Finally a graduate

"So when are you going to graduate?"

"I have no idea.  Maybe by the time I'm 30."

This was the conversation I had with countless people in my high-school years.  Graduating felt far in the future...like a hopeless fantasy.  I half expected to really be stuck in school for most of my life.  In my final high school years, we met speed bumps.  These "speed bumps" turned out to be a big part of the learning process, which is one reason I am so thankful for homeschooling.  Moving 3 times and "walking the valley of the shadow of death" with both my brother and my dad during those years taught me more than any school book could.  To those events--not so much the school--do I credit much of who I am today.

Then on January 14, 2017,  it happened.  I closed my high-school books for the final time and realized that I had actually done it...and before I turned 30!
I'm that person who's OK with celebrating with a solitary bowl of ice cream after putting my books back on their old shelves, though.  Then the celebration is over, and I start planning what to do with the months ahead.  Very practical, I think.  However, my family doesn't always share my feelings in how to celebrate completed goals...even ones that are very late in coming.  Before I knew it (literally), they were planning my graduation open-house and forcing me to get more attention than I was getting from the quiet ice cream.  I was less than thrilled, to put it simply.  But there was no way out.  My family was too stubborn to deal with...but maybe because they also had some tricks up their sleeves.

You see, the Smalls are really into surprises.  We've surprised people at their weddings, graduations, and probably a lot of other places, too.  I should've known far in advance that this was coming at me this time.  But this time I failed to reason logically until just a few hours before I was presented with one of my best friends (an extra sister, really), Ema, from out of state.  I can safely say that I was delighted to see her face again at that dark gas station the night preceding my graduation celebration.
Later that night I was surprised yet again with more friends from out of state: Hannah and Christian from Alaska (see, we're keeping up our 3-4 month visit!) and Kea, also from Alaska.  Each of them were a sweet reminder of how many loving friends I have who are eager to support me, even by flying in for just a weekend!  And that's the story of how the real partying happened.  So maybe acknowledging my graduation wasn't so dreadful after all.

Sarah did a great job making the house feel like a place for partying!

This game, put together by Ema and Hannah, was a great idea from Sarah!  Lots of group effort happened that weekend with all the extra company.

Enjoying our last night together after all the partying!

MY Ema.

Some of my favorite sisters right here.

A traditional picture of the Fantastic Four once again reunited.

The advice tree...it got a little weighed down.

The party really ended a couple days following the open-house when our house emptied out again.  Everyone left almost as quickly as they'd come.  As always, it was hard to say goodbye to each one who'd come to make the weekend so special for me.  But at least I got some bits of fun advice to read over and make me laugh when the house was quiet again.  As you can see, some of the advice is really necessary for a graduate.

You all are probably just as surprised as I am that I've completed school...and you are probably wondering almost as much as I am, "now what?"  Because I'm a mugwump (terrible at decisions), I haven't made up my mind yet.  But I was accepted to Bob Jones University and Corban University, which makes me think that I may be finishing out the year in a different state...but I'm not releasing any official information until God releases it to me!
Thanks to everyone who made my graduation a real celebration and a very fun time.  I'm so thankful for everyone who was able to be here!!
And I am grateful for those who have proved their loyalty and friendship over and over again through both the dark and beautiful times. But, even more than that, I am thankful for a faithful God Who promises to always be enough.