our last orientation

how did it happen....I can remember taking her to the bus on the first day of kindergarten.... and now we are talking about dorm rooms...oh pardon me Sonoma only has suites and apartments...l don't remember college living to be that nice (but I digress).

So we are now proud Seawolf Parents, the orientation was great probably the best one we have been on...it's a nice small school and as such people get to know each other.
The library (donated by Charles Schultz) is sad and exciting amazing...the technology that they use for book retrieval is sad and exciting at the same time...no strolling the shelves looking for a book...and the dewy decimal system...will my grandchildren even learn how to use it? oh there goes my digressing again... Another great feature at Sonoma is the Rec Center complete with Rock wall and $39 60 minuet massage...this is not the way I remember college.

golf cart on campus

But then again we didn't have Amecci pizza delivery truck when I was in school either.

doesn't this look famiiar

wasn't it just a few days ago that we were here?

driving north on the five....

for a college orientation.

Wasn't it just 4 years ago that we were heading up the five to UC Davis for Samantha's college orientation and the just 5 days ago that we were heading up the 5 for the last time to go to her graduation?

But that was Sam and even thought the road might look familiar actually it is the exact same road we are starting a new chapter... in this chapter Ashleigh is the college student and we are proud Seawolf Parents.

but my only question (o.k. maybe not the only one) why do they always look the same when you go to orientation

Graduation Day

It is a beautiful Saturday morning it started a little cool and a little windy but we were excited because we were all together to celebrate Samantha becoming a U.C. Davis Grad.

Bubbie and Morgan were so excited because they found pink roses Celia and I found a pink lei, Kathy and Ash found more pink roses... now all we needed to find was Samantha.

But they were opening the doors and we wanted to get a good seat (we did). Once were were situated Celia and I went out to see if we could find her....

we were looking where they were lining up ...but there was no Sam.

We called her and she said she was on her way she was riding her bike over....

yes you read that correctly...

she was riding her bike in full graduation garb.

But she made it and she wasn't even the last one in line...and she did graduate and then it was time for the picture taking...

We have the Sisters....

The Parents

The estrogen

And the family.

Pre Graduation Events

So we survived the drive. Checked in to the hotel and relaxed for a little bit but then the excitement started to build...

Samantha had worked her last shift at the COHO so the good - bye's were in full swing. Once the CoHo goodbye's were done our hello's got to start and we were very happy to start our celebration with dinner at Bud's Pub and Grill in Dixion. The food was delicious and the company was better. After dinner the old folks... went back to the hotel and the sisters went out for the night.... well actually Sam took them back to Davis to show them off.

It nseems like just yesterday

I can't bellieve that we are on our way to Davis for Samantha's graduation... it seems like it was just a few weeks ago that we were going up for her orientation, and now she is a graduate.

So we have 3 cars going up (Kathy and Ash, Celia and Morgan and the Barry, Bubbie and me in the last one) to help her celebrate this moment.

So many lasts, the last time we will drive up the 5 and think we are one third of the way there becase we see and smell the cows.... the last time looking for Patterson as a stoping point the las time we sill be wondering where all these truck come from ...but then next week we will start a whole new set of firsts...as we take Ashleigh for orientation at Sonoma State.