My daughter Jessi graduated from high school
today. The entire family was present for the ceremony. It was a large graduating class. The keynote speaker was mediocre, but to be fair it was one of the high school faculty and not a professional speaker. My wife is organizing a party for Jessi and her friend Lauren in a park next Thursday. She’s off to the Naval Academy in
less than two weeks, but for now she's enjoying her time with friends and a summer job as life guard and swim instructor. These eighteen years have flown by. I hate to use that old cliché, but it's true. She's leaving the nest. While she can take care of herself physically, I hope she's emotionally equipped for the challenges ahead, particularly in her near future. I remember a little rugrat with big pretty brown eyes crying
as I'd leave in the morning to work on my dissertation at the municipal archive in Augsburg, Germany. From the get-go, she was a handful: a bit dramatic and somewhat high maintenance. But her personality reminds me of someone else I know, namely a little boy with the initials D.V.
After the ceremony and photo op outside the Kohl Center, we ate at a place called La Brioche, a restaurant that prides itself on "true food" and feng shui (which I find both ridiculous and arrogant). Jessi, Erika, and I ordered the same exact thing. Weird. Jessi wanted to eat at a quaint place far from the madding crowd. She surprises me sometimes. Later in the evening I found her at home taking a break from all the graduation parties, chillin' like a villain with her iPhone. This behavior was yet another sign that, for good or ill, she's inherited my melancholy temperament. Overall, it was a good day. The weather was great and it's rare to have the whole family together these days. We experienced a bit of déjà vu today, as Erika graduated a few years ago from the same place, the Kohl Center. Likewise, I had my PhD graduation ceremony there some thirteen years ago. Monika, my youngest, is on deck for next year.
After the ceremony and photo op outside the Kohl Center, we ate at a place called La Brioche, a restaurant that prides itself on "true food" and feng shui (which I find both ridiculous and arrogant). Jessi, Erika, and I ordered the same exact thing. Weird. Jessi wanted to eat at a quaint place far from the madding crowd. She surprises me sometimes. Later in the evening I found her at home taking a break from all the graduation parties, chillin' like a villain with her iPhone. This behavior was yet another sign that, for good or ill, she's inherited my melancholy temperament. Overall, it was a good day. The weather was great and it's rare to have the whole family together these days. We experienced a bit of déjà vu today, as Erika graduated a few years ago from the same place, the Kohl Center. Likewise, I had my PhD graduation ceremony there some thirteen years ago. Monika, my youngest, is on deck for next year.
