Pomp and Circumstance

Dum-dum-da-da-da- dum-dum... Picture in your mind (oh, never mind.. there they are in the photo! That is Ike with the lei around his neck)the long line of students, robed in their green and white gowns (lovingly pressed by many mothers) walking to the strains of Pomp and Circumstance- that traditional processional which has ushered many a graduate from the safe realms of childhood into a yet unknown future. The audience rises to their feet and claps and cheers as their students enter the McKay Events Center at the UVSC campus. There is something about hearing this song being played that makes your life flash before your eyes and gives you cause to reflect and ask... "how did this day arrive so quickly?" "Are they ready for this?" And probably more accurately... "Am I ready for this?"

During the graduation program we got to hear from the Provo High School Wind Ensemble. There is Isaac in the green graduation gown and hat in the back middle playing percussion. They did a great job. That's one thing we forgot to take though... a pair of binoculars so we could see him from so far away! It's a lot different than my graduation back in North Dakota where we had 24 seniors and the ceremony probably took about half an hour!

The big moment arrives! Our senior is in the spotlight (and so far away you just have to take our word for it that this is really Isaac!) When they announced the name of the graduate they had a big screen that showed his senior photo next to a baby picture! It was fun to see how they had changed in 17-18 years!

Isaac walking back to his seat after receiving his diploma. Malina went down to the floor to snap this photo. I am not sure whether Ike is smiling because he finally graduated or because his family was yelling, "Go white stallion!" from up in the bleacher seats! Some people blow air horns, some ring cow bells or whistle but our family has a tradition of yelling that phrase whenever one of our kids does something special! It's a long story of how it started, but many of our children have had to endure the embarrassment of having their parents and siblings yell that during parades or other public events!

Pondering and Pontificating

Ike contemplates the meaning of life now that he has his diploma.. sharing words of wisdom that he has gleaned from his 12 years of educational experience.

"Hey! Where's my diploma? They forgot to put it in here!"

(when they handed back their gowns, they got the real diploma)

After the graduation ceremony, all the parents wandered aimlessly looking for their graduates while the graduates wandered aimlessly looking for their parents! It took us awhile before we finally linked up with Isaac and went outside for some photo moments. We grabbed a stranger to take a picture of the whole family and when he pushed the shutter he said, "Say Texas!" in a southern drawl and we all cracked up! It was almost like having Jake with us, hearing that accent!

Here is the special graduation cake and other fun stuff. The leis were from the Haws' and and another Polynesian friend. We still have cake if anyone wants a piece! Come on over!

Candy Bar Poster

Look! the traditional "candy bar poster" for graduation!
Now Ike is guaranteed not to go hungry for at least a couple of days!

After the grueling 3 hours of listening to speeches and watching 360 graduates accept their diplomas it was time to relax in the back yard with a barbecue. There were lots of good things to eat and fun company to visit with. We wished our other children could have been with us also but time and distance didn't allow it this time. It's hard to gather your chicks again once they have scattered!

The last Nielson graduate!

The big day finally arrived- May 26th- graduation day for our baby, Isaac! It's hard to believe how fast time has gone since we welcomed this sweet little boy into our family! It's obvious that he didn't stay little! He's right up there with his brothers, Andrew and Jacob. Grandma and Grandpa Nielson came from Colorado and Sarah and Darin came from Idaho for the special event. The weather was beautiful... 90 degrees and breezy. We were lucky to have great weather Friday and Saturday because Sunday we had rain, hail and temperatures in the 30's during the night! The rose arbor bloomed in all it's glory just for a prop for this graduation photo!