Friday, May 9th was Laurs' graduation day! It was so special to be there for her as her only friend and family member in attendance. I love my dear friend.
Journal entry from Friday, May 9, 2025:
Laurs graduated from SVU today! Wahoo! I'm so glad I got to be here for her.
This morning I went on a quiet peaceful walk on the SVU campus. It became a pilgrimage to the YSA stake center that was built after my time at SVU. I saw one of Jeff's beloved philosophy professros, Dr. Armstrong, in passing and said "I feel like I need to say hi from Jeff White." He replied "oh, you must be Shaina!" I never even took a class from him, but he knew my name! He shook my hand and we chatted briefly about how it doesn't seem like it's been 18 years since Jeff and I graduated. Then he asked to take a selfie with ME because he likes to take selfies with students who come back to visit SVU!! That exchange warmed my heart. As I continued my walk, I was feeling more and more emotions: gratitude for my time at SVU, awe at how perfect thar school was for me, happy at how much I learned and grew during my time there, and a deep joy that there's a whole stake just for students now. I just felt so joyful and peaceful and grateful for my entire 30 minute walk.
When Laurs and I walked up to Main Hall for graduation 20 minutes later, Laurs was wrestling with negative emotions and feeling upset about taking so long to get her degree, her ex husband's lack of support in that area, and church in general. When we parted ways for her to line up for graduation, I called Mom because I was feeling so sad and emotional about the situation Laurs is in. I know she needs to take this path for her own healing, but when she expressed negativity about even hearing the church hymns being played for prelude as we walked up to graduation, it hurt my heart so much. My dear Mom talked so sympathetically with me and built me up and told me all the good things and I shed some tears and felt more whole afterwards. I love my Mom.
When the graduation festivities ended, we went on a walk to see the new (new as in built after 2007) sports fields. Then we checked into our new bed and breakfast. It is so much nicer than the old rickety uncomfy Airbnb! We got pizza (cheeseless for me) from a new (post 2007) pizza place in BV for a late lunch/early dinner @3pm. After that, we drove 25 minutes to the Appalachian Trail for a hike up to Bald Knob. It was beautiful. I'm so tired I'm going to skimp on details, but the hike was 2 miles uphill to the knob, and then two miles downhill. We got ice cream at a new (post 2007) place in BV for a post-hike treat (two lactase pills for me) and then took turns showering. When it was darker, we went back to the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the stars, but the moon was so bright we didn't see the Milky Way like we hoped to. And it was cold and windy! But the night view over the Buena Vista valley was sparkling and peaceful.
So tired. It was a 25,000 step day.
[end journal entry]
Pictures from my morning walk around SVU:
Walking up University Hill Drive towards Main Hall. There was a ferocious thunderstorm with torrential rains the night before, and the world looked scoured, wet, and green.
Almost up the hill.
View from the back of campus. The names of several buildings changed during the past few years, since they were originally named after people who supported slavery and enslaved humans. I can't remember what the buildings are called now, which I feel a little bad about for the above reasons. I think it's just simple like "Academic Building" and "Performing Arts Center" or something, instead of Durham and Chandler Halls.
They painted the old gray barn-gym red. This is where we met for cross country and track practices. Isn't it kind of poetic that our college running teams met in a barn for practice, and now we have a barn where the high school teams we coach can come practice?
I saw it, and walked all around the outside of it, but I still can hardly believe that this student stake center exists right behind SVU! It was awesome and I felt kind of emotional when I saw it. My student wards met in Main Hall's creaky-floored ballroom back in the day.
Church selfie! Churchy!
This massive beautiful old tree dominated the lawn next to the church building.
I walked the entire church building perimeter to soak it all in.
Down the street from the church.
Walking back towards Main Hall. I saw so many changes, and yet SO MUCH was familiar and looked the same.
The building whose new name I can't remember, where I attended most of my college classes.
The funny square lily pond in the middle of campus looked exactly the same.
Good ole Robey Hall, where Jeff and I lived our first semester of marriage as Resident Directors of the men's dorms there.
Visiting this building made me miss Jeff more than all the others!
Looking back at Main Hall and the academic building from the steps of Robey Hall.
Now, on to Laurs' graduation!
There she is, wearing my old graduation gown, right under the third hanging flower pot from the right, with her hand on her hat.
Class picture on the steps of Main Hall. They said this was the largest graduating class SVU has ever had! Laurs is on the front row next to the guy with lots of flower necklaces.
The program, with a buttercup that I planned to give to Laurs but it ended up totally withering and shriveling in the sudden hot sunshine that burst out during graduation.
There she is, shaking hands and graduating! She gets her official diploma after she finishes one more class this summer. Also, I think it's pretty cool that Bonnie Cordon is the current president of SVU. She asked her friend, Sherri Dew, to be the speaker at SVU graduation this year.
It got pretty hot sitting in the sun during graduation. My neck got sunburned.
The graduate! I joked with Laurs that I had a lot of roles to fill that day: best friend of course, but also loving mother, doting aunt, grandma obsessed with pictures, sister, etc. I'm not sure how well I did in all of those roles, but we did manage to get some pictures at least!
Laurs, looking official behind the podium after graduation.
She did it!
We went on a longer-than expected walk around the back of campus to the playing fields, then swung back around to the front on our way down the hill.
Mod 2, where we lived for 2 semesters. That's where I lived when Jeff and I were dating and engaged.
Now, for our celebratory hike up to Bluff Mountain: I asked Laurs what she wanted to do to celebrate graduating from college, and she chose to go on a hike and get ice cream. So that's what we did!
Even the drive up Highway 60 to the Blue Ridge Parkway felt like a celebration. So green and beautiful! We cranked music, rolled down the windows, and drove.
Viewpoint near the Appalachian Trail: that square tabletop in the distance is House Mountain.
Laurs was working hard at shaking off her negative feelings to get into celebration mode. I think this view helped.
Dear beloved A.T. (Appalachian Trail).
The top of Bluff Mountain was just what we needed.
Laurs humored my silly k-drama-inspired desire to do a shadow-heart.
Looking down at BV.
We stayed up top on Bluff Mountain for over 30 minutes, feeling the breeze and soaking in the peace.
Then we started taking silly pictures with my phone propped up on Laurs' backpack.
Ice cream for dinner: a perfect celebration!
This room in the historic Blue Ridge Abbey Bed and Breakfast was so comfy for a building built in 1898. We felt like refugees from that awful hard bed in the dorm style place we rented the two previous nights. And we got to order our custom made breakfast the night before. We scheduled it for 9:30am the next morning, so all we had to do was go downstairs and eat--no waiting or anything. I loved this place.
Congratulations, Laurs!!
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