Another Chance Ranch

Graduation Day

Date:  Saturday, December 16, 2006 
Event: Oklahoma State University Commencement ceremonies
Location:  Stillwater, OK
Graduate:  ME!

The day's events started with a luncheon put on by the Business college for its graduates and their families.  My parents, McD and I had lunch and then went wandering around campus.  This was my parents first trip to the campus and they wanted to see where I practically lived for 2 years. 

Next came the commencement.  For some reason I was very emotional, so I was focusing on not crying.  I was doing really good until McD called me.  I had just put my phone in my back pocket, zipped up my gown, and put my medal on.  Then my hiney started vibrating.  My phone was ringing and I was having a hard time getting to it.  When I called him back he told me that I would never guess who was sitting next to him.  I hate little guessing games in the middle of big events, but I played along. I didn't get it right though.  One of the directors on his board and his girlfriend had come to seem me graduate.  I was shocked! I almost cried.  But I held it in.  Then I'm sitting there during the ceremonies gawking around because we could hardly hear the speaker and I noticed another one of McD's directors.  I almost cried again.  But again, I gained my composure. 

McD was in charge of the camera that day.  He was asked several times by family members if he was really supposed to have my "baby" (camera).  I had coached him on how to take the photos right before I left them to find seats.  Here is what he got:

This is part of the gym floor.  This photo shows about a third of all the chairs for the grads. 

This is the beginning of the line.  This was the HES grads, next came the Engineering grads and then us Business grads.  You know they saved the best for last.

Can you pick me out of the crowd?  I know there are a few of you that will spot me immediately.

These are the Deans, speakers, President Schmidly, etc. 

This is my friend, Ndeye.  We had a couple of classes together.  She is a super sweet girl and I will miss her.  She is an international student and will be headed home around March.  I hope we can keep in touch.  She was right before me in line and in the previous photo she was sitting at the end of our aisle.

Here I am right after receiving my diploma cover.  They were so nice and put a photo of the library in our diploma covers.  Like we want to remember our time in that place.  HA!  Just kidding.  The library is a very nice building.  One day I hope to go over there and run around campus just taking different photos, and I that is one building I want to photograph. 

I thought about doing a dance, but I decided to just wave at the family. 

Then I waved at the director and his wife that I spotted while gawking around.  All of McD's directors and their wives have been very supportive during my whole college experience.  This particular director even helped me do homework while we were at different annual meetings.  He is a math whiz and actually explained things better to me than my professor did. 

Ndeye and I are at the end of the aisle in the center of the photo.  We had just switched our tassels over and officially become OSU Alums. 

It's Over! I Made It!

WOOHOO!!!!!

As you can see.  I have less than 4 months to go before graduating!  Gotta love those tickers!

I made it through my classes today.  I wondered about the first two.  I was a bit concerned, but now I feel much better.  Here are my classes with a brief bit about today.

1)  Cost Accounting.  Dr. LiLi Eng, from Thailand.
She speaks English fairly well.  Have heard her class is fairly easy.  Lots of homework!  But each homework is only worth 5 points. 

2)  Futures & Options - and for a couple of readers out there - NO! I am not going to invest in the soybeans!  You know who you are, and there is no need for further explanation.  No more Beans!  (Especially if they do to you what they do to Willowtree!) (I know, I know - different kind of bean!)

Now this professor walked in wearing deck shoes, khaki pants and a peachy orange linen shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest (maybe an inch above his man boobs).  Not an attractive guy.  We thought he was gay.  Seriously.  Then we saw his ring and thought maybe he is straight.  Then he announced he is married and has two kids.  He is Portuguese.  The only way to describe him is to say that half the time he sounded Portuguese.  One quarter of the time he sounded Scottish (he lived there for three years).  And the other quarter of the time he sounds like Julia Childs.  Yes, you read that right!  My friend Mrs. S and I tried really hard not to laugh.  He is kind of hard to understand.  This guys homeworks are only worth 1 point each.  And the minimum is three questions per homework.

3)  General Insurance - Funny American Professor.  Big Guy.  Likes to laugh!  Gotta love that. 

4)  International Finance - Nice, nice lady.  This is the first semester she has began making her classes write a term paper, instead of taking POP quizzes.  How cool is that?  I would much rather write a paper. 

5)  Health Insurance and Social Security Issues.  This is an Economics class and it sounds really, really interesting.  I am being serious here.  He is an older guy, very short (has hair), but you can tell he was a looker in his day!  Sweet man, and funny too!

I think it is going to be a good semester!  Everything seems to be fairly interesting so far.  So I know when I complain about how uninteresting it is or something like that, I am going to look at my little ladybug ticker (Did I mention I love ladybugs?) and see that I am almost out of there.  And then I will probably read several comments telling me to shut it.  I am counting on those comments.  :)