Kaitlin is giving the valedictorian speech at her MBA graduation today. This past quarter I’ve been counting down the weeks to the end. The classes plus her demanding job have been a lot of work the past four years — I’m hoping she’ll be able to get a bit more rest!
She has mixed feelings. Yes, the extra time will be nice, but she’ll miss the intellectual stimulation and the friends she has made. After the first class she and two other students decided to take all of their classes together, and most of the time they were able to work together on the team assignments. That has created a strong bond. They’re hoping to keep in touch, but it won’t be the same.
Being chosen as the valedictorian was interesting. Everyone who had straight A’s was asked to write a speech. The school picked the best ones and had the students present them for the final judging. Kaitlin figured she had never written an inspirational speech before, so why not? She didn’t expect to be chosen, and at first it seemed anticlimactic to have to give the speech again at graduation. But then the school arranged for a practice session with the teleprompter and a speech coach, so she had a chance for a completely new experience. There’s no end to what she’s learning from that program!
I’m happy for her, but I’m not surprised that she’s doing so well. Even as a baby she was charming and motivated. I still remember her sitting on the floor once, playing with a plastic bag she had somehow managed to find. I traded it for one of her toys, and she cheerfully played with the toy while I sat on a chair, hiding the bag behind me, and watched. After a few minutes she tossed the toy aside and with a big smile she crawled over to me to be picked up. I, of course, obliged, my heart melting. As soon as she was on my lap, she reached behind me and grabbed the bag. Even though it’s a bit embarrassing to realize your nine-month-old has a longer attention span than you do, it was also nice to know she would do just fine in life. I never, ever worried about that.
Yay, Kaitlin!
Indeed, Jean, and smiling, mother to mother: Yay, Kaitlin.
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How very, very wonderful!! 😉
look at her little hands in that picture! gestures that a born charmer and speech maker would use! LOL. adorable child.
and methinks like her mom and pop… uber SMART!
congratulations kaitlin!
i imagine it will seem strange not to have that work load at first. even when you’re worn out you acclimate to it. and then when it’s gone… an emptiness? even though you need the emptiness for rest!
yay Kaitlin! and yay monk… mommy proud. i’m friend proud too!
I LOVE hearing bits about Kaitlin through the years.
At Lydia’s graduation at UCSB (U of CA @ Santa Barbara) a girl gave the grad. speech. She was a protester (probably about women’s rights) & had been hauled off to jail. She & Lydia’s boyfriend (she later married) boyfriend’s friend, both from Sweden, + a psychology grad who was paralyzed from the neck down (Lydia took class notes for him), rode in his van with a hydraulic lift to our house in NM for a week. They had a big Sweden flag draped over the van.
Lydia left everything in CA. Said what she didn’t wear she didn’t want & what she did, was worn out. (We flew so didn’t bring anything home either.)
When Lydia was in 2nd grade the teacher said, “The problem with Lydia she’s always in other people’s business.”
The 3rd grade teacher said “The wonderful thing about Lydia is she’s always concerned about other people.” She didn’t get that from me & she’s a psychologist.
bhb! priceless!
tammy j –THANKS! I need any compliment I get. We’re having a stream of family visiting most of the summer, starting today. And there’s my aches & pains to complain about.
So life is a bitch right now. I think of a comment on a blog. “Life is a bitch & then you die.” That makes me laugh. 😀
Ursula and Mike,
Thank you! It was a very happy day here.
tammy,
It will be interesting to see. They did have a couple of months off in the summer, so that will be the same. And a lot of things are going on at work.
Thanks for the good wishes! I’m more excited and happy than proud.
bikehikebabe,
I’m sorry that you’re having so much trouble with pain. That’s a bummer. 🙁
That’s a great story about Lydia. I’m so glad that I had a chance to meet her —- twice. She’s a cool and wonderful woman.
I like to “poor baby” myself but don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me. I was (ghastly) sick for a couple days & didn’t move from too much Kombacha fermented tea I make. It helps digestion but there’s a gut chemical reaction with too much. Since I didn’t hike I was stiff & sore.
And I’m loving the company we got yesterday.
Way to go Kaitlin. I too am rooting for you.
Congratulations to Kaitlin!(smiles to Jean). I have two godchildren graduating high school this week; both off to college in the fall.
bikehikebabe,
I’m glad things are looking up for you.
Rummuser,
Thank you.
Dixie,
Thank you, too. Graduating from high school is an exciting time. I still remember how I felt. Kaitlin said this is the first graduation where she wasn’t moving on to something new, and it feels a bit strange.
It must be a very good feeling to know that your child has the intelligence and resources to do fine in life. It must be awful to be a parent who worries constantly that their child is too reckless and too impractical to avoid falling into one crisis after another.
nick,
Yes, a lot of parents have to deal with their children’s drug abuse, for one example. We were among the lucky ones.