The Last of Minnesota Stuff: GRADUATION

FYI, this post is long.  Very, very long.  Lots and lots of pictures.  Nobody from either my or Dave's family were able to make it out to his graduation and I know his parents (and others, but especially his parents) would have really loved to be there.  So, I'm just trying to make them feel like they were.

Before graduation there was a luncheon at the football stadium club level something or other.  It was tubular.

Dave's class picture on the jumbo-tron.

 Miles and I hung out in the chairs overlooking the stadium while they did more adult-ish type things like a couple speeches and handing out some awards, etc.  I was really glad they were there to give him something to do.

The word on the street was that parking would be hard to come by so we decided to take the free University bus that went from where we lived to the school.  That meant we were going to have to fill up a couple to a few hours between the luncheon and graduation, but we went for it.   We walked around campus a little bit and went to the bookstore.  It was super.

Miles looks pretty stoked to be hanging out with that Minnesota golden gopher.

GRADUATION

Since we were on foot, I got to walk with Dave to the spot he had to report and button his buttons and wipe his nose and hang out before he went in.  'Twas also super.

The Before:

 No experience is complete without one...

 Miles wasn't all that into smiling at first...

 There we go.

After we parted ways I went into the arena and got settled.  That also means I took Miles in the stroller up the escalator, had the wheels get caught at the top dumping Miles forward, smashing my shins like nobody's business into the back of the stroller, having the person behind help me get unstuck and wheeling away with no tears or injuries aside from my smashed shins and the time I grabbed at Miles' face when I was trying to get a grip on something to lift the front of the stroller.  Needless to say, I was sweating.  Anyway, we parked the stroller, I loaded up with my big camera bag, my purse, Dave's suit coat and Miles in tow and we went allllll the way down alllllll the stairs.  I unloaded and sat down hoping to stop sweating SOON.  Ten seconds later, Miles told me he had to pee.  So I loaded everything back up and up, up, up the stairs we went!  Luckily a friend of mine was near the bathroom so I didn't have to take all my stuff in.  Whew!

They had this quartet playing until the commencement started.  It was quite lovely to have some entertainment while we waited for it to start.

Filing in:

 Located us.

 Getting in line for his turn.

 Up next.

The walk:

So the grads are supposed to file back out and meet their families at a different location, but Dave decide to break the rules.  It went something like this:

Saying hi to Miles...

Breaking out of the walk...

 Waiting for Miles to go ever so clumsily down the 5 or so stairs...

Getting his boy:

 Miles was really excited to see Dave and I'm sure he felt so special that he got to go down and see him.  It was a cute/special/memorable little moment.  I like Dave.  And Miles.

The After:

 HALLELUJAH.

Pretty sky.

 Look at those grubby, dirty little fingers from all the walking around Dinkytown/touching everything in sight.  Also loving the blue mouth form the sucker he ate during graduation.  So very well kept looking.

This is where and when Dave talked to his parents in Argentina, and where we waited for a bus that never came.  Since it never came, we had to walk all back through Dinkytown and catch a city bus.  We didn't get home until 9pm or something, so there was no celebratory dinner, but it was still a great and memorable day.  Dave has mentioned many a time in his first two weeks of work how GREAT it feels to just have to think about work and not work AND school.

Dave, you sexy Master of Healthcare Administration-- so proud of you for your accomplishment.  Especially proud of you for working the whole time and supporting us and balancing all those aspects of your life.  You da bomb.

SAYONARA SCHOOL!