Graduation Trip - Second Leg - Day 2

Thursday was graduation day! Upon arriving at campus, I put on my cap and gown and found the perfect spot to take pictures: the chapel. 

The next step was graduation! I got to have my name called as I walked across the stage. It was such a surreal experience. I had worked on this goal for almost 10 years. I couldn't believe I was finally on stage getting my degree. As my name was called and I shook hands with various professors, tears welled up in my eyes. I deserved this. I officially have documented proof that I am smart!

After graduation, we took pictures and went to lunch before Marleah and her kids made their way home, and Chad and I headed back to the hotel room to rest a bit and plan the rest of the day. 

Later in the day, Chad and I went to Bear World. We heard of Bear World from my sister's co-worker. Originally, we were supposed to go with her family, but it was too pricey for them. It sounded like fun, so we went before dinner. Bear World is a sanctuary of sorts in which we drove a windy path at 5mph and watched the bears sleep and play. It took about 5 or 10 minutes to driver through. When we were done, we went to the petting zoo and gift shop (we are suckers gift shops). Overall, I would say that it was fun, but it was not worth the price. If it had been about $30 per car, it would have been totally worth it but charging that much per person was a bit of a rip off. I'm glad we didn't have anyone else with us, making it cost even more. 

Graduation Trip -Second Leg- Day 1

 Our next stop was in Rexburg, Idaho, which is a small town that really only has BYU-Idaho and a few other things in it. We stayed in a hotel just on the other side of the highway from the town. It was nice, simple, small town. 

The main thing in Rexburg is the university. That was ok because the main reason for our visit was to visit the BYUI for graduation activities. On Wednesday, we started the day going to the school to pick up my cap, gown, and sash as well as verify my address. This was my first time on campus. I was so excited to see it and walk around the campus!

After leaving, we went to a place that I have heard of many times and wanted to see what all of the hype was about: Swig. We don't have places like this really other than a coffee place that sells dirty sodas. I ordered a Cherry Bomb which was a Pepsi with coconut water and cherry syrup. It was ok, but I was a bit disappointed. For something called "Cherry Bomb," it tasted nothing like cherry. There was so much coconut in the soda that it was all I could taste. I'll go back to Ziggy's any day before I go back. I guess it would have been wonderful had I wanted something specifically coconut flavored. 

Around lunch time my sister and her kids arrived in Rexburg, and we went for pizza. Then we went to the Legacy Flight Museum.

We were there for about an hour before heading back to the hotel to nap before dinner. We had a quick dinner at Applebee's before going to Grad night in which the president and his wife spoke to us and answered questions. At the end, we were able to get a picture with them. As we walked out, Chad got a big cinnamon roll that was almost as big as his head! Then, we headed back to the hotel. I dropped him off and picked up Marleah to have dessert and one on one sister time. 

Marleah and I went to Chocolate Plunge, a cute little dessert shop in which you can order a variety of things dipped in chocolate and covered in things such as nuts and drizzled with sauces like caramel or marshmallow. I had a soft serve ice cream cone, dipped in chocolate, rolled in peanuts, and drizzled in caramel. It was very good! Unfortunately, it was so big that I had to throw some of it away. Marleah had cheesecake dipped in chocolate. I'm not sure what else she had on it. We agreed that we wished there was something like this in each of our towns. When we were done, we went back to the hotel and agreed on what time we would meet for breakfast in the morning. 

Marleah’s Hat

 

I finished Marleah’s hat yesterday while watching conference. This hat was so much fun to knit! I’m a bit sad I’m done and have to go back to knitting a biting one for my nephew. I may do this one again for myself even though I try not to knit the same thing more than once unless it is socks. Of course, I broke this rule when I made the beanies for the kids this summer. We’ll see if I still feel this way when I finish the other projects I have planned. 

The Call I Needed

Yesterday, I got to see my Eric. His phone had broken, and we needed to get him a new one. We ended up getting him one of the cheapest phones at the TMobile store because I still have 4 payments left on the one he had, and I still need to buy birthday presents for Sean. He was ok with it and fully understood the reasons. I love when he calls me or wants to see me. I don’t care what the reason is for this to happen. I also like knowing that he still needs me in some little way. (I know he is an adult, but I will always be his mom.) When we were done, I didn’t want to let him go. I knew I would miss him even though I will see him again on Monday. 

This morning I was missing everyone it seemed as I sat at home working with Chad at work at Noel at school. I miss Eric, my dad, my stepmom, and my sister (mostly my sister). Then, I remembered Marleah doesn’t leave for work until about 10am, so I called her. We talked for a little while, and it was wonderful! I needed to just sit and listen to her tell me about my niece and nephew for a while. I needed her to tell me how life in another state was going. I just needed to feel that connection with my sister. It’s hard for her to be so far away as our children are growing up. I never imagined her being gone so long. 

My Sister

 

Marleah, her kids, and our dad

My sister and I have lived through some tough things together. Through it all we have remained close. She moved out of state about 4 years ago, but we do our best to talk at least once a week. Lately, we have called each other almost everyday. When school starts back up, it will be harder to talk to each other again (she’s a bus driver). I’m kind of dreading that, but I’m going to enjoy our conversations until then. I wish she still lived close enough for me to see her more often. 

I’m Happy

I love knitting, and I love sales. Today, I get to combine the two. I went to Hobby Lobby to get yarn for a beanie Noel requested for all of her summer camping trips this year, and found out the yarn was on sale. That meant I could buy yarn for Eric, Sean, and Marleah as well all at the same time. (I know. I probably would have anyway.) I also picked up some for myself along with interchangeable needles and stitch markers. I am excited to get started! Knitting is my happy place!