Caps and Gowns and Moving and Things

First of all, oh my goodness we have so many things to discuss!! Coming up soon on Spirals and Spatulas:

• Showers (two of them!!)
• Writing our ceremony (priests and deacons and cantors, oh my!)
• Becoming a Maid Matron of Honor (matron? seriously?!?!)
• The Great Shoe Crisis of 2010 (and its peaceful ending)
• Dress fittings, and the most intimidatingly wonderful Make-up Artist ever!!!

Anyway, the more important thing is this: On Friday I put on a cap and gown and I walked across a stage and just like that, I was a college graduate. I celebrated with Jeff and my family, I finished packing up my apartment, and I moved back to my hometown for good.

Gosh I look funny in that graduation robe.

Graduation caps make my hair look weird.

With my Dad, Aggie class of 1983!

After years of hard work and hundreds of great memories, I'm now the proud owner of a brand new diploma and a "Association of Former Students" bumper sticker. It's a great feeling to see your efforts pay off, and it's even greater when you have a really supportive family that comes into town to celebrate with you. I felt so loved as I walked across that stage.

Horrible picture, but it's all I have.

PS - Note the wedding reject shoes making a graduation appearance!!

I managed to graduate in three years, with two majors. Because this is the internet and not real-life, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. I don't tell people about it because there's a fine line between being happy for yourself and just bragging and I don't quite know how to get around that line in conversation. It's just not something I'm comfortable discussing with friends/family/acquaintances. But this is my blog, and honestly, I worked really hard for that 4.0, and it's important to me. So yeah.

And because I think I look AWFUL in graduation garb (seriously...I've been dreading wearing a cap and gown again ever since I graduated from high school), I'm going to share with you the pictures from my Texas A&M Honors ceremony the day before graduation. You know, just so you don't think I look like a black elephant all the time.

Ahh family. This is only like half of the people that were there! I have a huuuuge wonderful extended family.

"Now we've both graduated. I think that means we're allowed to get married."

Isn't my Grandpa the cutest???

Anyway, I'm so happy to finally be in the same city as Jeff. With the exception of two months in 2007 and 2008, we've never been in the same location at the same time, so this is really exciting. Also, I'm now living in Houston, which is where the wedding is, so it's going to make the last couple months of planning so much easier!

Get ready for lots and lots of wedding posts coming your way...with barely over two months until the wedding, it's crunch time!!