Graduation 2013

As I've already told him, Alex is now one step closer to being as cool as me ;)

All jokes aside, this weekend was really fantastic.  I helped pick up the Buscaglia clan from Oakland on Friday morning and immediately it was all family, all the time.  We hung out together until I had to leave for work and then later we took Michelle out to San Jose to hang out with our bartending teacher.  She thought it was a great scene and we enjoyed chatting while waiting for the last family member to arrive on her delayed flight into San Jose.  I was exhausted and passed out on the way home but apparently we dropped Michelle off at her hotel and then I made it back to my house.

We got up early on Saturday morning and made a trek out to Livermore for some wine-tasting.  It turned out to be a very easy drive and we had an early tasting at the first place we stopped at.  There were some crisp white wines I liked but I was not a fan of the reds.  Since I was driving I opted out of the second tasting and before I knew it we were enjoying lunch at a very nice restaurant.  The tapas-style food was delicious and was the true beginning of my weekend full of great food.  After lunch we drove back to the house to help set-up for the party Tricia and Warren were throwing in honor of the graduate.  It really didn't take long but soon people started to arrive and then all of a sudden a whole bunch of family and friends were around.  It made for a very joyous occasion and for me it was even better because I had the added joy of seeing my parents!  They made the trek down from Sacramento to help celebrate and they looked great.  They made friends with some of the members of Alex's family and it was nice to see them having a good time.  The party itself was a big hit and a nice way to get people together before the ceremony actually occurred.  Alex really does have a lot to be proud of and it was nice to see that many people know that and were there to support him.

I said good-bye to my parents and went to bed, only to wake-up early once again and get dressed up for graduation.  We met at Alex's house, drove the cars a couple of blocks, and then got out and walked the rest of the way.  This proved to be a great idea given the fact that there was so much traffic on the roads leading into the school.  We made it into the stadium with plenty of time to spare and it was fun to watch Wacky Walk before the formalities began.  The president of the university had a very nice little blurb before Mayor Bloomberg assumed the stage for his speech.  I thought it was very tasteful and contained some important messages that the graduates can take with them as they leave Stanford and embark on their own journey.  Alex sat with all of us because he had already done the walk back in 2011, but when we walked to Maples he ran off ahead to get in line with everyone else ready to receive a diploma.  We got to see him walk across the stage and everyone was elated that he finally had his degree.  After all the hard work and dedication it was so nice to see the smile and satisfaction on his face...it made me so happy because I remember being in his shoes three years ago :)

After the ceremony and a picture taking session on campus I went home and changed before dinner at Nola's with the family.  As the night came to an end we said good-bye to some family members and then hung out at the house for a couple of hours.  I think we were all trying to hang on to the great emotions the day evoked for as long as possible but finally it was time for everyone to begin packing and for me to go home.

Today Alex and Cale left for a much deserved and highly anticipated vacation to Cabo while the rest of the family had to head back to Chicago.  After breakfast at Joanie's we spent the morning playing in the park with Annaliese, hoping to make her tired enough to sleep on the plane.

I really hope that throughout the course of the weekend I was able to get across how proud I am of my engineering partner-in-crime.  I wouldn't have gotten through school without him and it was so fulfilling to see him earn that piece of paper and nice to know that it will now be his forever...no one can take that away.  I have to remind myself of that sometimes, as well as the fact that Stanford taught me so many things and continues to inspire me every day.  I know I can speak for many Stanford graduates when I say that I am truly thankful for all my experiences there, even the really hard times when we were tired, frustrated, and ready to quit.  Every single moment was worth it and I think Alex came to that realization this weekend.  Congrats, Stanford grad...you deserve everything you've earned :)