Thursday, May 8--Graduation Day!

 But Graduation Day was really Graduation NIGHT. Her ceremony was at 7 pm, so we had all day to party as we were all going different directions after the ceremony.

Thursday morning, we had breakfast in our hotel's breakfast room. Complete with Texas-shaped waffles! Cute.

I guess the photo got reversed, because I'm pretty sure I took the photo with Texas right-side up and not backwards. Ha. 

We all ( except Tandy who was busy doing other preparatory  things) met up at the George HW Bush Presidential Museum ON the campus of Texas A&M. It was really cool! We didn't have a lot of time due to a lunch reservation, but we saw enough and enjoyed it all. A 20.minute movie to begin, museum exhibits, some photo ops, helpful doce RS/volunteers, and...a train AND a helicopter! Cool. And a lovely fountain,ctheir graves are there, there's a pond on the grounds-- where one can actually fish. But we didn't see all that, just read about it on the brochure. Fun morning.

Museum photos:

This is Lexi with Redford in the (replica of) the Oval Office

Pretty fountain out front.

Flags and fountains

Marine One Helicopter 

A train Engine. A Presidential Train?  I dunno. Never figured that one out.

Mike enjoying LARGE exhibits in a Large Pavilion.

Damian and Tandy treated us all to a lovely lunch at a Barbeque place there in College Station. I think we came in four separate cars. Mostly due to Dogs, early departures after the graduation, etc etc.

But lunch was great and we all had plenty to eat. Plus cheesecake to go! 

Back at Damian and Tandy's hotel room for dessert and the

SURPRISE

decorations in their Room for Lexi. Fun!

 And the cheesecake, too.

Gifts.

Then, we went back to our hotel to change and freshen up for the big evening at the Reed Arena. We got there before 6 pm. It ended about 9:30 pm. Took a while to get back to our Hotel and we were leaving the next morning.

We had quite a lot of waiting time, which is "phone time."

Aggie socks for Mike and Damian. I'm so sad the photos are blurry.

 

The Arena was huge and it filled up. More wanted to come in, like Lexi's friend Josh. He was turned away at the door. :-(

We watched them March in and she was 5th to last... But she ended up half way through.

Such a cutie!

It took a while AFTER the ceremony to find Lexi among all the THOUSANDS of other graduates.  But we did, shared congratulations, found friends, took photos, said goodbyes, hiked to our truck and collapsed into bed. Whew. Long day, but very satisfying and fun.

Robert, Lauren ( past roommate), Lexi.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Ella "holding" Lexie's Lei until she came out and found us.