Daniel's Graduation

Well...he did it! It was touch and go for a bit this last grading period....but he pulled it off! Daniel graduated from high school!!!! Shawn and I are very proud of his hard work and smart choices. What takes most people four years to complete, Daniel did in three! He only went to high school for three years! He had a lot of wonderful teachers and friends that I know made his time at Ryan High School very enjoybale and very memorable for him.

We had a big turn out at the graduation ceremony. Relatives from both Shawn's side of the family and Daniel's mom's side of the family came out to see him walk across the stage. We were especially excited that Aunt Joy and Tiffany came in from Kingsland and that Grandpa Bob came all the way from New Mexico for the occasion! After the ceremony, pictures, and well-wishes, we all parted ways for the afternoon with plans to meet back up at our house later that evening for the party. Friends and family who weren't able to make it to the ceremony came over for the party too. Other out of town family members, inlcuding Shawn's mom, called during the party to give their congratulations. A fun time was had by all. And boy, did Daniel rake in the gifts! I think he counted over $400 in cash and gift cards. Grandpa Bob gave him a real nice watch. Daniel's mom gave him a cross necklace. Shawn and I had given Daniel his present, a digital camera. a couple of weeks early so that he could take it with him to prom. I also bought Daniel the book Oh the Place You Will Go by Dr. Seuss and had everyone at the party sign it for him. May not be much to an 18 year old kid now, but I hope that it will become a special treasure for him in the future.

It almost feels like the day after Christmas. All the planning, preperation, stress, and anticipation has come to an end. The party is over, the trash has been picked up, leftovers are in the fridge, pictures are being developed, thank you notes need to be written. (Is it bad that I gave him a little template to follow for those notes? ha ha ha!) Daniel has a little less than two months to enjoy this last summer of freedom before his new adventure in the Army begins.