Thursday, May 16, 2013

Sunrise...Sunset...Sunrise

Well, we finally got it done, at 9:57 on May 14, 2013 my daughter officially graduated from Grand Junction High School and became....

 
..uuuhhhmm, a graduate.
 
When I took this picture, high school wasn't even on the horizon, not even a thought.



 By the time elementary school was in full swing, it still seemed really far away.


 
Then, at the 5th grade program at the end of the year, the kids all came out wearing these t-shirts and it hit me really hard.
I had never even calculated the year she would graduate, and there she was all ready to go.

 
Middle school seemed to fly for me, (probably not for Emily, since she hated it). Before we knew it she was graduating at the top of her class from middle school.
 Four long, and at the same time, not so long years later, she was all done with high school.
AMAZING!!!
Over her high school years she performed over 250 hours of community service, was a member of the National Honors Society, received 3 academic letters with gold star (missed the fourth year only because she had seminary and was aiding for a class and wasn't considered a full time student), had received an outstanding science award her junior year, The Ronald Reagen Leadership Award her senior her, had belonged to the knitting club, the art club, the chess club, German club, the math club, the anime club, and even played a year of tennis. She graduated from four years of seminary and was asked to speak in Seminary graduation (which she gave a wonderful talk). Overall, we are pretty proud of our self proclaimed nerd daughter.
One of the very best things to come out of high school was Emily's friend Miss Morgan Ham, what a wonderful young woman and we are so glad these two have had so much fun for the last four years.
 
So we had a little party to celebrate last Saturday, Emily had asked for a Tardis cake, (I didn't know what that was, but Scott filled me in). My niece Allison spent 9 hours making this incredible cake for her.


 
Emily was really excited when she saw the cake, and not only did it look awesome, it tasted even better. Thanks Allison.
 
Sunday night was Baccalaureate, practice on Monday, and then on Tuesday morning....
 
 


 



 






 
Congratulations Emily, we are so incredibly proud of you and so grateful that you are our daughter. The end of one journey and the other is just dawning. In ten days Emily leaves for three weeks in Germany with her exchange family. Then in September, it is off to college.  Emily is a little melancholy about leaving high school, she seemed to just be getting the hang of it. But better things are out there, I don't think anyone should ever believe that their best days were in high school. Life is to marvelous to not simply enjoy every minute.
 
So to the future....