Congrats 2023 Graduate!

He did it! He graduated high school (and seminary)! That was no small feat! Let's just say he was less than interested in the academic side of school...probably since the 2nd grade. Seriously! This kid fought us on turning in work, attending class (and on time), doing homework, etc. I think what frustrated Jeff and I the most was we knew his intelligence level and getting anything less than a B, in our opinion, was beneath that level. Still, he pulled it off! He even graduated with high honors. We are so proud of him (and excited that we didn't kill him over the last 4 years)! Danny has always been the kind of young man that is going to do what he wants to do regardless of the consequences (good or bad). In some ways, that can be a very good quality...and the opposite can be true too. Danny is the type of person that needs to learn for himself. He couldn't be swayed by rewards or consequences. Over the last year, we have seen how much he has grown. We have seen that seemingly rebellious little kid recognize the value in good choices. We have seen him be the bigger person, even when Jeff or I were less than so. We have seen him grow in his faith. We have seen a light return to him that was dimmed by choices (his and others) from the past. We have seen him reach for greater things and are excited to watch his future unfold. 

We got off the cruise ship the morning of seminary graduation (Sunday, May 21). With how we planned our return flight, we felt like we would be able to make it home in time...but then the flights were delayed. We weren't sure we were going to make it! By the time we landed in SLC, we knew we wouldn't have time to go home to change so the boys (I was already prepared and wearing a skirt) ransacked their stinky dirty clothes, hung them out the window to air out, got dressed in the car as I hurried on the freeway, and doused themselves in cologne so we could make it...and we did! We arrived 5 minutes before it started. I am proud of Danny for achieving this certificate. I know he didn't always like seminary. In fact, it was the one class he'd call to excuse himself from more often than not. (Yes, we caught him on that and he was grounded for quite some time.) I think, in the past, his faith was seen as a restriction on his freedoms. I think he felt stifled by the rules and guidelines. I'm not sure he knew the meaning of grace or what Christ's atonement could do for him. Yet, through experiences he chose and some he did not, he has seen the power of Christ's love and His mercy. Over the past year, Danny has spent more time in the scriptures and has paid more attention to what he is being taught. His light has returned. 

Tuesday, May 23rd, was the big day - graduation! His ceremony wasn't until 2:00 p.m. at the UCCU Center at UVU. I was grateful for the long morning to get everything ready. Just coming off a cruise gave me less time than I felt I needed to do all the things I wanted to do, yet somehow, everything got done. Before he left (he had to go earlier to line up), we presented him with his graduation gift - packing boxes and an eviction notice. Haha! We will actually help him get a laptop for college,  but we're waiting until he returns from his mission to do that. We snapped a few more pictures then off we went. We all attended his graduation, including my parents, Jeff's parents, Brad, Lori, Katie, and Greg. The speakers were brief (thankfully) but with 435 graduating seniors, the ceremony was still long. Danny tried to spice things up by smuggling in 4 beach balls, but each of them were confiscated as soon as they started to fly. Once the ceremony was over, we all headed back to the house where the Tanners met up with us. We enjoyed an evening of celebration with good food, pool time, and of course, family. Congrats Danny! 

That Thursday (May 25th) was the official last day of school! Jonas was conflicted. He was super excited for summer, but a little sad to say goodbye to his friends and teacher. I can't believe how much growth he has experienced this year...and not just physically. When he started the year, he was a little behind in reading fluency, but he worked really hard to end the year exceeding his grade level. He has always excelled in math and enjoys science and social studies. He is just a good kid and a good student. He is goal-oriented and persistent...even if it takes a little encouragement on my part. I can't believe another year is over! Jeff and I seriously don't know what we'd do if Jonas wasn't still with us...at least for the next 10 years. We're definitely not ready to be empty nesters, but we are ready for a more relaxed summer!