Happy Graduation!

First, I must say that given the old picture I was able to find and use in yesterday's blog, that it would be great to tell you how Mark took the skills learned on that ol' upright and developed into quite the expert on the Ivories.

Well, I can't tell you that, because it didn't happen... but one should never let a good picture get in the way of the facts.

It's Mark's graduation from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana today.  Armed with a degree in Risk Management and Finance, he's ready to face the world.

Since we moved to Madison last summer, he's been further from home than his first years in college, and he's handled it well.  He's been a great help to his Grandma in Carmel and kept the folks at home informed almost daily with the important things in life.

It's a day to celebrate and rejoice as he's had the opportunity to overcome some challenges (Swine Flu during his sophomore year that forced him to miss three weeks of classes) and tackle some opportunities (switching jobs and learning about sharing an apartment with people he didn't know beforehand).

Along the way he learned a person could buy all the groceries they really need at the nearby Menard's.  He discovered working at the Olive Garden wasn't too bad, since lunch and dinner was frequently a fringe benefit.  And maybe, although I doubt he will admit it (cause I didn't until a few years later), he learned that his parents weren't quite as dumb and out of it as they seemed.

So, it's time to celebrate the arrival into the so-called 'Real World' that college hopefully prepares you for, while sheltering you at the same time.

Happy Graduation, Mark!  We're proud of you; praying for you; and asking God's blessings on you throughout your life!