Pomp and Circumstance

Cristina had just celebrated her 11th birthday when I started dating her big brother. Now?

Well, now, she's a high school graduate. She'll be heading off to college in August.

Excuse me while I go apply wrinkle cream and join AARP.

I kid, I kid. But it does make me feel old. I sat at her graduation ceremony and thought, "Holy crap, these kids look like 8th graders." And then I asked myself, quite a few times, "What the hell is that kid wearing?! How is that appropriate for a graduation?"

See? OLD.

Did I mention that she was valedictorian? Out of approximately 400 kids in her class, she had the best GPA. So, um, yeah. We're just a little bit proud of her, you see.

And I'm a wee bit scared of her, too.

But it's all good, folks. She's heading off to pharmacy school. In about six years time, she'll be able to hock us all kinds of prescription meds. Now there's someone you want to have in the family.

OK, I'm kidding again. Sort of.

But back to being serious.

I have enjoyed watching Cristina grow up. I may not have been there from the very beginning, but I'm proud to have been there for the real formative years. She's transformed from the cute kid to the snotty middle-schooler to the moody teenager. (Thankfully, none of that snot or mood was ever really directed at me! It was reserved for her parents, ha!)

Now, she is officially a young woman! I can't wait to see who she becomes next. (And the drugs. I look forward to the drugs.)

I was honored to be asked to help Cristina out with her graduation speech, and she did a great job with it--both writing and delivering it. Watching her up there, I'm not going to lie: I teared up a little. Mostly, it was pride. But I was also a little bit jealous of these kids.

It was an awesome feeling, graduating from high school, knowing the possibilities were endless and you had your whole life ahead of you. Not only your whole life, but YOUR COLLEGE YEARS. Hellooo! We're talking the best years of one's life! I miss those days, and probably always will.

At least I now have someone to live through vicariously, right?

I was able to get all these photos (and more) of her up on stage, even though our seats were less than ideal, thanks to the telephoto lens that we borrowed.

Speaking of which, I have to give a big WTF to her high school... if a kid goes through all the trouble of being awesome for four years and is named valedictorian, don't you think her family should get reserved seating to witness this blessed event?!

Yeah, me too. *shakes fist at the damn high school*

We have just two months left with her so close to home. She's only going to college about an hour away, but it definitely won't be the same! We still have her graduation PARTY to look forward to, though.

Congratulations, Cristina. We're so proud of you. And we wish you the brightest future possible.

<3