Alright, its time for a real update. Firstly, Derek still thinks he can fix my laptop, although we’ve had a dickens of a time trying to get
the darn thing apart. Secondly, graduation was lovely. My sister is lovely, she’s back to her absoutely fabulous smart-ass self, telling people i’m nothing but trouble, and advising waitresses
that we’d like to sit amongst the clutter. (It was hysterical in context). She’s 100% amazing and we’re amazed at her quick emotional recovery. Its wonderful. My parents got along okay, and
that’s fantastic.

Let’s see…Commencement. Holy lord was it ever a lot of sitting waiting for the guy with the stick to motion our row up and out. I sat between this guy Scott and my
friend Annika, and watched Scott suck it up playing mario on his gameboy. Once our row was allowed up, I realized how horribly nervous I was. I made it up the red carpet, gave my name card to the
woman and stepped up to the stage. I don’t even remember hearing my name called really because all I could think was “please don’t let me fall on my face, please don’t let me fall on my face”. I
was handed my diploma cover (I should get the diploma by the end of June I believe–because I DID graduate huzzah!) and then shook hands with President Chapman, then stepped off the stage, took my
pamphlets from the alumni association people and, my whole body shaking, made it back to my seat without falling on my face. There are lots of photos of friends and I in our caps and gowns, which I
will scan and share once I get them developed.

Day one, after seeing signs for WALL DRUG for 350 or so miles my dad and I made a stop in Wall, South Dakota to go to Wall Drug, one of the
biggest tourist traps I have ever seen. After driving much more in the rain (it poured almost the entire trip out here). We stopped for the night in Rapid City and then got up early the next
morning to go see Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Well, I got to see Crazy Horse, but Mt. Rushmore was completely fogged out, so all we got to see was a pair of mountain goats. I took some pictures
of them, I hope they come out, I didn’t dare get TOO close. We did spend two hours at Crazy Horse and the museum and such that is there. That was awesome. Then we headed off again, driving through
Sundance, WY and on to see Devil’s Tower, which again, was cool. Then, from there we made it to Bozeman for the night, and then set out again, coming through the Rockies, across the Idaho panhandle,
into Spokane, Washington and then down into the Columbia River Gorge. We made it to Tualitan and then stayed there for the night. We got to Eugene around 11 am on Wednesday and dad and I got most
of the van unpacked while waiting for Derek to arrive with our rented handtruck. The apartment is huge and fantastic and I love it. I’m not quite unpacked, but I’m hoping to get there soon, as in
Sunday and Monday when we go back again.

I put in half a dozen job applications yesterday. I have to call about a job on the University of Oregon campus Tuesday (although I don’t think
that job will start until the fall). I’m pretty confident that I have a good shot at that job, I guess we’ll wait and see. That’s all for now, I’m going back to knitting. I frogged the entirety of
the sock I was working on and want to get it back to where it was at least.