diary//graduation

my high school graduation!

there aren't many pictures because we kind of forgot that pictures might be important. 

things you don't see: I did not wear a gown. I did however wear a cap. for five minutes. to get my diploma and turn the tassel. and that was it :D

things also got off to a disastrous start when people started getting here and I realized nothing was done.  and then the slideshow wouldn't work. and I had a last minute panic wondering if I should have written a speech or something. but everything turned out okay. :)

My Aunt Jen stalled for us while we tried to get the slideshow working and told cute stories about me when I was a kid. and my Uncle David refrained from telling his embarrassing stories. so all was right in the world.

then we showed the slideshow (finally!) and made all of the moms cry. I didn't give a speech. I just let the pictures and the music tell my story. then my mom got up all teary eyed and read me Yay, You! by Sandra Boynton (who wrote some of my favorite board books when I was a kid). and then everyone was crying. including me and mom and then she hugged me and it just made it worse.

then they handed me my diploma, I turned my tassel and people clapped and I wondered how red my nose was turning and if I had messed up my makeup. then we partied! 

kelley tied my shoes together. (converse heels. you know it.)

pretty hair everywhere.

natalie reallllyyy wanted me to open her present.

(right: by natalie. left is what natalie gave me. she made that. because she's freaking awesome.) 

the creeps sitting on my couch.

right picture by natalie. 

daddyyyyy <3

haha. ignore the epic fail of a photo booth and look at my cute little cousins and family. i think all of these were taken by my mom and my aunt jen.

I finally got around to some detail shots. we set out a table with a bunch of pictures through the years, a photo book of pictures I've taken over the past couple years and some business cards, some braggy stuff like my honor certificate thingy and the picture I had published in a magazine and all that fun stuff. and bubbles. lots of bubbles.

the after party? we walked through my neighborhood with balloons tied to our waists, blowing graduation bubbles.

we still have about a million little containers of bubbles sitting around the house.

so if anyone is in need of bubbles, let me know. we have plenty. 

thanks to everyone who came out and supported me and was a part of my life through the years and celebrated with me last weekend. it's been fun and I love you all. :D thanks again!

and a note on the future: 

a lot of people have been asking me what I'm doing next year, where I'm going to school and such, if I'm going to continue with photography, etc etc. I don't know. I don't know what I want to do. okay, so that's not true. I know what I want to do and there are a lot of things. I had originally planned on attending a university (appalachian state! holla.) but I realized that I didn't really have a reason to. I had no idea what I wanted to study (or rather, too many ideas) and I didn't want to spend 4+ years of my life and thousands of dollars on soul searching at a university 5 hours from home.  

It was hard for me to let go of my traditional view of college (I've been fantasizing about college life and looking for the perfect college since I started high school), I realized that it was okay. my views and opinions on college have changed (oh boy, I could write a book about this.) but not necessarily those of the world. and after all, I'm a homeschool kid. and ever since I was a little kid I was out to prove that being a homeschooler doesn't make me any worse off than anyone else. I wanted to go to a decent college, graduate with honors, maybe go back for my masters or PhD. community college was never an option in my mind. (not that community college is a bad road. at all. just not the road I wanted to take)

but now I find myself, getting my head straight for orientation tomorrow at my local community college. I don't know where it will take me. all of my paperwork says I'm in the university transfer program. and that's what I keep telling people, community college to get some general college done at a much much cheaper price, then transferring to a four year college to major in god knows what (I've mentioned english, creative writing, photography, religion, graphic design, business, and others. it changes weekly). but the more I think about it, the more I wonder if a two year degree in business or marketing or graphic design might help me out a little more in life. maybe no college at all will help me. (oh lord. maybe I should just write a separate post) I don't know. I don't think I have to know right now. 

unfortunately I do think at least a degree of some sort is sort of required. these days everybody has a degree in something and the college degree had become like a high school diploma. so I'm making myself stay in school. because if I take a year off I may never go back. but I don't think I have to have my whole life planned out at 17. I'm just going to do what I love, live my life, love my friends and family, study hard, work hard, party harder, take live as it comes. and I think it'll be okay.

also: I'm thinking about making a FAQ page for this blog. what do you think? yes? no? if yes, what questions do you want answered? comment here or send it to my formspring!