Graduation: The Day Finally Came

So the day that I have been looking forward to has finally come: GRADUATION. Surprisingly, I was not as emotional as I thought I would be. The night before I went to Desalyn's party (which was lots of fun) and didn't get home until 12:30 which meant I went to bed at 1:45. Lucky for me I had to wake up bright and early at 6:00. However, I woke up just like normal, made sure my hair looked perfect, did my makeup and headed off to graduate. To me going to graduation was more like going to a band concert or some other formal event. It didn't really hit that it was one of those major moments of life. I got to the James Brown Arena around 8 so I had time to snap a couple of pictures with my friends. Then after I took some pictures, I headed around the arena to the ramp where all the other graduates were waiting. Before I got down into the pit area, my next door neighbor stopped me to hug me & wish me well. It seemed odd that after over 12 years of living next door to her, my time would end. Then I headed down to the pit area. I made sure that I saw all of my friends as we waited to enter the stage. Then as we lined up and waited to walk out, we played zoo. It's crazy how many seniors graduated. Then it was finally the time to walk onto stage. I could hear pomp and circumstance in the background. Surprisingly, considering that I was standing in front of over 1000 people, I was not nervous. I thought I would cry, but after I saw all the parents & family members in the crowd, bright eyed and bushy tailed (lol), I actually felt happy and proud to be the center of attention in this event. Jenny, my line partner, and I made a handshake that we did before entering our separate rows. The rest of the ceremony sorta flew by. The chorus sang a song that, I will be honest, almost made me shed a tear or two. The Valedictorian and Saludatorian did their speeches. Our speaker spoke (lol sorry for no specifics). Then it was time for me to walk across the stage. My legs began to shake as they came closer to my name. I screamed for allof my friends. Then it was my turn. I saw my family and friends as I walked up the stares, making sure to not trip up the stairs. Then I quickly walked across and shook everyone's hands. It was really that easy!