The long awaited update...

So I'm just going to assume that you have all been sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for the next update (yeah right). Anyway, here it is... starting with LAST Wednesday

Wednesday
Dorm reunions and senior formal. Dorm reunions were cool, it was awesome to go back into A-Hall and see everything and everyone. We've stayed close enough over the years so it wasn't totally crazy or anything, but there were a few people who've been gone this year because they graduated early who were back, so that was nice. Then I did all sorts of errand type stuff, going to Norris for cap and gown, getting grad tickets, etc. Then I took a nap, then got ready for formal. Sarah Yu did my hair soooooo cute... everyone loved it! It was a really fun formal, I got to see everyone and I got pictures taken with a lot of people I didn't have pictures with before that, so that was excellent. It was one of those things where the whole roll of film is just me and one other person and that other person changes throughout the evening, but whatever. It was cool all the same. Then I had to babysit one of my very drunk friends who shall remain anonymous. That was quite interesting, dancing with her and then getting her home and into bed. Overall, a good day.

Thursday
Met Jeni for lunch to pass on the DZ tech chair information, then met up with my parents and grandparents. We went to Bob Chinn's for dinner... yuuuuuuum. I love that place. It was cool to get to see them and spend time with them. Went to 1800 for the "last night out"... so sad! It was funny, it was my first and last night on the patio at 1800 Club. Definitely a fun place to be!

Friday
The weekend is such a blur. Obviously didn't go to bed until 3 or 4 on Thursday night, per usual, and then had to get up at 7:30 to be at the IE Senior Awards Ceremony at 8:30. It was cool though, my parents went with me and we had a grand old time! We ate lunch at Panera with the whole fam, and then went back to tech for the "ring ceremony", AKA Order of the Engineer where you get this cool little stainless steel ring to wear on the little finger of your writing hand to signify you're an engineer. That was fun, I got to meet Russ's parents and my family sat with his family. Then it was pretty close to time for graduation! My mom and I stopped by Sarah and Marie's house to meet the other parents and have a fun little pre-graduation reception, then went by DZ to put on my cap and gown. Then we grabbed a shuttle bus up to the stadium. During this time my dad was taking my grandparents back to the hotel (two of them didn't want to go to the graduation, they needed a nap!). So then my grandfather, dad, and sister met up with my mom at the stadium and I did the "big graduation" thing. Tom Brokaw was much better than I expected, and when it came time for each school to stand up, tech was by far the loudest. We deserve it after 4 years locked up in that crazy building. :) IE love! Then we went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes... definitely a totally different experience going with the family instead of the girls. FOR SURE not as fun. But not as painful afterwards either. ;-) Then my sister and I went back to DZ and did some packing until about 2. I was not feeling good at this point (I was getting a cold) and I was stressed about packing and about getting Doug an airplane ticket (long story), so I was a NOT a happy camper this night.

Saturday
As one final punishment, they made the tech graduation at 8:30 AM, and we had to report at 7:45! So my sister and I got up at 6:30 and showered and took the bus up to Welsh-Ryan. Being in the field house with all of the IEs was cool... it was the last moment of IE love! We marched into the arena and did our little graduation thing, they actually handed me a diploma which was awesome. :) Russ got a little thing that basically said "thanks, try again next time" which was amusing... he's graduating in December but got to walk now. So after graduation we did the picture thing and I turned in the cap and gown (by the way, I wrote IE LOVE on the cap, of course!). Then we went back to the house and packed up... I actually had a very minimal amount of stuff this year, so that was excellent. I had SO much last year, it was hidious. Then we took my grandfather to the airport (he wasn't coming back to Iowa with us) and I was able to pick up Doug's airplane ticket at the right time, which was GREAT. That cheered me up. Then my mom and I drove back in my car, my dad and his parents in my mom's car, and my sister in her car. When we got back, my mom made a great lasagna dinner (she had made it ahead of time, see that is a good mom, always thinking ahead!) and we ate it. Then I went to bed!! I needed to finally get some sleep!

Sunday
Sunday we woke up and started getting ready for my graduation BBQ! It was quite a success, except my chocolate cake turned out to be vanilla! OH NO! I looooooove chocolate cake, so I was a little sad. But it was cool to meet the neighbors and everything, and one guy asked me to help him out with his wireless network, which I did later that night. He was way happy, so that was awesome. :) I feel like a true Iowan now that I've had a party and actually know a few people. There are a lot of little kids in our neighborhood so it was crazy being around 4 and 5 year olds! And we got to meet the month-old baby from across the street, she is just precious! Good times were had by all.

Monday
My mom and I went to Hy-Vee and got our money back for the cake AND a free new chocolate cake for me. YAY! We chilled with the grandparents, and started hard work on the garage sale that we're having this weekend. Our whole block (which is a cul-de-sac) and the cul-de-sac that juts off of it are having a big huge garage sale. Supposedly it is a big hit and people come the day before and really early in the morning to try to get the best pick of stuff. So we are all selling lots of our clothes and stuff like old children's games and old appliances and stuff. I have very high hopes for this garage sale. My sister wants to get an ipod so our motto for this is "out with the old, in with the ipod". Very funny, I know. You're laughing on the inside. (Side note, this has got to be one of the more boring blogs in the history of mankind, it is just what I do every day. I need to spice it up). So anyway, then we had a nice family dinner and that was that.

Tuesday
The grandparents went home early in the morning, much earlier than I am awake! So then my sister, my mom, and I went to the mall and got some stuff. My mom and I got some scrapbooking stuff while my sister was at the gym, and then when we picked her up we got my sister Botche ball and my mom a fire pit so she can have bonfires. Then it was garage sale fun all day. Oh, and I got Tivo from my parents for graduation, so I was setting that up which was so fun! Turns out I don't actually have cable in my room so I'm going to need to set it up in the basement after all of the garage sale work is done down there.

Wednesday
This was a big day for the garage sale! I went through the entire storage room in the basement with my mom and basically unpacked everything that hadn't been unpacked and deemed most stuff worthy of being sold. If it hasn't been used in the last 6 months and we don't even know we have it, we're clearly not using it. That's my motto at least. :) So we got rid of tons of stuff, that was awesome. I'm also trying to re-do the entire basement in terms of making sure it's organized and everything, at least certain parts. I'm sort of just leaving the office because I figure my parents use that and they sort of know what's going on in that area. I'm just working on like the big room with the TV and stuff, because I want the TV to be able to be used and look nice, rather than just being mass chaos. Anyway, did a LOT of stuff on Wednesday.

Thursday
More work... took almost everything upstairs from the basement into the garage and started getting things in order for the garage sale. Sorted things into bins and onto tables to make it easier for people to look through. My dad and I are trying to make up some system to make a clothes rack so that people can easily look through clothes, that is much easier said than done. But hopefully it will be done eventually. I mean, it will have to be. Today I'm going to hopefully finish up on the basement and my sister and I will finish organizing all of the garage sale stuff while my mom is at work. I don't know but hopefully this will all work out. I'll keep you posted later today and I will try my hardest to be better about updating in general and about being more entertaining in my updates!

Thanks for reading