A Boy Is Promoted!

Explanation to follow.

Meanwhile- what a day! 

Owen was graduating (or being promoted as I think they called it) from the 8th grade. Next year he starts high school. Look y'all- it was ten minutes ago that he was graduating from Pre-K. 

So of course I went and I had a few errands to run before I met Lily to pick her up so that we could carpool. She checked Maggie and Gibson out of school so that they could come too and then it was time to line up to wait to get into the gym where the ceremony was to be held. They started letting people in at 2:30 and the whole shebang started at 3:00. 

We got good seats. Jason was there too, of course. Mr. Moon couldn't come because it was tiny home delivery day. 
The superintendent of schools was there along with another board of education member. So all three of them had to make speeches after the eight grade filed in and filled those seats and they were the usual incredibly boring, "You can't control what happens but you can control how you react to it," type of speeches full of trite advice about how to survive high school and do your best there and in life in general, and then one of the students made a speech and then another student made a speech and then two girls sang a song which was great and eventually, after about four segments of eternity, they got to the part where they called all the kids' names and they filed OUT of their seats and walked past all the people who needed to shake their hands and the students did indeed shake their hands and got their diplomas or certificates or whatever you get for graduating eighth grade and filed BACK into their seats while the last few words of advice were given. 
I was amazed at how good all of the children in the bleachers were. I didn't even hear one crying baby! And this went on a for a very long time. I honestly thought I was going to stand up and scream at a few points but that would have been entirely inappropriate. I did enjoy people watching, especially one darling little baby girl who was so happy, playing with her daddy's ears. She had such long curly hair and such a dear face that I decided she would look exactly the same when she was 47 years old as she does now. 

Here's what Owen looked like after he got his certificate.

Thrilled, no?

He was happy when it was over as was everyone in that gym, probably most of all the superintendent of schools who is going to attend 22 graduations and promotions this week. 
Why would anyone want that job? 

When we finally got outside I was so happy and of course pictures were taken. 

Proud family!

And when this happened, I about died. 

The it was time for all of us to pile into my car so I could take them home and come home myself but when I say "my car" I mean the car Glen usually drives because my Prius needs a new starting battery (have I already told you this?) so I was in his Camry. Everyone got in, buckled up, and I tried to start the car and...NOTHING.

Well, the dash lights came on. 

Other than that, click, click, click, dead, dead, dead. (See picture above.)

There's more to the story but needless to say I called Glen who was a bit unsettled and busy because the trailer hauling the tiny house onto Tom's property went over a berm and the rear end of the tiny house came off the trailer and the tiny house is now at an angle, leaning on a tree. 
I shit you not. 

But he came and jumped the Camry. Jason had taken Lily and the kiddos home and I drove his truck back to Lloyd and he took the Camry to Costco to get a battery to put in it. 

He is my knight in shining armor. He is my sweetheart. He did say, "You have to quit breaking our cars," but he didn't even curse. 

Driving his big old honkin' work truck was a trip. "Do you have a pillow for me to sit on?" I asked him. "No, but I have a sack of corn. I don't think you want to sit on it though."
Then I asked him if there were any special instructions I needed before I drove it. "Just don't hit anything," he said. 
I didn't and I felt sort of powerful, sitting up there in that cab, surrounded by tools and thermoses and the smell of petrol. I sort of wished I had a bulldog to hang his head out of the passenger side window with its ears blowing back in the wind. 

Here's one more picture and in it, you can see that the day was completely worth it for me, eternal graduation ceremony, dead battery and all. 

How I love that boy. 

I'll let y'all know how the situation with Tom's tiny house goes as things unfold. I do believe that professionals are going to be involved. Or at least that's what Glen says. And no, he was not driving the truck hauling the trailer. If he had been, that house would be sitting right where it's supposed to be. 

Tomorrow I go to the dermatologist for the first time in many years. I finally made an appointment. Wish me luck. I have a few extremely funky-looking growths that definitely need to be checked out. A life spent in Florida, mostly outside, can definitely lead to problems. 

Love...Ms. Moon