Grad Night & FHE: Value of Education

These are from last Friday night, the 15th. We found a hotel room in Scottsdale, but the graduation commencement is in Phoenix, AZ. The graduates were asked to show up at 5:30 to register, get ready and be briefed on how the ceremony was to be conducted. So... that meant we had to leave our hotel room at 4:30PM the latest. Good thing, we found a great parking space and the ceremony was more than I could have ever imagined. It was quite surreal for me the whole time...

First off, Thursday was wrought with bad events.
~ Due to storms, we almost didn't make the first flight to Austin.
~ We barely made the next flight to Phoenix, two minutes before boarding.
~ Southwest Air lost our luggage with my grad getup in it and all of our clothes and toiletries! Got them back to Phoenix @ almost midnight; they were in LAS VEGAS!
~ I couldn't get hold of my mom all day. I was a nervous wreck!
~ Hertz surprised us with an extra $200 Pre-Auth hold on our rental car, taking all of our spending money so no flowers for me for grad night!
~ Called the Fosters to cancel on a Friday lunch since we didn't know what to do if we don't find my outfit. I couldn't walk in my commencement without them.
~ I spent the rest of the day trying to stop crying...

Good Note: Michelle got to see us and stayed with us through a late dinner and even stayed with the kids while we picked up our luggage at the airport.
My kind SIL, Maggie, kept calling me to offer help and comfort. Randy & Midori Foster had genuine sympathy when we told them and asked to be updated. My ILs told us to keep them updated and call for anything. My mom comforted me on the phone. I opened my blog early Friday and many from my tablescaping blog as well as here offered their congratulations. All helped to stop my tears. (That's why my eyes look tired and puffy)

Friday: This is just before we left...
After I tried it on. Yes, I ironed it or rather steamed it according to how our family friend Michelle and my dh, Mr. Man, recommended it. Good thing, too as I didn't bother with my HS grad gown and I wanted to look like I prepped for it.
The Orpheum Theater in Phoenix was next to none other than the PHOENIX City Hall! It was quite a surprise; a nice one since they had a park like setting between them and the kiddos got to play in the fountains and enjoyed seeing flowers and pigeons. ;-)
Here's the other side of the city hall building we faced while waiting

Here's the outside and inside of the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix. None of our pictures did it justice so I'm borrowing these two to show its real beauty. (I sat in the seventh or eight row of the middle seats while the fam sat on the first set, about 9th or 10th row. We walked in the aisle between these two sets of seats then exited on the other aisle.)
This is just before the ceremony with the kiddos, but I didn't realize that I pulled my tassel to the left. A little too anxious I guess. ;-) I felt more accomplished knowing that they were all there to celebrate the day with me.
Me and Mr. Man. I didn't know if I was nervous or what, but even my smiles weren't quite cooperating. ;-) He did look great though so it saved the shot. Ok there's a nice smile, but of course the shot had to blurry. Story of my "not so" photogenic life. LOL
This is after the actual ceremony. See the relief and sheer happiness in my face. Genuine, people. Couldn't have reacted any differently... It was hot with all that people waiting to grab their grads for gifts and photo-ops. I had to wait for my fam as they were waiting for me just inside and I had no choice but to watch out for them from the outside. Good thing, I only had to wait 5 minutes before I spotted them.
Here's Mr. Man and I again... And a better smile from my tired face.
Had to share the glory...
We had to stop at this hotel both to rest my aching feet crammed in 3-in heels for 5 hours and to have another picture with my darling children.
I'm so glad that despite the bad start on Thursday, my graduation turned out amazing! More pictures of our Saturday fun tomorrow... We got to see great friends!

FHE tonight was about the value of Education.
Since GOD knows everything and we want to be like Him someday, we, too, should learn about Him, ourselves, others and the world around us. Learning is not just about going to school for 12 or more years, it should be continuous and constantly applied in righteous manner.

D&C 93:36-37: "The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one."