Catching up; Day 18: She did it! (Graduation Day)

Graduation Girl - Sitting Pretty!

High School Graduation sure has gotten sloppy! No cap n' gown... no formal ceremony, no big deal at all! And this is the Public High School. They're supposed to make a big deal!

I gave up on the idea that there would be a ceremony after CLo went to her "Prom" night a couple of weeks ago, and then had a few more days of school, and then informed me that school was officially out.

But suddenly, this last Thursday, at 11:00 p.m., CLo gets an e-mail from the school Administration office - Please be at the school tomorrow at 10:00 for graduation papers. Dress nice.

That was the first acknowledgment we'd had that her class had really graduated - and even then, it wasn't clear if there would be a ceremony. So CLo called different classmates, who each told her their different interpretations of the e-mail, but in the end it was all speculation.

Of course, I wanted to go see her graduate! On the other hand, how could I cancel my classes at 11:00 at night? CLo said not to feel obligated, because there wasn't going to be anything official, just all the students taking pictures with their friends and getting their certificates. But my brain was working around the problem and I figured out a way to get to see her and take some pictures around 11:00 a.m. This being Mexico, I figured things wouldn't really start till around 11:00 anyway, so I'd be there in good time to surprise CLo and snap some shots of her and her friends.

So I'm heading out of the parking lot from work, and my phone battery is on its last little line, but I risk it to call CLo telling her I'm on my way... then I go for it!

Fifteen minutes later I get a TM from CLo saying: "Ya empezó y nosotros somos el B, así que APÚRATE!".... You mean there IS GOING TO BE A CEREMONY AFTER ALL???? UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Oh no, I'm thinking, will I make it? I need at least 15 or 20 minutes more to get there, park, and run to the graduation site. Oh please, oh please, oh please! But drive safe... get there alive...

As I'm parking the car, I hear the names being called - they're at the M's.... if it was her group (B) her name's already been called... NO! Please let them still be in the A Group...

But no, it was the B group! I missed her walk across the stage to receive her diploma! As I run up to the site, she sees me and comes out to meet me! We hug and shrug and I take some pictures after the fact! Just to show that she DID graduate... See her there??? Just look at that smile! She did it!