Graduate, Schmaduate. 2015

After 9 semesters, 4 & 1/2 years of school, 11 roommates, two apartments, one house, lots of major papers, countless McDonalds runs, a handful of favorite professors, a case of viral meningitis, 6 jobs, 2 internships, midnight Denny's runs, 1 toga party, 5 new life-long friends, embarrassing hangover TacoBell, too many assignments to count, 1 major change (nursing to communication/PR), 5 trips to Vegas, one weird (ex)boyfriend, one attempt to be in a sorority, 2 big Superbowl parties, thousands of pictures, annual roommate Christmas parties, lots of all-nighters, too many tears, a couple of big meltdowns and freakouts (#dramaqueen), date nights, one wedding, a husband, a new last name, and many memories later. . .

I OFFICIALLY 100% GRADUATED!

My announcement, designed on Shutterfly and pictures by Paige Hurst Photography said "Natasha is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Communication, emphasis on Public Relations and Communication Studies" on the backside. Of course being a PR major, I had to use a hashtag. . .

Graduation was on Friday, May 1st and consisted of three major parts - walking under the bell tower & main commencement, the Humanities and Social Sciences College graduation, and my grad party with family in Grandma Fullmer's backyard. My parents were coming to town for the day (unfortunately my brothers were unable to make it because of a livestock show) and Michelle and Danny came to Cedar the day before graduation and were staying with us. The day before graduation was packed with work, a softball game, setting up for the party, picking up my cap and gown, Trev working and running errands for me, digging out my honor cords for being in Lambda Pi Eta, receiving my graduation outfit. . . I couldn't wait for the next 48 hours to be over! I woke up at 6:20 a.m. Friday morning to get ready, and discovered the dilemma that my head was much too big for my graduation cap. Ensue the tears and stress that my poor husband dealt with so calmly. Cami tacked my hat on with lots of bobby pins once we arrived at the school. Crisis averted.

Storytime: If you notice in the picture above, I don't have a lei on. In the bottom picture, I do have a lei around my neck. So before main commencement, Trev dropped Cami and I off at the school and then headed to meet my parents. They drove down to Cedar early that morning, and had to drop off the pulled pork at Grandma's house for the graduation party later that afternoon. I didn't even think to tell them - even Trev - to watch the procession underneath the bell tower. As freshman, SUU has the students walk underneath the bell tower to signify the beginning of their journey at SUU. It's superstitious to walk underneath the bell tower at any point during your time at SUU before graduation. As graduating seniors, you walk underneath the bell tower towards the arena to signify the end of your journey at SUU. Students line up in their individual colleges and are able to walk with their classmates. As cheesy as it is, it gave me goosebumps as we walked under the bell tower, hearing the bell tower chime away. As we continued our trek across campus towards the Centrum arena, Cami said, "Look! There's Trev and your parents!" Sure enough, I looked to my left and there was my handsome husband and my cute parents. Trev was smiling, Mom was crying, and Dad, my cute little emotional Dad, walked up to the line and placed the lei around my neck. I started tearing up - one of my requests for graduation was a lei, because I didn't get one for high school graduation. "Keep walking," Dad said, as he attempted to fix my hair and honor cords with the lei.  

Main commencement was packed with family, friends, professors, and graduates. Our commencement speaker was the Reverend Frances Davis, a black Baptist reverend from Salt Lake who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement. Despite a couple of hints at his disgust for the treatment of blacks, police brutality and imprisonment, and the riots in Baltimore, he gave a great speech. (My white-loving father-in-law wasn't impressed, hahaha.) Reverend Davis' speech focused on discovering the ABC's of life, and said that you're never done learning. My parents and Trev were the only ones who came to main commencement, because as my mother-in-law put it that morning, "I've already sat through one. Never again." After sitting through my own, I can't say I blame her. After commencement, we wandered around campus as I showed my parents around what had been my home away from home for the past four years.

Red, black, and white nails for graduation. (:

The Humanities and Social Sciences College graduation was at 2 p.m. in the Centrum. I walked next to and sat by my dear friend Tommy and boss/friend Trecia because we had all planned to do that for months. As we entered the Centrum, I could hear and see my family cheering for me. *Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.* The ceremony only last an hour and a half, and the Communication degrees were the first people to graduate. Art Challis, the Communication department chair, awarded the degrees. And, being the dummy that I am, I assumed that he would know how to pronounce Nuh-tah-sha, so I didn't phonetically spell it out on my name card. HA. Like most old people, he pronounced my name Nuh-taaaah-sha. I was too excited to walk across that stage that I didn't bother to correct him. 

Because Cami and I fell under the same college with our degrees, we didn't have to worry about not being able to see each other graduate.

Some of the Communication kids - my fellow classmates and friends.

Some of the Communication kids - my fellow classmates and friends.

Comm kids, ready to enter the Centrum.

HSS College Dean, Jim McDonald

 Best feeling in the world was receiving that empty red degree holder. (It sits pretty on my bookshelf, waiting for my real degree to arrive in the mail.) It was such a surreal feeling to know that finally, after all that hard work, I was done with my Bachelor degree. I was a college graduate, the first on both sides of my family and the first on Trev's side of the family.

Willowbrook crew forever. (:

My grandparents, Grandpa & Grandma Barnes, surprised me (and my parents) by driving down for graduation.

Grandma Fullmer

My parents, who paid my rent for three years, and supported me no matter what.

My cute in-laws - thanks for coming!

Green-Coburn family (:

Grandpa & Grandma Wade

My handsome husband <3

Our best adventures are yet to come, but I'm lucky to have you by my side.
Next up, let's get you YOUR degree.

Shoutout to my best friend, my Pretty Little Liars watching buddy, my little Mexican, my big boobed friend, my ex-roommate, my spicy chicken nugget eating, my Criminal Minds loving, chocolate thunder obsessed, my fellow graduate. Five years ago we were strangers, now I can't imagine my life without you. Here's to all the ups and the downs, the late nights, the stupid fights, the boys, the laughter, and everything else in between. We did it, Cam-Cam. Love you mucho!

I'm a dummy and didn't get a great picture of my cute dress and shoes from Maurices. 

Done. Done. DONE.

I invited my family and Trev's family to a little party at Grandma Fullmer's house after graduation. I went a little overboard and bought cute decorations from Party City (which I didn't get any pictures of). We had pulled pork sandwiches, chips, salads, drinks, and delicious Costco cake. I'm a lucky girl to be surrounded by lots of people who love and support me, and celebrate my accomplishments. After dinner, we had a rowdy game of volleyball. There'll be a lot of volleyballing in Grandma's backyard this summer. 

P.S. Best graduation present ever? My parents excused themselves from Grandma's house for about an hour, and Trev and I had no idea where they went. During the middle of a game, my mom called me and told me to come out front. I watched as my parents pulled up in my mom's two door Kia with a BBQ grill hanging out the door, held in by rope and my dad pulling the rope taunt from the backseat. You know you're a redneck when. . . hahaha. I was so happy about the grill that I forgot to get a picture. Trev was stoked about the grill - all of his BBQing dreams came true. 

Graduation was a long day, but is definitely going on my top 20 most memorable day list. It's fun for me to reminisce and think about how much has changed since my first day as a college freshman. Life is a funny thing, and I love all the ups, downs, twists, and turns. Here's to the next chapter in life. I'm an adult now, like for realz. (Because let's be honest, getting married doesn't make you an adult. ;))