A Student No More

Last weekend Hubs, my brother and I traveled to western PA to celebrate the graduation of my oldest child.
Our money Our son spent 4 years at this school.....HERE.

Brother drove up from VA on thursday.  Like his car?

He bought it used.
Like brother, like sister.....lol

On Friday we made our journey to the left side of the state, a 5+ hour drive.

I picked up oldest son a graduation gift when we stopped about halfway for gas.
I think it's something he will use and will be handed down as a family heirloom in the future.....

(It's a flask keyring if you can't make it out in the photo.)
Hey!

I spare no expense for my kid.....

As quick as a flash, we were back on the road.....

Soon we were at the motel and Oldest Son drove over to see us.
Hadn't seen him since last Christmas.....

Since we were famished and hadn't had lunch yet, we went here to eat.....

No photos of us shoving food into our mouths today, sorry.

Then it was quickly over to the University for the Convocation Ceremony.  Oldest was graduating with Honors so he had to be there to get his honors stole.
I'm still getting use to my new camera so this shot is a little dark and I missed him shaking hands with the President or whoever that was in the fancy dress and blinged out necklace.....

And this shot is 2 seconds too late since he's got the stole on already and was boogeying outta there so fast he was a blue......

Here is Oldest with his proud parents afterwards....

And with his proud Uncle......

Then we had dinner with our almost graduate at the Dinor in the college town.
Not a DINER, a DINOR.
Don't ask, it's a western Pennsylvania thang.....

Fanciest Diner OR Dinor I ever ate at.  An actual "chef" in the kitchen fixing us the night's special of Steak Diane.
Steaks that were overcooked and we sent back.
Hey, if we've spending $17.95 a pop and it's not done correctly, we send it back.
Wouldn't you?!
Then it was off to the liquor store for supplies. ;-)

That night we went to meet the grandparents of Oldest's girlfriend....the folks they have both been living with this school year.
It was a nice visit with some good people.

Saturday morning we were up and out to the University bright and early.  The ceremony started at 10am but the venue(the school's Fieldhouse)opened at 8:30am.  We had to get there early so we could get a seat on the ground floor of the bleachers.  Lugging my oxygen tank cart, I didn't need to be climbing stairs.
I sure wish I had thought to bring a cushion of some kind as the ceremony went 2.5 hours but since we got there at 8:30am, the 4 HOURS on that hard wooden bleacher was less than kind to my ass!
But I didn't complain......much......

They had two screens up above the stage.  One was used to simulcast the ceremony for those in the nosebleed seats in the back and the other was used to flash all the graduates degrees/schools/honors before the ceremony started.
Here's Oldest son's name....

It's blurry because it was starting to change as I snapped the photo so it's a double exposure....agh.
Here is the Honors board......

He's listed under Magna Cum Laude but he actually graduated Summa Cum Laude.  He had a borderline Magna vs. Summe GPA going into the last semester and with his 4.0 for that term, it pushed him above a 3.8.


Right at 10am we heard what sounded like cats being tossed in a burlap sack.
Pretty soon we saw that it was just the processional group......

And here come the drums.....

What other university do you know that has a full ride scholarship for a bagpiper....outside of Scotland, that is.....

Then the guy came with the big stick.....I wonder if he walked softly.....

We sat and sat.....and sat some more.
Then the Commencement speaker spoke.....

Not a celebrity and no one that any of you would recognize her name.  She's a bigwig in the state education game so let's move along, shall we?

Then after some more people speaking, a choral piece, some more people speaking and a band performance and yet ANOTHER person speaking, they got down to the important business of the day--the handing out of diplomas.
Of course, Oldest son's college, The College of Education, was the next to last group to be called up.
So after about 550 of the 600+ conferees, they got to Oldest.
As the conferees took the stage the screens overhead had a video of each kid saying his/her name, where they were from and what degree they were getting.  Oldest said that they filmed these without warning the students about it so he looked like the Unibomber in his video with a ratty old flannel shirt and a beard on his face.
Hey!
It gets freaking cold up there in the winter so he stops shaving for a few months.

I had Hubs go forward and try to get a shot of Oldest son being handed his diploma but well, Hubs is a worse photographer than me so we don't have one.
But we do have this one after he came off the stage......

The white stole is for Magna Cum Laude honors and the red and white cords signify Departmental Honors.  He also was inducted into Phi Alpha Theta (the History Honor Society)last Spring.

Pretty soon, after I could feel my ass again, it was off for traditional photos with the family in front of the ginormous "Fighting Scot" statue.  Sorry Mel G., this Scot is much better.

First the parents......

Then with the Uncle.....

Then with the girlfriend.....

Now for the gratuitous silly photos.
Oldest son with his friend contemplating their futures....

Then with the 'rents again with mom making bunny ears....

 After a late lunch at Calamari's with Oldest and ten of his family and friends it was back to the motel room to celebrate our new graduate.
Oldest arrived with goodies in hand......

After a few hours it was time for snacks.
Pizza, anyone?

After a night of wild debauchery.....ok, not really unless you think eating 3 pieces of pizza is crazy......we were up bright and early, if NOT bushy tailed.
First on the itinerary was a hearty breakfast with Oldest and his girlfriend at a local dive dinor eating establishment, Libby's Chowhound Café.
The meals were HUGE!
2 pancakes as big as my head, 2 eggs and 4 strips of bacon.  I wept as I gave away some of that bacon to the Hubs.....sniff.......
Here we are afterwards.  We can barely fit into the shot....lol

After the photo we said our goodbyes and began the 5+ hour journey home.
Well, we did make a stop at the Outlet Mall on the way home so I could buy a purse.
Yah.....that's my story.....a bought A purse.
Not three like some people might tell you if asked.
One purse.......
Really!
Just one.
Or maybe not just one...... 8-))

So that's the story.
And I didn't cry for real even one time.....well, not in front of anybody at least.

So we have one child off the family payroll.
Two more to go.....lord help me......

Sluggy