Hannah the High School Graduate

I woke up on graduation day to cloudy skies and an upset stomach. All the worrying about the weather and the ceremony and the details about the party had come down to this moment and the sky did not look promising. I had a cup of coffee and tried not to cry.

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And then I remembered this little face, and I tried even harder not to cry. Eventually, I rallied and realized that the time had come and my baby girl was graduating, and I could either despair of the passage of time (and the weather) or I could suck it up and make the most of it. I went with making the most of it and the day immediately improved.

Hannah with cap and gown blog size

Not only did the sun brighten the sky a bit, but I got to take some pictures of my favorite model. She looked beautiful in her cap and gown. She’s missing her medallion and honor cord from Tri-M in this photo but they show up later.

We knew the decision about holding the ceremony inside or outside would be made by 11 and sure enough at 11 they decided to have it inside. I heard about it first on Facebook, confirming my opinion that nothing is legit until it shows up there. I will tell you that I was extremely disappointed at this decision. The sky was brightening by the minute and it didn’t look like it was about to rain at all.

Nevertheless, we headed for the high school gym. It was decorated and lovely and we chose seats in the balcony.

Flower Arches blog size

As we watched the graduates come in I got a bit choked up, and when I saw my Hannah march by I had tears in my eyes – but I didn’t go into the ugly cry! Hooray!

Graduating Class blog size

It turns out that the seats we chose (thanks to my stepdaughter Jessica) were perfect as Hannah was directly across from us. She’s the 2nd one from the left in that photo up there. Nice, huh?

Party Tent blog size

The ceremony passed quickly and before I knew it we were home and the party was starting. We had about 75 friends and family join us to celebrate and it was a wonderful time. Everyone was complimentary about the food and the tent and the decorations.

Hannah with cake blog size

Of course there was cake! And it was a fantastic cake, too!

Hannah M&Ms blog size

I made candy graduation caps (just like last year) and we had personalized m&ms.

It was all so much fun and over before I knew it.  But I can’t end this post without showing you my two favorite photos from the day.

Mom Dad and Hannah before graduation blog size

The one for the mantle.

Hannah Gets Kissed blog size

And the one that makes me laugh.

Thank you all for your support as I made my way through this time. I am so proud of my Hannah and, even though Lois always says, “roots are easy, wings are hard” I know the wings will be a bit easier because of all of you.

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This Post Has 49 Comments

  1. I had been waiting for this post ever since I saw Hannah’s photo in the newspaper! (BTW, Thanks for making me go into the “ugly cry” before me day even started!) She is a beautiful girl, inside and out. Hope you keep us posted on what comes next! Love Lois’s words of wisom. I will need to remember them in about 9 years.

  3. The picture of the three of you says it all – Happy Times!!
    Congrat to all of you!!!

  5. Oh, I think that last picture should be sent to college with Hannah. 🙂 Congrats to Hannah and to you & Dale… high school is done… and it’s off to college!

  6. I got a lump in my throat looking at these pictures, and I’ve never MET Hannah!!!

    Such a momentous occasion … congratulations to all of you!

  7. The picture of Hannah as a toddler is adorable! She has grown into a beautiful young woman. I enjoyed reading your account of the day. The last two photos are fabulous!

  8. I’m all teary eyed – and I have never even met Hannah! Just seeing the picture of her as a baby and now graduating makes you realize how time goes by so fast for all of us. Enjoy every minute.

    It looks like it was a great day for all of you. I love the mantle picture too!

  9. I can’t get the “you must have been a beautiful baby….coz baby, look at you nowwwwwwww” lyrics outta my head.

    Congrats to you all! I love those personalized M&M’s — we were going to get some for Abz, but somehow we got off track on that one.

  10. You may have avoided a big ugly cry…but I didn’t when I read this. LOL! So glad you had a good day. Thank you for sharing it with us. Hannah is so lovely – she has your smiling eyes! I think I would send the last two pictures off to college with her – they are priceless!

  11. Thanks for sharing the day with us. Your family photos say so much! I’m glad it was a wonderful day for you all. (Love the m-n-m’s idea! Must remember that!)

  13. Oh Carole – you make it all look so easy. The mom part, the graduating part, the party part, the letting go part … all of it. Hannah is just the most beautiful young lady – just like her mom. I’m proud of you for holding up through all of this, although I suspect there were some tears later! Nice job and congratulations to all of you!

    Love ya,
    Deb

  15. Another one here who didn’t avoid the cry this morning! The moment I saw that cute little smiling face, I teared up … and they just kept coming as I read your post. Hannah is a beautiful and special young woman, and you are a beautiful and special momma 🙂 I consider it my privilege to know and love you both!!

  16. You made her day as wonderful as it could be. The picture of you three is awesome. Congratulations to Hannah and good luck as she steps out into her new adventure.

  20. What an absolutely perfect day! 🙂 I can see that all of our “good-weather wishes” worked!!

  21. Two of your phrases (“despair of the passage of time” and “the ugly cry”) really struck me! Loved the Oshkoshes, too – Hannah looks like the kind of child whose face has changed very little as she proceeds to maturity. Loved the last photo, too. Congratulations to you all.

  22. Congratulations, Hannah! And Carole!!! I think roots are just as important as wings – you’ve given Hannah very good roots which will steady her throughout life.

  23. Oh my goodness, I have never seen personalized M&Ms!! And I must say I have never seen a happier cake. How fortunate you are to have one another! Congratulations to all!

  24. I’m so glad that it was a wonderful day in the end.

    I have to go sniffle quietly in a corner now. I’ll get you for this. :p

    xo

  25. Beautiful post Carole! I’m so glad it all worked out great for you! You did an AWESOME job on everything! I know Hannah must be just as proud to have you as her mother. Now you can relax and enjoy looking at all of the photos : )

  28. I’m getting all weepy now! Wonderful photos. Congrats to Hannah and to the two of you for a wonderful achievement.

    *sigh* our babies grow so fast!

  30. I bought my daughter bras last night. I do not even want to THINK about Graduation day. She is a beautiful young woman with beautiful parents. 🙂

  31. Sounds like it was a wonderful day – Hannah looks beautiful and I love the photo you have for the mantle…It’s perfect and shows a happy family.

    My congrats to Hannah! And, to you for not going into the “ugly cry”!

  33. Well you manage to make me cry!!!! Hard to believe this is where we are in life. I remember when Laurene put make up on them and did their hair in Maine. Thanks for the invite to the party. It was nice to see you…..but we will need to catch up!!! Congrats to you all!!!

  34. I’m so happy that the weather cooperated for Hannah’s special day!
    Congratulations to Hannah and to you – you must be so proud of her!
    I love both family photos; I’d probably put them both on the mantle 🙂

  35. Oh my! Such lovely photos of such a special day. Congratulations to Hannah. I’m not sure what all of the cords and medals are for but I know they are all achievements – so well done!
    The cake looks spectacular. It looks a little like something from Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go book.
    My DD’s ceremony is Friday night and her grad part is a week from Saturday. I’m already stressed out about it. I did show DD the Reeses Cups hats on a stick and she loved them. It looks like we will be hunting down the the ingredients for them !(I’m not sure where we will find the sour belts for tassels and the little candy thingies for the tassel-button. If you have any tips for me on making them please pass them on !!

  37. Gosh, even I’m tearing up at those photos. I don’t know how *you* made it through! What a lovely day for all of you. Congratulations to Hannah and best of luck to her.

  40. Congrats to you and your gorgeous girl. I can’t even imagine the days when my girls graduate, but I know they will come oh-so-soon, and the tears will be there too!

  41. Congratulations, Hannah! You’re a lovely star!

    (And kudos to Mom and Dad who did so much of the work behind the scenes!! Those strong supporting roles are so important…)
    Great job, all of you!
    (((hugs)))

  42. Congratulations to Hannah, and cheers for her Mom and Dad.

    I showed your cute little candy graduation caps to my sister whose daughter graduated from 8th grade last weekend. She loved them and decided she HAD to make some. Since the caps and gowns for the actual ceremony were red, she used thin strips of red licorice for the tassels and used chocolate bits for the candy toppers. They were a big hit with everyone at the graduation party – great-looking – and DELICIOUS!!

  43. omg i love the second photo — that makes you laugh. i think that should go on the mantle 😉

    anyway, congratulations hannah. i’m sorry i missed the party but i know it was fantastic.

    also, this post made me weepy and she’s not even my kid! 😉

  44. you did a wonderful job of making her day special 😉 the party looks fantastic! And congratulations Hannah!!!
    Those last two photos are the absolute BEST!

  45. Congratulations on your daughter’s graduation. My oldest graduated on the 5th and I spend senior week crying almost daily. My husband could not understand why though. The baby picture to senior picture along with the senior awards sent me into tears. I did hold it together at graduation, I think because it was so darn hot in the gym.

  46. Thanks for sharing your day. It looks wonderful. I love both of your favorite pictures! I’m glad you decided to make the most of it…that’s the best way to go, and always makes things look up.

  48. Oh, wow, such a big day! I’ve gone through it once and will do it again next year! Your photos are wonderful and will be so fun to look back on when she graduates from college 🙂 I love the cake and the matching M&Ms. Everything looks perfect!

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