cap and let me borrow them so that I didn’t waste any time.  They had cinnamon rolls and orange juice waiting for me at the Marriott Center.  I met up with some friends out side to chat it up while we waited.  I was so excited to shake froth into the orange juice that I shook the lid off and splattered the orange juice all over the gown and my neck.  I called Jake to have him bring me my gown since I so gracefully soiled the other one… oops, sorry Cecilie.  With a sticky neck, it was time to get ready for “the walk.”  Apparently we lined up in the wrong order because the announcer said we were from some other department, it all worked out in the end though.  After the ceremony I met my fans outside.  I was pleasantly surprised that my best friend Erin and her family came to see me walk!  I don’t think she reads this, but thanks for making the long trek Erin & Co.

I had about an hour of a few more pictures and gobble down a small meal until it was time to go to the temple.  For the first time I went to the temple and all of my immediate family including my aunt Carol was there to support.  The temple is an amazing place with monumental blessings, and it feels so good to go there.  Part of me always wants to be there, and I’m convinced that with my whole family being there with me that I know what heaven must feel like.  Thanks for making that such a special day family!

Now I’m on to bigger and better things: still searching for an internship and being jobless.  Maybe I’ll post the whole story of what I’ll be doing soon if I get good news.  In the mean time, if you know of any good jobs (or summer jobs) in the Provo area, please let me know!

Here are some pictures:

All of the girls in the dietetics program.  Yes, I said all girls.

In front of the hallmark bell tower

With the empty diploma holder…  I tried to tell some of the other graduates it was empty but they looked at me like I was crazy

With Cecilie who also walked, and my happy parents.  I’m pretty sure they wish there was something in those diploma holders too, those are expensive little plastic things.  I’m pretty sure behind their smiles they are thinking, “how can I spend all this money I’m going to have now that I don’t have to pay for college?!”

I think we all have a picture in front of this pretty pink tree

All my super fans