What a chaotic week! 

Finals week tends to be that way, I guess.

Phew. Glad it's over.

More so, I'm glad I'm graduated.

Dad and Garrison were there for the "walk"

and it was such a joy to know they were 

there watching and supporting me.

I really wish the rest of my family could've been

there, but they were in spirit and that was enough for me.

So many emotions go through your mind on days that

you're supposed to remember "forever" and it's really

quite cumbersome to think "I've got to remember this detail

and remember to write this down-oh, don't fill your memory

with this you'll always have that memory make sure to remember

this." And so it goes. Things you swear will never leave your

mind suddenly are gone and you're left thinking--I spent HOW

long getting ready only to put on a sheet to cover everything 

up? Let's not forget those lovely cardboard hats--aren't they 

just the cherry on top of the "it" look that every girl is just

dying to get right on graduation day. Needless to say, the

things I really wanted to remember and document I've since

forgotten. Luckily, I have pictures. They show how happy

I was to be the first grandchild in our family to graduate from

college. They show how proud my Dad is of his first child

graduating from college. And they also show how proud

Garrison is of me and how much he truly loves me.

The emotions of that day were immense. I think part of me

was so long at getting ready because I just wanted to delay

the process--it didn't feel real anyway. But it was. 

I was going to my very own college graduation.

The things I clearly remember from that day, in no 

particular order are as follows--I had a very stuffy nose,

I was really missing my blow dryer, thoughts of my family--

especially how small Amelia is and how she's growing up

so fast, texting my mom and telling her I loved her, Garrison

putting my bracelets on, Dad asking me if I was going to be late

to my own graduation, all of the semesters of moving around,

being scared of teachers only to love them, six months ago I 

married Garrison, a year ago I finished my first semester at BYU,

the friends I had made at BYU and the influence they had on my

life, the support from back home, the smell of the leis around my

neck, the desire to eat the candy on my leis, the fact that I wished

my last name was something other than S (I walked as Shilling

not as Burton), the cheesy jokes by the Dean of Humanities made

me think my Dad was slapping his forehead thinking "what on

earth was I paying for?!," I also wondered whether or not Dad

and Garrison understood the jokes and remarks spoken, I really

really wanted something to eat--thought about eating parts of

the lei NUMEROUS times, the thought of how incredible

it is for me to have the opportunity to receive a college

education was really impressed upon my mind, another 

thing that I was conscious of was how proud our Father 

in Heaven was of me for completing what I set out to do.

It truly has been a blessing to have the chance to finish my 

college education at BYU and although I joke about it at

times and really didn't want to transfer from ASU, it really

has been the best thing I've ever done. I've grown so much

in the past year and I've learned more than I ever thought 

I could. Now, that I've finished this chapter of my life, I

am looking forward to the future. It's bright. It's wonderful.

It's going to be the best part of my life. 

What a chaotic week! 

Finals week tends to be that way, I guess.

Phew. Glad it's over.

More so, I'm glad I'm graduated.

Dad and Garrison were there for the "walk"

and it was such a joy to know they were 

there watching and supporting me.

I really wish the rest of my family could've been

there, but they were in spirit and that was enough for me.

So many emotions go through your mind on days that

you're supposed to remember "forever" and it's really

quite cumbersome to think "I've got to remember this detail

and remember to write this down-oh, don't fill your memory

with this you'll always have that memory make sure to remember

this." And so it goes. Things you swear will never leave your

mind suddenly are gone and you're left thinking--I spent HOW

long getting ready only to put on a sheet to cover everything 

up? Let's not forget those lovely cardboard hats--aren't they 

just the cherry on top of the "it" look that every girl is just

dying to get right on graduation day. Needless to say, the

things I really wanted to remember and document I've since

forgotten. Luckily, I have pictures. They show how happy

I was to be the first grandchild in our family to graduate from

college. They show how proud my Dad is of his first child

graduating from college. And they also show how proud

Garrison is of me and how much he truly loves me.

The emotions of that day were immense. I think part of me

was so long at getting ready because I just wanted to delay

the process--it didn't feel real anyway. But it was. 

I was going to my very own college graduation.

The things I clearly remember from that day, in no 

particular order are as follows--I had a very stuffy nose,

I was really missing my blow dryer, thoughts of my family--

especially how small Amelia is and how she's growing up

so fast, texting my mom and telling her I loved her, Garrison

putting my bracelets on, Dad asking me if I was going to be late

to my own graduation, all of the semesters of moving around,

being scared of teachers only to love them, six months ago I 

married Garrison, a year ago I finished my first semester at BYU,

the friends I had made at BYU and the influence they had on my

life, the support from back home, the smell of the leis around my

neck, the desire to eat the candy on my leis, the fact that I wished

my last name was something other than S (I walked as Shilling

not as Burton), the cheesy jokes by the Dean of Humanities made

me think my Dad was slapping his forehead thinking "what on

earth was I paying for?!," I also wondered whether or not Dad

and Garrison understood the jokes and remarks spoken, I really

really wanted something to eat--thought about eating parts of

the lei NUMEROUS times, the thought of how incredible

it is for me to have the opportunity to receive a college

education was really impressed upon my mind, another 

thing that I was conscious of was how proud our Father 

in Heaven was of me for completing what I set out to do.

It truly has been a blessing to have the chance to finish my 

college education at BYU and although I joke about it at

times and really didn't want to transfer from ASU, it really

has been the best thing I've ever done. I've grown so much

in the past year and I've learned more than I ever thought 

I could. Now, that I've finished this chapter of my life, I

am looking forward to the future. It's bright. It's wonderful.

It's going to be the best part of my life.