Getting excited for graduation

As most of you know, I am graduating on Saturday. If you didn't receive an announcment, please don't take it as a slight - they are quite pricey so I was only able to buy 10. I am receiving my B.M in vocal performance, which I actually finished in March '06. I didn't apply for graduation then because I was still working on my music ed degree and didn't want to pay post-bac credits. Well, eventually I decided that there was no point in going even deeper into student loan debt in order to earn my education certificate that I don't intend to use any time soon and will expire in a few years. I was never excited about walking in the ceremony. I think graduation ceremonies are pretty boring, and it didn't feel to me like it had much of anything to do with my actual education. My senior recital was much more relevant to me - encompassing expressions of the instrument I had built, the musical knowledge I had gained, as well as the growth in my testimony. But it was really important to mom that she would be able to watch me graduate, so I said I'd be in the ceremony. She also helped me change my perspective on it when she brought up Baby Carolyn and how the pictures that will be taken that day of our little family and just her and I together will likely serve her in the future as she decides what to do with her life. I really am setting the standard that in the Cannon family, we believe in higher education and that Cannon women go to college (or beauty or culinary school, etc). So I began to see that it was important to do even though I was fine with my diploma just being mailed to me. Then I found out that DeLayna and I were going to be able to walk together, and that's when I started to get really excited. We both took detours with marriage and babies, and it's really cool to both of us that we get to walk together. It's interesting how many parallels we have in our lives, and it's always been that way. We both did the community college thing with emphasis in jazz. (She didn't go to CBC with me - she went to Edmonds Community College, where I attended jazz camp. Their pilot group is "Soundsation"). We both transferred to CWU with a huge upper hand in jazz and got immediately into VJ1, but had some make-up work to do in other areas which we both acheived, singing operatic roles as well as being section leaders in Chamber Choir. We experienced the all-encompassing passion for music that most majors feel, the stress of academic life, the uncertainty of single life, the intense desire for marriage and family. I remember there were times when we would talk about our dreams for the future and rub our empty wombs and mourn their emptiness. It was kind of a joke between us, but somewhat serious as well. We got to know eachother's families and became eachother's family away from family. We truly mourned with eachother and rejoiced with eachother. We got married less than a year apart, and had our daughters a littlle more than a year apart (15 mos). I coached her in her delivery, and she coached me in mine. So for us to walk in the same graduation ceremony is totally fitting and appropriate. Mom and Lisa are arriving tomorrow (Thursday), Dan & Jessica on Friday, and Dad Friday night into Seattle and then he will drive to E-burg Saturday morning. So I get to celebrate my graduation with them, as well as my birthday on Sunday. And I am always happy to have a reason to celebrate! I suppose I'm rather hobbit-like in that way. So yeah, I'm pretty excited. Now I just have to finishe getting ready for the festivities!