May 10

It was a beautiful day to graduate from college. (And a beautiful day for Mother's Day as well, but I definitely wanted my holiday to take a back seat to Abby's accomplishment.)

We (okay, so "we" is mostly "I") took hundreds of photos of everything I could think of to document the day, from my cupcake-cake Mother's Day morning dessert and sweet homemade cards featuring the kids' handprints to the plates of delectable food we practically inhaled during brunch in the school dining hall. And that was all before graduation even happened. 

The ceremony began at three, and just as advertised, Abby was the last grad on her side of the aisle to walk down to the front of the chapel (which meant she led the students out afterward, too. She was pretty jazzed about that). The program was a beautiful mix of worship and acknowledgement of the graduates' accomplishments, and I thoroughly enjoyed both the commencement address given by the CEO of the Museum of the Bible in DC and hearing the names of the students as they walked across the stage. 

Afterward there were hugs and photos with friends, including Laura and her mom Ginger (upper right), who we first met way back at the beginning of freshman year. We have a collection of photos with them from the past four years, so naturally we needed a new one. Isaac had to Uber off to the airport since he has an AP test first thing tomorrow morning, but the rest of us enjoyed dinner at Burger Social. I drew the line at dessert, but my peeps balled out (as Abby says) with milkshakes. Brady had a particularly delicious-slash-heinous creation based on a churro that I half-expected to lead to a high-stakes sugar rush, but he seems okay. In fact, I think he's already asleep.

Adam, Brady, and I head back home tomorrow morning (with several of Abby's bags in tow). The graduate is going to her good friend Ashley's Bachelorette celebration on a lake in Indiana for the next few days, so we'll see her back in the Bay when she formally moves home later this week. 

I don't really know how to fully sum up the day much less the last four years, other than to say that Wheaton is a special place. I feel so blessed that my girl found a home here where she could thrive and feel safe and be loved. I'm endlessly proud of how hard she works and of all of her academic accomplishments (because --mom brag-- they don't recognize Latin honors here with any regalia, but she did graduate Summa Cum Laude). But I'm more proud of who she is and of how she's grown during her time in college. She's a thoughtful, caring, kind, intelligent young woman and on this very special day, I feel extra-specially blessed to be her mom. 

Congratulations, Abby!