Graduation Celebration

On Saturday, May 26, 2007, two people that I love became high school graduates (as I have mentioned before), although I never expected to see either of them receive their diplomas (I had the opportunity to see both). One live and in person and the other via the Internet (if only our computer would cooperate). I tried to make the thing work and then Mark tried, he got it to go farther than I did, but after an hour it still had not started to download (it was still buffering). So I guess the next time that we talk to Becky (Mark's older sis) we will have to ask her if she will buy a DVD and mail it to us and then after we see it we will send it back.

Anyway, above you will see a photo of my little brother, Joey, in all his graduation glory (I just wish that he didn't look so much like his father (at least he doesn't act like the man/boy/whatever). Mom would be so proud. This may sound strange, but I swear that I felt her there watching her baby graduate.

I also got to see my sister (which wouldn't have happened if the graduation ceremony had not had to be moved on account of rain). I found out that she does have cancer (not the she is doing anything about it). Her doctor told her that if she doesn't do something within the next two weeks, he will no longer be able to be her doctor. I don't know how she can do that to the kids. What is this going to do to Joey (considering the same thing that killed Mom is going to get her too)? I wonder if she has even thought of that.

Any who, to the right (or above, how ever this thing lays out) you will see a photo of Sierra on Missie's lap. The girl in pink is a friend of my niece Jessica and the kid in blue is my nephew Kyle. It was so funny that I was even able to get this picture. You see at the high school, Sierra wanted nothing to do with Missie then when we got to East Central College, Missie asked for a hug and Sierra decided that she was going to sit with her until she had to go potty. Though she was only about 10 feet or less away from us it was still funny not to have her right next to me (or up my butt as she always seems to be). It is so hard for me to believe that this may very well be one of the last pictures (if not the last one) that I ever get of my big sis. The funny thing is, I haven't seen her as happy as what she was on Saturday in about 15, almost 16 years (since her first husband was alive), now her life is in jeopardy and she won't do anything, I just don't get it. Then again, its been a long time since I have gotten her.

Here we have Joey and his girlfriend of 7 months, Megan (not to be confused with the Megan that we are related to). She is very nice and says that he treats her very well (which I believe, he has lost a lot of weight so that he will be around for a long time). He has taken up smoking, which I can't do anything about because he is now 18 years old, but I don't have to like it. Especially since I know that he is at a higher risk for heart and lung problems (no not from the smoking, although that does up them), from being born 9 weeks premature. Like our sister he doesn't seem to mind the added risk (or he doesn't know about the added health risks that he faces). In any case I was just happy to be asked to witness one of the most important things that a person does in their lives. I did find out that it was just Joey that invited Mark and I, it was Missie. She told him that his other sister needed to be there, she was right.

The one dark spot of the whole evening was Danny, my other nephew. He wasn't there. Had things went the way that they should have, he would have graduated as well, but he dropped out a few years ago and he was sitting in a jail cell. For once though he made me proud of him. Yes, you read right. I am proud of Danny, even if he is in jail. What happened was, he saw someone robbing Joey, he wasn't going to get involved. He did however when the guy pulled a knife. You see Joey has always been more on the nonviolent side than Danny (or Kyle for that matter). Anyway, Danny stepped in and the guy stabbed him, he in turn pulled out his pocket knife and stabbed the guy back. The part that makes me proud of him is that he went to the police and turned himself in. The other guy is still out there. From what I was told, if the other guy doesn't turn himself in by June 21, 2007, then Danny will be free to go (no prison time, not that he deserves it).