When you have your day planned almost down to the second…
…How is it that those plans always get tossed out the window of a speeding car?
The last two weeks were so busy for us with Elementary Awards, Spring Fling, High School Awards, Eighth Grade Promotion, and High School Graduation. Not to mention work and the regular day to day life of a family of seven. Oh and throw in the 2012-2013 Freshman class over for hot dogs and the BBQ after Brooke’s graduation.
The down to the second planning started Thursday – the day Colby would move from Junior High to High School. I left work with just enough time to get home and decorate the homemade “Fish” cake, get changed, get to the promotion ceremony, get back home and supervise (with the wonderful help of dad) quite a few 13-16 year olds.
I would say that all went pretty smooth, others within the house might argue with me on that though. They might say, the "Fish" cake I decorated didn't go so smooth, and they might even go so far as to say that I should NOT become a cake decorator. Everyone in the house took turns guessing what the "Fish" cake actually was. Some said it looked like a turtle, another said a bird, I heard someone guess an airplane, got a dinosaur, dragon, and a shark. Nobody said Fish. Guess Cameron was pretty close with his Shark guess.
The "Fish" cake
Some (my sweet hubby) might argue that the music situation during the Junior High to High School celebration party didn't go all that smooth either. Let’s just say Terry and I and the kiddos taste in music is a little different. We were good sports though and let them listen to the base-thumping, difficult to understand, rap blaring from our radio until the party ended. Our apologies to our neighbors.
Brooke leaving HS; Colby entering HS
Now, Friday, which was Graduation Day, was for sure, 100%, planned down to the minute. I knew what time I had to be where to get what I needed, accomplish what I had to get accomplished before the ceremony, and arrive at graduation early enough to get a good seat. So much for plans. My busy but going to be smooth day, turned into what seemed like a frantic race against time pretty much as soon as my feet hit the floor.
After partially decorating the back porch, partially decorating Brooke’s table, and partially decorating the auditorium stage, I was headed to Stephenville with Teresa and Shelby to pick up the cake (only an hour and half off schedule). Once again, my hubby saved the day. He finished decorating the back porch with the thirty-five metallic, spiral streamers I just had to have. Brooke put the final touches on her table, and helped me escape the stage decorating (we just about had it finished anyway).
A quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick up the some last minute items. I'm a speed-shopper, by the way. Nope, not this time - speed shopper or not. A quick trip into the store doesn’t happen in Stephenville, Texas when it is their graduation as well, and everyone in the store is taking their own sweet time while chit-chatting in the aisles. I grab my last minute purchases and continue the search for a solid, royal blue tie. I had been looking for a couple weeks. Not sky blue, not blue with stripes, not paisley, not baby blue – A solid, royal blue tie. Finally, a dark blue tie is located, purchased, and it will blend with Terry’s shirt.
We grab the cake and head back home through Glen Rose. Here, I must apologize to Shelby. She was very carefully holding Brooke’s cake, which stood about a foot tall, and was able to keep it safe despite my quick stops and erratic turns. I’m starting to breathe sighs of relief, thinking we are on the way home now just two and half hours behind schedule – no worries right? Wrong. Teresa heads in to pick up her dry cleaning. Guess what, they have no record of dry cleaning for that name. They search a little longer, and finally find the jacket Teresa is going to wear to graduation that night under the name Melissa Townley. This seemed a little strange to me, since I have never been to that dry cleaner before.
While waiting at the cleaners, I realize I forgot a couple things at Wal-Mart, and think to myself I had better check to see if Brooke was able to pick up the roses from the flower shop. She was extremely busy too, so I add "Pick up Roses" to my list of things to do on the way home. Last stop, Twisted Twig, and guess what happens there. The flower shops computer goes down, right smack in the middle of running my card with no way of knowing if payment actually went through. So we wait, a bucket of twenty-five, long-stem, coral roses in my hand, yesterday’s make-up on my face, and wearing a t-shirt and yoga pants, and only a couple hours until graduation. Finally, computer is back up, I am all paid, and we are back on the road.
Now, whoever was on the road behind us must have thought they were walking down the wedding aisle. The roses still had the mother petals intact, the two petals on the outside of the rose that protect the flower. Teresa begins pulling all 50 mother petals off the roses and tosses them out the car window. In my rear view, I see beautiful coral rose petals flying through the air and landing on Highway 144.
We get home, unload the car (I could have used a bus with all the stuff I had piled on top of all of us and in the trunk), run Teresa and Shelby back home, and pull in to the house to find my hubby and the boys watching “How to tie a tie” videos on youtube. They continue to watch video after video with true Redneck Commentary about the sissy lookin’ dork that don’t know how to give good instructions on tying ties. After a few videos, I am back on the road, with Colby, tie in hand and searching for Papaw – who knows how to tie a tie. We don’t find Papaw, but with the help of Teresa and Shelby, Colby’s neck, and me, we figure it out. I couldn't have survived the day without Teresa and Shelbs!!
Once again, I am back home, an hour away from graduation and just then jumping in the shower. I know Brooke was glad I cleaned up, I sure wouldn’t have wanted to embarrass her by my lovely appearance. With the evenings events fast approaching, and some time by myself, I began reflecting about the graduation ceremony that was going to take place that night. That was all it took, a few moments without rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off, and I was standing there, all emotional, staring into the bathroom mirror crying. How was I supposed to put make up on when I couldn’t get the tears to stop? I did get it done, and we made it to graduation.
After the tie, the roses, the ceremony & the tears
Brooke gracefully took her place on stage with the other graduates. She stood in front of a packed auditorium, and gave the most sincere speech. Again, tears were streaming down my face. Her daddy presented her with her high school diploma. More tears. The 2012 Walnut Springs graduating class stood together one last time on the steps of the stage. This meant more tears for me. The ceremony was over. We hurried to the gym to say our “Congrats”, which of course meant more tears. Just like that, the planning, the preparing, the four years of high school, the time in junior high and elementary school, the homecomings, the proms, the Friday night football games, all of the preparing for this one evening came to a screeching halt. This chapter is over and another page is turned. I am sure the next chapter in Brooke’s life will be just as adventuresome.
Brooke receiving her diploma from her daddy
I know we still have three boys at home, who are 110% involved in everything they can be, so there will never be a dull moment around the Townley house. I also know that just like Brooke, we will close our eyes one night, wake up the next morning, and we will be planning another graduation.
It was an emotional week that's for sure.
Until next time…
…We’re gonna keep on doin’ it Townley Style.
