Tallahassee Trip Part 1 : Carrie's Graduation

On Friday April 27th, Kyndall and I left SC and headed south to Tallahassee.  The main reason for my trip was to see my cousin Carrie graduate from college.  She followed in my footsteps and attended the very same dental hygiene school that I did just seven years ago.  (Wow, has it really been that long??)  I know what a rigorous program it is so I was extremely proud of her for all of her success and I wouldn't miss seeing her graduate for anything in the world. 

On Saturday afternoon, we attended her pinning ceremony.  It was so great to see so many familiar faces, including some of my favorite instructors whom I haven't seen in many years.  Watching her pinning ceremony brought back so many memories (both good and bad!) from my days of dental hygiene school. 

Carrie gave the opening address and she did a GREAT job!

Waiting in line for her pin....

Proudly sporting her new pin!!

Mrs. Edwards

Carrie presented a gift to each of the instructors, on behalf of the class

Some of Carrie's fan club.....

Bryce and Garrison love their Aunt Carrie!!

Ms. Burtoft, one of my favorite teachers!

So proud of my little cousin!!

After the pinning, all 20-ish of us went to lunch together, where Carrie opened her gifts......

This was my gift to Carrie.  It's a lab coat with her new name on it (she's getting married in January) and those three oh-so-important letters following her name---RDH!!!

Precious!!

Sweet brothers

After lunch we had some down time before her graduation at the civic center so everyone came back to my parents' house until it was time to leave.  I was able to snap a few pictures of Carrie all dressed up in her cap and gown before we left.......

Soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Davis!

It's a tradition at the college for all of the DH students to decorate the tops of their caps.  It helps them stand out in the crowd, since they walk with the rest of the students and aren't otherwise recognized as DH students. 

I started wondering what ever became of my cap so I ran upstairs to my old bedroom and did some digging.  What do you know!  I found it!  The white glitter had lost a little bit of its sparkle, but it still made for a cool photo op!

I love this one!

Proud family

I was excited about using my super zoom lens at the graduation, but obviously I still need some practice, as a lot of the pictures are kinda blurry.  But, we were pretty far away so all things considered I think I got some decent shots.

It must be said that Bryce and Garrison were both GREAT throughout the entire day, with not a peep out of either of them during the pinning or the graduation ceremony!  That's more than I could probably say for Kyndall, who spent the entire day with my in-laws so that I could enjoy the festivities!  Good job boys!

Look who I spotted walking in with the faculty and staff!!  =)

So sophisticated looking!  =)

A few more familiar faces---three of the DH instructors---Ms. Wagner, Ms. Burtoft and Mrs. Edwards all looking sharp in their caps and gowns!

There she is!!

It was a great day and a wonderful celebration of Carrie's hard work and dedication!  I am so proud of you, Carrie Jayne Basford!  Welcome to the world of dentistry!  May it be all you hoped it would be!  =)  Now, if any of my dental peeps out there are reading this and can offer Carrie a job, let me know! 

Just for kicks, I dug up a few of my favorite pictures from my dental hygiene school days.  So many great memories made during those days!

Can you find me?  Hint: My favorite color is PINK!