#GRADuation pictures

Okay, a little explanation. The Blue and Yellow cord is for Marketing and Business Academy at school.

The Light Blue and Gold cord is for Mu Alpha Theta, a Math Honors Society at school.

The White Stole is for National Honors Society.

The Blue and White Tassel is for National Honors Society as well.

Yes, I made my dress. It took me about 10 hours to complete and I started the Wednesday before Graduation. 

That picture with your Grandparents. Thank you so much Grandma and Grandpa for making the sacrifice and the flight out here to see us walk across a stage.

This was the best sibling photo. I do believe in the others I was looking at the other cameras. 

I love you Christian!

Dad wanted a photo from the Stage where we walked... so we got one! Everybody...

(Back, Left: Grandpa Graves, Mom, Julie, Rachel, Janelle, Dad, Grandma Graves.

Front, Left: Spencer, Russell, Christian, Hannah)

And then of just the family! I'm gonna miss you guys, but I am so excited at the same time for the new chapter of my life.

Rachel, Adrian, and Me. Adrian will always be a good friend. We meet Freshman year and have carried an super light and friendly relationship through Senior year. Thanks for the laughs Adrian and I wish you luck next year at Texas A&M!

Rachel and I got to walk across the stage at sort of the same time. Rachel's name was read first, and then mine, so we got to smile and wave together. :)

Rachel hugging Rachel... hehehe. Ms. Bast was the greatest guidance counselor a girl/boy could ask for. Seriously, the most fun and completely understanding of EVERYTHING. Mrs. Bolinger was awesome too. Super amazing at helping you find scholarships and always prepared. Mrs. Gray was amazing as well. She was firm handed but knew how to throw a PAR-TAY!

My church leaders decided to throw a dinner for all of the graduating Senior Girls one Wednesday night. While in the midst of dinner, one of the Junior Girls was on her way home from the activity at the church. She saw all of the cars lined up, and noted that she had some window paint in her car. So she drew '13 and "Happy Graduation" on all of our cars! It was so sweet of her and we kept it on for a few days before Dad made Rach and I wash it off. :(

I went to four graduations (one freshman year, one sophomore year, and then two others this year) before it was actually my turn to walk across the stage. This was Graduation #1 of this year for me. I was so jealous that they got to walk into Pomp and Circumstance played by a full orchestra.... beyond jealous actually. It was beautiful though.

This reminded me of a little boy that goes to my church. He has a hard time saying some sounds in front of words, so "exploded" "cleaning" and "smoking" often come out "sploded" "leaning" and "mokin."

Kelsey! She was my hangout buddy at the Band Banquet 2013, but congrats girlie on University of Tennessee-Knoxville. You will do great things!

NANA!!!! 

This is one of the best friends that I could ever have outside the church. I had some much fun with you throughout high school and I hope that life takes you far!

#GRADuated

so yeah. that big thing where you walk across a stage for the first time, collecting an envelope that is blank that you will later fill with a piece of cardstock with a couple of stamped names on it and  a couple of special seals--that happened. and i honestly feel no different. believe you me, i am BEYOND ecstatic to be done with high school, but the feelings of "o my goodness, I am an adult" and "o my gosh, I probably won't see most of these people again" hasn't really set in yet.

i have got to four different graduations before I was finally walking onto the Thompson-Boling Arena floor myself. i was such a relief to be waiting around for ME this time. don't get me wrong, it was fun to see all of my other friends graduate, but it was more of a relief to see my classmates on the jumbotron, rather than Bearden, Hardin Valley, and previous Farragut graduates. i was ready for it to be MY turn.

i am so proud of the "Dream Team" of Farragut. together we graduated 414 people, 90% of those earning a scholarship, 70% earning a 3.0 or higher, and collectively as a class earning a gross of $30 MILLION in scholarship money. CONGRATS! we have done it! i was doing a little bit of calculation in my head before they announced how much we had earned in scholarship money: Bearden earned $24.8 million; Hardin Valley earned just over $17.1 million. so congratulations again Dream Team for racking in the most scholarship money!

i have had so much fun during these last four years. so many memories that i will most likely cherish the rest of my life. heartaches, friendships, and memories that are best locked up: had my fair share of them. thank you to the wonderful teachers who have lead me down this path. thank you for being stern and "teacher-like" when you had to be, but always being able to laugh and care about us. thank you to all the teachers that became my friends, and a huge shout out to those that are reading this. you are my inspirations.

this graduation may be an ending, but it's also a beginning. a beginning of new things, that won't necessarily be better, but will push me to become better. a beginning of a life where i call most of the shots. a beginning where i can start to search for that eternal companion that will call me his queen. a beginning to find my "Happily Ever After" of the fairy tales. a new beginning.

AP Tests

are the worst. So draining.

But I can do this. I have trudged through 18 weeks of AP classes and four years of education to reach this day: one more AP test and one final day before graduation. I can do this. I have taken an English Literature AP test. I did my best I could on an essay portion that was going to kick my butt. I rocked the multiple choice. And I had an awesome teacher to help me through it all. I had a rocking English teacher last year that may or may not hate my guts. And I had some other awesome teachers that could not have been any more influential.

And I can rock that AP Statistics test tomorrow. I can do this because my Stats teacher has taught me everything I need to know. I can do this because I have tried very hard. And after the test tomorrow afternoon, I can check out. Completely. Like out of high school. Out of required education. Please help me get through the next day. Please! I just need a four on the exam. I can do this.

pinterest addictions

my life is a pinterest addiction. I have so many things pinned (over a thousand) and I have only really used it a little for actual real life problems/crafts/ideas.

this summer, I have decided to try and do what my friend has committed herself to do: do everything she has pinned on her boards. now, this is a lofty goal and there are some things that I can rule out (like my wedding and home based idea board) but I really want to actually use it. make some of those cute skirts, bags and such. actually read those books that I have pinned. build those cute outfits. check those items on my “to do list” off. I really need a buddy to do it with… any takers?