How can I express what I have experienced these last 12 hours. Only half a day and I have participated in a graduation ceremony and an awesome grad night trip. So many pictures were taken, but that's nothing in comparison to the great memories. Things I don't think I'll ever be able to forget:
- The Scrub thanking TyOsh's mother for her lunches - and about 50 people agreeing.
- Batman dancing in his crazy way and singing "Move, bitch, get out the way," a song that he had just learned that moment (not that it's hard to learn or anything... it's just that Batman doesn't usually know "popular" music).
- All of us doing the "UDub" dance to nearly every song.
- Dodgy kneeling and singing "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" with me.
- TyOsh playing the piano beautifully.
- Princess being totally hypnotized and cuddling up to Dodgy when she thought he was Batman, and being so freaked out when she realized who she was snuggling with ("I have no idea who that guy is").
- Singing Beatles songs on the bus.
- Watching Davies stare at his car for a long time after he got off the bus. Just standing, and staring, and finally reaching out to touch it. ("How does this thing work? I've forgotten.")
- The following conversation which transpired shortly after returning to the school:
Manzanita's dad: "What planet are you from?"
Batman (looking zoned out): "I'm from Venus."
Manzanita and I: "That's the girls' planet!"
Batman, after a short pause: "Oh yeah... I'm from Mars."
Batman, after another pause: "Have you guys seen my car?" (It was parked right next to where we unboarded - he had to walk past it to talk to us).

This night and Prom rival each other for the best night this spring, and I think grad night wins out because 1. better food and 2. more time awake... actually lots of reasons. We went on a boat, with dancing and piano playing and gambling and a buffet, all the way from Tacoma to Seattle. Then we went to a Family FunPlex, where Manzanita and I played DDR to our heart's content, breaking only for round of laser tag and later for the hypnotist show (and then only because they pulled the plug in the middle of our game). In the midst of it all, we sang, laughed, danced, hugged... all the things you'd expect from a group of people about to separate for the last time. No more "have a nice summer, see you in the fall" type stuff... it's really goodbye. Finally it's hitting me - the immense sadness of it all. It didn't even worry me at commencement - I was too worried about missing my IB cord and not getting pegged by a beach ball, and trying to convince myself that the Dr. Seuss speech wasn't all that bad.
I think I'm done blogging for today. Yeah, my internal clock is off, so I guess I might blog later today after I sleep a while, but I won't consider it to be the same day as now... making no sense am I? Uh huh. Awright, must take brothers to school so I can have the truck for the day. Sayonara.

I need you
before I'm too old
to have and to hold
to walk with you and watch you grow
and know that you're blessed

Elton John - You'll be Blessed