“At a certain point my novels set. They set just as hard as that jam jar. And then I know they are finished.” - Ivy Compton-Burnett

So, there was the weekend and the weekend was big in a number of ways. First, it was an odd day at work as the lady employees (all 3 that are here currently) took off to see the newborn babe of one of the other lady co-workers. What a precious little doll. Man, I love babies. I still want piles of them.

After visiting the new mom and baby, I ran a few errands with another co-worker before she dropped me off for lunch with Kevin and his parents. They had flown in the night before and we met at Applebee’s. I had the new California Shrimp Salad and wooboy is that good. Olives, avocado, shrimp, some yummy dressing…seemed rather low-carb friendly. The only questionable bit was the dressing and there wasn’t a lot. Highly recommended. It was a nice lunch, getting to catch up with his parents, though I was quite tired from being up so late finishing the last of my Spanish the night before. After lunch, they dropped me back off at work and I finished out the rest of the day doing what I do. Which is top secret and extremely important

Once I got home, I’m not gonna lie, I made a mad dash around the house to finish cleaning up things. It looks pretty good now and I have a few piles of things to organize/recycle/donate, but that’s good. I need to dive into my closets some weekend and really give those a good going over. Kevin and his parents came over and I gave them the grand tour of my 1200 sq. ft. palace. I do love my little house. It fits me perfectly.

Then, we all hopped in the car and headed over to Charleston’s for The First Time Our Parents Met. We met my parents there. And I really don’t know what else to say except that it went spectacularly. I feel like our dads are cut from the same cloth. They are both funny fellas, raised in the South. The restaurant was a little too loud for my liking, but we were still able to do a lot of talking. And the food was great. Charleston’s is one of my favorites. It’s also the place that Kevin and I first really talked while sitting next to each other at a surprise party for a mutual friend.

The next morning I was up early (though not really early, compared to when I wake up for work), ironed my gown, and headed off to Lloyd Noble to line up. Before I knew it, we were inside the center and seated. They kept the beginning short and sweet, the way that sort of thing needs to be. After the first thousand or so names were called, it was my turn (listen for Elizabeth Johnson):

It was a pretty cool moment. Happened really fast and I was back in my seat before I really knew what happened, but man, the freedom. Really, really DONE. I will be the first to tell you that I wasn’t the best student (high school certainly did not prepare me for the challenge OU would present), but I can honestly say that I worked my tail off for my last class and was unsure up until the last moment whether or not I would pass. Well, I don’t have my grade yet, but the professor told me that I’d be passing. Thank you, God.

More about the rest of the weekend later…