I had my graduation yesterday at noon and it was one of the funnest days of high school. I was told the day before from my doctor that if my blood count wasn't at least a 1.0, I wouldn't be able to go. Fortunatley it went up to 2.1 on the day of graduation so there was no problems.I had to go to radiation at 8 a.m. in the morning so that I could make my 12 o clock graduation. After radiation and some blood work my mom and I ran home where I showered and threw on some church clothes and my ski hat with some killer shades. I walked upstairs greeted by lots of family and was pleased to see them. My Uncle Stan had some sweet gifts that he had brought from California that consisted of a Anaheim Mighty Ducks jersey, hat, and official Sierra Automotive shirt. It was great, especially since it made me an official Ducks fan. Soon after that Savanna, Mandee, Brandi, and Jammi arrived to take me to graduation. I was off!
At graduation I was greeted by almost everyone and felt the eagerness/nervousness of graduating....... it came so quickly. We eventually lined up in alphabetical order and began to walk into the tunnel with my graduating class of almost 500 students. During the graduation there were some boring speeches as expected but soon enough diplomas were being given and it was cool to watch everyone you know receive their diplomas and smile the whole time. In what seemed like a decade, I was finally in line to have my name read and receive my diploma. I was excited! As I began walking to the speaker, I could feel everyones eyes on me and even though everyone else probably did, I felt extra special. The reader then reads: Nicholas William Raitt, Magna Cum Laude.......... but you could't even hear the "Magna Cum Laude" read because half of the graduating class and some of the parents were all on their feet screaming and clapping. This was the last thing I had expected, for the majority of the students had only received shouts of congrats and cheers from family and a few graduating students. It was incredible!
After graduation, I posed for a ton of pictures and gave a million more hugs. It was a great day and one of my more honorable ones too. Congrats to the graduating class of 2007..... Go Lancers.
Oh, one thing did go wrong at graduation - they spelled my last name wrong on my diploma. AH! I knew it would happen!
The gang!
Me & Mom
Lee & Mom
My sisters, Carly & Kelsey
My grandparents
Uncle Stan, Dad, Kelsey, Aunt Chris & Carly
7 comments:
Nick,
CONGRATULATIONS!! I thought about you all day yesterday and didn't know if you would be able to attend your Graduation. I am so happy that you did! You deserve all the shouts and clapping as you have worked harder and gone through more than most to be there. I'm so happy that it turned out to be a great day for you...Love, Beci :)
Lancer Nick
Wow - Graduation Day was a great day to share with you, your extended family and the Class of 2007. The fact that the four student speeches were interesting (not boring) , your principal got choked up while talking about the past year, and your class gave you a standing ovation showed what an outstanding group of young adults the Class of 2007 is. The people sitting behind us said "He must be really popular!" when the graduating class stood up for you. Your graduation theme "What lies behind us and lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us" is so fitting of you! An impressive graduating class, which lies behind you, and cancer, which lies before you, are small matters when compared to the loving, caring, smiling soul that lies within you. Thank you Nick for sharing yourself with so many, your family especially. To John and Ginger - Nick's grandparents - I give God praise for the gift of your presence at Nick's graduation. I can't wait to read Nick's blog after he takes the Black Hawk helicopter ride you set up for him. May God answer our prayers next week with "miraculous" reports from your CT and MRI scans. Love, aunt Chris
Hey Nick, Congratulations!
God, you look good in Blue!
Nice to see you are surrounded by cute blondes!
Nick, the only people who are prouder than the student who receives the graduation award are the parents and the grandparents, then comes the rest of the family, like Aunt Chris.
Congratulations to Lori, Your Dad, Lee and the rest of the family.
Being a Dad and a Grampa myself, I've enjoyed quite a few times watching our children stride to the podium. I've heard great roars of approval from the audiences, I've experienced some really big lumps in my throat watching the experiences. I have never heard of an entire audience rising to its feet in unison for one student. You must be a very gifted person.
It's too bad you are a Ducks Fan though, I guess wisdom and friendship don't always mean "Good Taste"
And as for the picture of The Gang, do they all ski and wakeboard as well? You'ld all look good in your blue robes behind the boat.
Congratulations from Canada, from a proud Dad and Grampa of a wonderful set of kids just like you.
There is an old saying that has been used in a couple of very campy movies. The movies are "Buckaroo Banzai" and "Thunderdome". The saying is...,"Remember, No matter where you go...There you are!"
Nick, you deserve to take pride in what you have accomplished. Good for you. Remember to take the time to enjoy all the wonderful things that are happening right now.
Congratulations,
Jay
oh, by the way.
DUCKS SUCK!
See you soon
Nick,
I ran the San Diego Marathon this past week. Most of the people running ran for a person they know who had fought cancer. I had the opportunity to stare at T-shirt after t-shirt of people running for surving cancer patients. I wore my "Cowboy up" band with pride and thought of you for the majority of the 5 hours during my run.
Just before the race started I said a small prayer and asked god to give you all of the energy I was going to use during the race. I just wanted to thank you you for your inspiration to me and let you know that you are in the thoughts and prayers of Matt and Kristine Hadley.
Nick,
What wonderful Graduation Pictures -- thank so much for sharing them for us all to see. I wanted to let you know that I talked to my Grandma MAGGIE in Canada on Monday. It was her 89th Birthday!! She informed me that all my birth family including my Dad, Cousins, Aunts and Uncles were following your blog almost everyday. They had seen your Graduation pictures and were so excited for you. She also told me they keep sharing your story and that there are many people in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada into Buffalo, New York praying for you and sending their positive energy your way. Maggie wishes you as long a life as hers!! Love, Beci :)
I knew it, I just knew it! I knew that when you crossed the stage everyone would lift you up in applause! It gives me chills to think of it! Like Chris' note says, the folks nearby said 'Wow He must be popular', but we all know it is so much more than that, it's being inspirational! You have given a gift of inspiration to your classmates, you never know when one of them will have to endure something and they might look back on that day and think, I can do it too! God bless you Nick, and all your family and friends.
PS I did not know the hockey was still going on, not the sort of thing you can wrap your brain around when the heat index in Houston is up to 101.
Ann
Dear Nick and family,
My heart just bursts with joy and love while reading and remembering your graduation week. September 2010 finds us traveling again to Utah for your 3rd Charity Softball Tournament. Oh - the places you have gone since graduation and the lives you have blessed. Your classmates (and the rest of us) who gave you a standing ovation didn't "fully" know what we were applauding. Our awesome God knows.
1 Peter 4:10 tells me "Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others". May God continue to use your gifts Nick here on earth to serve and bless others.
Love, aunt Chris
Post a Comment