Graduation Glee :)

Okay, I know last time I was a little bit of a downer. Don't worry, this time I'm in a better mood. 

And here's part of the reason why!

Emma is so thoughtful. And when I was having a hard time last week she surprised me with this. So cute and I was so thankful for the gesture!

 This is what happens when you put Jakey's face in the face changer thing on the photo booth on my computer... hahaha!

 I figured out why Dallin didn't talk about his trip to see Cirque du Soleil with work! (He told me it was weird and changed the subject because he wanted to surprise me and take me!!!) 

They came and performed at the Maverick center, and I can honestly say it was the most captivating thing I've ever seen. There was always so much going on, such cool costumes, lighting, fog, props, tricks! Holy cow. Blew my mind. My favorite parts were these guys swinging around on silks and this one trapeze chick. AND WE WERE ON THE 3RD ROW!!!! and he got me a huge ice cream cone... He knows just how to make me happy.  It was just one of those things I never thought I'd do, so it was so cool to see it up close in real life.

 With the help of Mr. David Graff, we conquered the concrete!

You can see here the mountain of concrete we removed. Dallin lost is indoor hands :/

It was so good to have his help because we couldn't have done it without him. Afterward we went to costa vida and napped because it was such hard work!

 I love having our desks next to each other. When I had articles to do and Dallin was playing his game, it was so cute that the kids were cuddling by us.

My coworker Ashlee is getting Married! 

She's getting married in June and I can't believe how soon it already is. She had a cute shower and it was so fun! Her family is so funny. We made lingerie out of toilet paper, and of course my team won! She also put on her mom's wedding dress, and I thought it was pretty in a vintage-ey way. It was like my mom's in a lot of ways (haha those hats!)

Can you believe I graduated?

I've had my diploma for a while, but being able to walk in the graduation ceremony really sealed the deal and made it feel so much more rewarding. I'm so glad I pushed through the thousands of times I wanted to quit. It was so good to see my Dad and Shelly who came in from NE to come to my graduation. As part of my graduation present they took us to costco! I feel so lucky to have the family I have. They're so supportive to come, and they did so much to help me get through school too.

The official announcement!

Beware...graduation photo overload ahead. (And this isn't even all of them!)

Just a little journaling/thoughts about this experience

No matter what happens in my career, or my life, I will always be proud of my degree. I switched my major a million times, griped about the tuition, had horrible teachers, amazing teachers, made friends, and consistently surprised myself with what I was capable of. This was where I earned my very first ever A in a math class, my first 4.0, met the love of my life, and wrote papers as long as dissertations. At the times when it sucked or when I had a hard time finding a job, I thought college degrees were over-rated. But looking back, there's no way I'd be the person I am today without the college experience. My first year I learned hard work. Not the "pretend you're working and skate by" kind of work, but real work. Math and science were really hard for me, and I really pushed myself. I wrote a 20 page paper for English, had my first experiences with literally studying all night long, and moved away from home. My second year I learned to follow my heart, make friends, and decide who I am as a person. I competed in my first pageant, started dating Dallin, went to the U for a quick semester, and came right back. The next year was my year as a dance major. I learned that I can do anything I set my mind to, my creative voice is worth listening to, and having confidence in yourself is what makes you happy, not comparing yourself to others. Next was my year doing solely health and education classes, and this taught me the true wonders of the human body and the real difference you can make as a teacher. I learned better social skills, more confidence and creativity, and again, I worked my butt off. In student-teaching, I discovered my passion for teaching and learned to see the good in each and every student. It taught me patience and the true joy of absolutely loving what you do. 

Sometimes I've compared myself to doctors, lawyers, astronauts, or inventors and down-played what I've accomplished. In the grand scheme of things, does competing in Miss Utah really even matter if I didn't even place? Or that measly little A in an entry level math course? If the goal is to contribute to the world, that certainly won't cut it. What I've realized though, is that regardless of what other people have done, I know more than anybody what was hard for me. Every one has their own battles, so if someone else was able to do what I did easily, that doesn't make it any less of an accomplishment for me to do it if it was hard. I've decided that the little things DO and SHOULD matter and be celebrated, because my soul simply wouldn't be in tact at all if I never allowed myself to be proud of what I've accomplished. No matter how small it may seem in comparison to what others have done, I know what it took for me to get up the courage to dance in front of hundreds, the hard work it took to get an A in anatomy, and the determination to keep going when I was told I'd fail. People like me all over the world accomplish "mediocre" things every day that are actually amazing things that just aren't given enough credit. Doing pageants taught me that setting goals for myself regardless of the outcome is the most rewarding thing you can do, and I think that's what happened when I look back on my degree. They might seem like huge things to some, or small things to others, but I knew what would push me to become better, and I'm proud to say I did exactly that. I became more emotionally capable, proved my own insecurities wrong, and learned I can do things that seem impossible at the beginning. My family, friends, and dallin helped me do it all, and I know I couldn't have gotten through the hard times without them. Mitt Romney was my favorite speaker. He inspired me to do what I love, work harder, dream bigger and love deeper. 

After that weekend, we were pooped. 

This me and the kids watching the office.

 How 'bout that infamous fight of the decade, huh?

I don't understand boxing, and that restaurant had terrible service, but it was fun that we got to go experience something new, be with friends, eat free food, and watch people punch each other. haha the farthest my experience goes with boxing was the marathon of Rocky movies I watched as a teenager.

 This beautiful rainbow was out while we were at my Mom's celebrating the graduation by eating Breakfast! (the best food there is)

 And the winner for Best Husband of the Year award goes to......

Dallin Graff! He sent me this beautiful bouquet at work for no reason, out of the blue! It's so much cooler getting them at work than at home for some reason, and it really surprised me! They are so beautiful. He's so thoughtful and loving, and random stuff like this might actually mean more than special occasions, even if we do more on special occasions. 

 Summer is coming!

The weather has been so good lately and the kids haven't been going to my mom's as much so we've been going on walks a lot. (And bike rides) It's been good to familiarize with the area and they love it. They can walk without the leash too! (Top right exhausted, bottom left Kevin and dallin with the kids in the beautiful scenery on a walk)

 Best Pedicure of my life. With the best company!

Aubrey and I got together, and I'm so glad we did because she's such a fun-loving, positive person to be around and she's such a great sister in law and friend. Anyway, we just picked a random place, but it turned out to be the most relaxing pedicure I've ever had! They dipped our feet in wax and massaged and gave us designs, all included in the regular price! Whaaaaat? They turned out really cute too. I wish Aubrey wasn't moving to Hawaii soon :( 

 Emma got her surgery!

Emma had to have surgery on her feet, and I went over to watch a movie and catch up. We watched the Time Traveler's Wife and I tried to avoid openly weeping in front of her....

Hopefully she has a speedy recovery :( She needs those feet for so many upcoming things like prom and graduation! and the wretched stairs at school! lol

Okay, this is going to sound like I'm being sarcastic, but I promise, this is not sarcasm!

Dallin reached the Diamond level in his video game! Good Job Dallin! For those of you who don't know, Diamond is the highest level, and out of the billions of people who play the game, he is in the top 300 or something like that. So, I take back all my statements about him being a dork lol however, I still refuse to accept that this game is considered an "E-sport." If you don't have to exercise, it's not a sport. Anyway, now he's going to start streaming and making money with playing! Who'da thunk he'd be up there with the professionals! Very impressive. This is him with Kevin playing. 

We got dirt and sod for the yard and it's finally going in! Woo hoo! Either that sod is heavier than it looks or I'm out of shape...

I had a considerably better couple of weeks, and I'm pretty grateful for everything that's goin' for us right now. It's pretty rare for me to feel content, but I am for the time being so we'll see how long that lasts until I'm onto my next project. lol
-Syd :)