Wow!  Things around here have been pretty crazy the latest couple of weeks as we prepared for my daughter Eyebright's graduation.   First we had a graduation BBQ that we invited over 90 people to and in which most of them showed up.  The weather had the audacity to storm and pour rain.  Everyone moved inside and finished up their dinner or dessert, watched Eyebright's slideshow, looked at her display table, chatted and then went home.  We had family from out of state here so they stayed with us.  It was fun having them but I was soooo tired I didn't feel like a very good hostess. 

Finally everyone left and we had two graduation ceremonies to attend.  One in the big city where we used to do most of our classes for homeschoolers.  The other here in our "new" town.  The first had 12 graduates and the second had 10.  (That's just the graduates that participated in the ceremony.) 

The whole thing was a pretty neat experience and it was interesting to see the difference between the two ceremonies.  The Big City graduation had cap and gowns, each student had to speak, as well as the parents.  Eyebright prepared a beautiful speech, I felt, and we were told so by many other participants at the ceremony.  The whole affair was very formal and much like a regular public school graduation. Only not so long, unless of course you had a graduating class of only 12.

The second ceremony the graduates chose to wear nice clothes and only caps so they could throw them.  Each graduate also had a slideshow and the parents spoke.  I liked this graduation ceremony much better but I definitely think gowns are the way to go.  It covers up bodies that are a little too revealed.   I'd also recommend taking along ear plugs, some of the music was LOUD and disorganizing to the brain.  I had a severe headache afterward.  My friend was there and she has hearing aids.  She told me she was grateful she could just turn her hearing aids off.  Normally when she does she takes them out so she can hear a little better but she left them in to help soften the blow to her ears.  

The slideshows themselves were WONDERFULL and so neat to see the baby pictures of the graduates and how young  the parents were, and to see them in "action" at their favorite activities and events. 

What I liked about both was how every single male grad cried. (Girls cried too, but the boys surprised me.) They were moved by their parents' speeches and all the grads thanked their parents for the sacrifices that had been made for them.  It was amazing to see that many students stand up in front of an audience of 300 people or so and say, "Thank you."  "I love you."  "I so appreciate what you did for me." 

Of course in the middle of all of this we had a day without internet at all and a power outage in the middle of that.  Right when we needed our computers of course. The next day we finally went over to my in-laws to use their internet just to catch up on e-mail. 

We survived it all!  It's done and unless BlueJane decides to accelerate her courses there won't be another graduation for four more years.  I think we will do the BBQ event again but I don't know if we will do the ceremony.  That's a little bit too much to ask of the people we love. 

Now, maybe life can go back to normal.  Yeah, riiighht.