RANDOMNESS - The Boy is graduating from college this evening. (Wow. That sounds weird.)
The College Graduation is very different from the High School Graduation (for me). Unlike four years ago when I was in the "depths of despair," today I am excited, happy and looking forward to this momentous occasion. (Wow. It just keeps getting weirder and weirder, doesn't it?)
And I'm not kidding. I'm not sad. I don't see this milestone as a bad, sad event that tears my baby boy out of my arms and throws him into the abyss... also known as "college life."
He's worked hard. He's learned life lessons, as well as classroom lessons. He has thrived in the college environment.
He's not a kid any more.
But I'm still his "Mom."
My life lessons will continue. Being a "Mom" to a young man is very different to being a "Mom" to a little guy.
The love continues, but the advice will only need to be given when asked for by The Boy... not any time I feel the need to share my wisdom. (Weird, weird, weird.)
And I guess for accuracy sake, I need to change his blog nickname from The Boy to The Man.
And Mike will no longer be referred to as Mikie, but instead The Slightly Older Man and Father of a College Graduate.
Luckily, my blog nickname will not be changing.
I am, and forever will continue to be, "enchanting."
Everyone knows, "enchanting" just gets better and better with age.
Lucky 2013!
Austin had to leave at 8:00 this morning for graduation practice, so he took everything with him to beautify before the ceremony. Thankfully, he has access to friends' apartments, showers, etc. today and this evening.
This is a picture of Sparkle the day Austin left for college four years ago.
This is Copper four years ago. Dejected and forlorn.
This is Sparkle TODAY! I couldn't even find Copper to take his pic. He's off chasing a squirrel or something. I think they can sense my mood. Pretty amazing difference, huh?
Blog Linkage - Go to Big Mama under My Blog List and scroll down to the heading "Previous Posts." Click! Read her blog post entitled "The ladies' special" and enjoy! She and I are in total agreement about exercise.
Totally!
Weekend Happenings
After graduation tonight, we'll be feasting at Top of the River in Anniston with about 20 family members and friends.
We'll be eating the cutest cake ever. (I'll show you Monday... and just so you will not think otherwise, I DID NOT MAKE THIS CAKE! That is why I referred to it as "the cutest cake ever.")
And then we'll be driving home.
The Brothers and Brad are supposed to be going fishing in Guntersville with their guide and friend, Alex, Saturday and Sunday, but it looks like rain might postpone their trip. (This is the trip Bev and I gave the guys for Christmas. If it works out well, this could be a gift we give EVERY Christmas. I think it might be a keeper, but we'll let you know.)
Saturday night, Mike and I will be attending our first Sunday School Social with our new adult Sunday School class at one of the couples' home. We had been in the Youth Department for six or seven years, so when we started looking for a new Sunday School home about a year ago, it wasn't as easy as you might think.
Conversation with a room full of adults is a little different from greeting and meeting teenagers every week, and it took us (which means me) a little time to adjust.
We visited several classes, but decided to join a new 8:00 a.m. Sunday School class a few weeks ago... and let me tell you, it feels pretty good.
Mike and I are pretty much right where we need to be as far as our age, age of our children, stage of our empty/emptying nest and other things that bind the 50-something crowd together.
And that's a good thing.
Plus, several of the couples in this room are starting to get grandbabies... which doesn't matter so much to Mikie as it does to me. I could look at pictures of grandbabies and listen to stories about grandbabies all day long.
And that is not an exaggeration.
As Phil from Duck Dynasty says, "It makes me happy, happy, happy."
Have a wonderful weekend. I'll be back Monday with graduation pics, a story or two and more.
Take care, and I'll talk to you the beginning of next week.
Sincerely,
Always and Forevermore... The Enchanting Belinda
Congrats to "The Man." Bless you on this milestone of raising a child. Things will be different. But you are fortunate in that you still have several years of teenage fun ahead (odd to see those words next to each other in a sentence 'teenage fun'). Enjoy the fast fleeing years.
ReplyDeleteThank you! And you are so right... I have a few more years left of "teenage fun." The Graduation went very, very well. We couldn't have picked a better "weather" evening, and The Man enjoyed every single moment of his final day as a resident/student of JSU.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very special night.