Thirty-two years ago on this same day, I put on my handmade imitation Gunne Sax dress and my Famolare wave-bottom sandals and lined up under the bleachers at the football stadium while I waited for Pomp and Circumstance to play. I was part of the 1978 graduating class at Vintage Senior High School in Napa, California.
My mom made the dress, copying those at the store that just didn't fit. That dress was special to me. So much so that I still have it today. I just can't bring myself to give it away. (Secretly I hope one of my girls will want to wear it someday.)
Between our morning practice and our evening commencement, I practiced walking in those 4-inch tall heels. (Mine were just like these, but white. I liked the shoes, but I guess they weren't as special as the dress. I didn't hang on to them all these years!) Of course, walking on carpet is easier than walking on bumpy grass, but gladly there are no mishaps to report.
Do kids still dress up under their cap and gown? I don't know. But I do know that the event is as special to them as it was to me. Tonight, my nephew is graduating with Bothell High School Class of 2010. Congratulations, Caleb!
On a side note, I have another graduation of my own to report. It's been about
thirty-two minutes (at least from when I started writing), since I mastered the last of my Farmville crops. Hooray, and congratulations to me!
They will probably introduce new crops soon, and I'll have to go back to farming to keep up my status. Kind of like continuing education credits.
