There Are Graduations….And Graduation!

Travelled to NC for Young Stud’s graduation.  Totally non-eventful.  Everything went as smooth as silk.  Oh yeah – and (sing along now…..) I’ve got some – ocean front property in Ar-ri-zo-na!

Thursday night was that retirement to-do I mentioned in the previous entry.  After that, Daddy dearest and I went to go pick up my rental car.  I happily hopped in and drove to the house – a whole 2-3 miles away.  By the time I had made THAT leg of the journey I had decided that the rental car was too damn small and it had to go back.  No way was I shoe-horning myself into a small car with my daughter and her boyfriend for a 12 hour drive.  Why is it that every time I rent a car, the definition of what a "FULL" size car is changes?  Next time I fully expect to rent a "FULL" size car – and find out they’ve given me a Mini Cooper! 

Ah well.  Car was exchanged.  House cleaned up.  Packing NOT done – but I knew what I was taking.  I had made a list!!!  Enough time to throw things together at 4 a.m. when I got up, right?  Right.  (Back to the song… "If you’ll buy that I’ll throw the Golden Gate in free!!")

Got to bed around 11:30.  A little later than I wanted to, but no sweat.  HA!  At 2:30 Chickie was in my room begging to be taken to the hospital.  BEGGING.  My child who would rather cut off her arms AND legs rather than even go to a doctor!  To shorten a long story which can be of NO interest of anyone (including myself)  Chickie was having a rather painful miscarriage.  Neither of us was really prepared for the intensity of the experience.  However CHICKIE got morphine.  I didn’t even get a Coke! 

When it looked as if things were winding down and we would be leaving soon, I said that I thought we would pass on Young Stud’s graduation and just stay home.  Chickie went hysterical.  She HAD to go.  Just HAD to!  Sigh.  After several phone calls to Sis (who was also driving up Friday) and Young Stud…. we came home from the hospital, filled the pain med perscription, threw our stuff in the car…..and headed off on a 12 hour drive.  Me driving.  The woman with 3 hours of sleep.  Ah well.  I figured we could always stop at a hotel if I got TOO tired….and at least make the graduation party, if not the graduation!

Chickie did well….and at some point we met up with Sis and her hubby.  Made it into NC by about 11 p.m. and stayed up WAY too late talking to YS and his wife and my 2 nephews who showed up from Chicago around midnight.

The graduation was at 9:30 on Saturday morning.  The college only gave each graduate 4 tickets.  They were told that anyone else would have to stand in line at 8:00 a.m.  They would be distributing only ONE ticket to each person in line, so EVERYONE had to be in line.  All told, we needed 12 tickets. 

SO….after another night of about 3 hours worth of sleep (have I ever mentioned that I am a grouch B*TCH when I am sleep deprived????)  we got up and started getting ready.  We were about to head out to stand in line for an hour and a half when the phone rang.  Seems YS’s dad and his current wife were already there – and had managed to sweet talk the college into giving them ALL the tickets we needed!  YAY FOR HIM!  Of course, that meant I had to say thank you and make nice-nice.  Damn it all.  (Did I mention that I am a royal B*TCH when I am sleep deprived?????)

Still, we got there, got seated.  Only one hitch.  Sis’s hubby is in a wheel chair.  Trying to get him in the handicapped door was a chore.  For pity’s sake – he’s SITTING IN A WHEEL CHAIR.  YES WE NEED TO COME IN THIS DOOR!  After the usher had informed us 237 times that only ONE of us would be allowed to sit with the guy in the wheel chair…….we all found seats.  Let the Commencement commence!  And it did.

Back at the house afterwards, YS was happy happy happy!  There was a nice group there – mostly family and a few friends.  We barbequed and talked and laughed til the wee hours of the morning.  Er…some of them made the wee hourse.  Me….I made the BIG hours of the night – about 11 p.m. and I was DONE.

So here’s the happy Grad……

(Notice the TEAL tassel?  Their slogan was "Feel my teal!"  Er – no.  I did NOT ask for the specifics behind that slogan.)

And here is one of my favorite pictures.  Not because it’s such a great picture…but because it’s of YS and my 2 nephews just enjoying the heck out of themselves and each other.  They don’t get together often – and they are such fun to be around when they’re all together "performing"!

(Nephew on left is 6’4".  Nephew on right is 6’7".  Poor YS is the shortie at only 6’2"!!!)

And no entry about YS’s house would be complete without a picture of my two grandchildren …..

Yes, those are my babies Weezie and Becks.

What started out as a difficult chore…ended up a great weekend.  And I am now a PROUD-ER momma wolf!