The Land of Aloha

During my graduation party, I spent a fair amount of time opening gifts from people. Most of the gifts were in the form of money or gift cards. There were 3 or 4 actual presents to unwrap, and the rest were cards.

My boss and her husband both attended graduation and my party, and I was so appreciative of that! I have worked for them since October 2004. It's been almost 5 years! They are such caring, supportive individuals, and finding them has been a blessing. Kathy is from Hawaii, and now owns the house there she grew up in. They travel back there several times a year, and every time they go, I joke about sneaking into her suitcase to go with them.

Fast forward to the end of opening my presents. The last card on the table is from Kathy; I could recognize the handwriting on the envelope. Inside the card was this simple message:

"Way to go! We're proud of you! Now you won't have to sneak into our bag - you can bring your own! Aloha!"

Also inside was a single piece of paper, folded into quarters. I opened it up, and this was my reaction:

It was my confirmation for my flight on June 10th from Seattle International Airport to Honolulu, Hawaii, with me turning on June 22nd.

Kathy and her husband are sending me to Hawaii!!

I went over to them and hugged both of them, with tears in my eyes. They then told me I could bring a friend! It was the most incredible gift, from two people who owe nothing to me.

After hugging them, they walked over to Josh with me, and they started talking about when his flight was scheduled for. I was very confused at this point, seeing as how Josh just started a new job and I assumed he couldn't take any time off of work.

Turns out, EVERYBODY was in on the surprise, and Josh already had his ticket booked to come with me!

JOSH AND I ARE GOING TO HAWAII TOGETHER IN 29 DAYS!!

I am so excited, and excited doesn't even begin to describe it. We have already started making plans for what to do while we are over there, including visiting the Honolulu Zoo, snorkeling, going to a luau, and visiting the Pearl Harbor Memorial. This is even talk about flying to Maui for the day!

I am still in shock over all of this, and have started working out like crazy to get ready. I'll be posting more details and updates as I get them!

Baccalaureate!

This is the first of three posts I will be doing today; I have way too many pictures and much too much information to fit into just one post!

Friday night was my Baccalaureate and Hooding Ceremony. It took place in the Abbey Church at Saint Martin's, and parents were invited. The Abbey has become such a special place to me; it is a sanctuary, where I spend most of my time praying, and where I most often hear God's voice speaking back to me. I was so glad that Baccalaureate was held there, for those reasons. Mom, Dad, and Josh all attended.

The ceremony entailed prayer, singing, and graduates receiving their hoods. These hoods, worn over graduation gowns, signify which subject your degree was in. My hood is outlined in a bright golden yellow, with red and white on the inside, and a black bottom. The yellow is for biology, the red and white are for SMU, and the black is just the bottom color. Everyone had the black and red and white; the other color was what was different.

Here are some pictures from afterwards:

Me, on the backside of Old Main

Kathleen and I right afterwards. We've been in the Biology program together for the whole 3 years I've been at the Saint.


Josh and I afterwards. I was so excited he was there!


Mom, Dad, and I. Nathan was at a birthday party, and would have been bored out of his mind!

Myself and Father Benedict. I had to have one last picture of us!

The whole ceremony was very special, and it got me really excited for Saturday's graduation.

Next is a post all about graduation!

It's The Final Countdown....

This is it. The end of college. Maybe just for now, maybe forever.

Yesterday was my last day of class at Saint Martin's University. I have two finals next week, and then graduation on May 9th.

It's strange how I've gone from being so excited about being done, to be very sad about it. Saint Martin's is a large part of my life, and the thought of no longer walking those creaking, uneven halls everyday, or sitting at my desk in the T.U.B. working on paperwork for A.S.S.M.U., or checking my email a million times a day, bothers me a little bit. That university is my home away from home.

In fact, my responsibilities there are what made me decide to get a Blackberry. Instead of having to get on the computer several times a day to check my Saint Martin's email, I simply get my email delivered to my phone. I can then read and respond to emails as soon as they come in, which is all hours of the day (and night). This means I am (almost) literally attached to my phone at all times. It never leaves me. We are a team, so to speak. This is also the reason why I am unable to "turn off" my brain when it comes to school. Even last weekend camping, I needed to check my phone for emails that needed my attention. Since everyone knows I have my Blackberry and check it like an addiction, they automatically assume I will respond immediately. This problem is only increased by the fact that I do, in fact, respond immediately. Emails that used to sit in my inbox until I had access to my computer, now follow me around wherever I am. But I like that.

I like feeling important; like I am a vital part of the functionality of the Associated Students of Saint Martin's University, and the Student Health Center.

And I think one reason I am so sad about graduating is, I won't be important to that school anymore. The university will go on just fine without me, as will ASSMU. New Senate members have been elected, I have appointed my replacement, and they have held their first meeting. But I have not yet cleaned out my desk, or taken all my documents off of my office computer, or handed over my precious binders that I have so meticulously kept organized for the last two years. More importantly, I am not ready to hand over my responsibilities. I feel as though they are mine, not anybody else's.

This is something I need to work on. And soon. Because come next Saturday, I am completing my journey at Saint Martin's University.