Halle Graduates from CSU

WHATTT???? 4 years gone in the blink of an eye. I cannot believe all the hard work, dedication, studying, planning, dreaming, and doing that went into earning this degree. PROUD PARENT MOMENT, for sure.

We had the best weekend celebrating! G&G came into town on Thursday and we spent some time prepping for her party, and decorating her cap.

Friday we all made our way to Ft Collins. We stayed in the Hilton right on campus, and that was fantastic–we could walk to Halle’s apartment and to the graduation venues.

Friday night was her College of Natural Sciences recognition ceremony at Moby, where they read everyone’s name and presented their diploma covers. We scored the best seats in the house! Front row, looking directly at the stage. Whoever was reading the names sounded like they had never been more bored in their life. They stumbled and mispronounced every ethnic name and kept sighing into the microphone. Luckily, we could find the humor in it–but come on–this is their big moment!

But even a less-than-enthusiastic announcer couldn’t keep us down–Blake understood the assignment, and when Halle’s name was called, the cheers were boisterous and LOUD!

After many, many pictures, we made our way to The Emporium for a dinner feast! We love this place!

We crashed at the hotel, only to get up early the next morning to make our way to Canvas Stadium one last time. On our walk over we ran into Cam the Ram in his graduation hat!

It was pretty hot, so we tried to choose the shady side of the stadium, but I don’t think we really succeeded. Rusty and I volunteer next year to be the efficiency coordinators for graduation. It took the grads almost a full hour to do the procession into the stadium. I don’t begrudge them their moment–they all needed to touch the Cam statue one last time. We missed Halle coming into the stadium, but we were able to spot her in the crowd. Can you?

The commencement speaker was Hunter Powell, a CSU alumni and Olympic Bobsledder. The kids were all ragging on him because he didn’t win the Olympics. I thought he gave a great speech. Here are some of the notes I took:

We have a responsibility to our fellow men to chase our dreams. 

If I do not give up, if I do not quit one day has to me my day 

1. Find your purpose. Your “why” in the time of suffering. Motivation in time of trial. Live life with intention. 
2. It is your trials and obstacles that turn you into the person you want to be. The trial IS the path. Embrace the discipline. 
3. Greatness is within us all. It’s the product of perseverance toward any goal. 

Dare to be great.  Dare to be impactful. Dare to have significance. Dare to be truly exceptional. 

Degrees were conferred, the cannon was fired, caps were tossed, and just like that, we had a college graduate! The grads were MELTING on the field in their black polyester caps and gowns, and I think at least some of the cheers at the cap toss were because they could finally leave the field!

After finding Halle in the melee, we snapped like 2 pics (She was so done) and walked through campus one last time, stopping at the LSC to get a little snack and WATER. (They sold out at the stadium!!) We were able to catch the air conditioned bus back to her apartment and it was heavenly! Blake and Owen took off earlier to go workout. And Owen showed Blake who was boss. He couldn’t laugh or walk properly for DAYS.

While the boys worked out, G&G had a rest and Halle, Rusty and I went shopping for the party. We went to Trader Joes and King Soopers. I thought we were pretty efficient shoppers–but everything always takes longer than I think. We were putting together charcuterie boxes until the very last second. Rusty and Blake went to set up tables, only to realize we had forgotten a box of the legs! So, a last min Home Depot run saved the day.

We had so much fun in the lead-up to the picnic. When I came up to Ft Collins for Halle’s research presentation, we took Owen and McKayla with us to Goodwill and found fun, eclectic dishes for the tables. And we timed it just right. White tags were on sale 50% off, and most of our dishes had white tags! And… since Owen was with us, we also got a 15% first-responder discount. Score!

Rusty and I spent a couple of weekends building the tables. It was a fun little project–and I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Then on Thursday, Carlie came over and we made these darling cupcake bouquets. How cute and fancy are we???

The picnic was a success! We got to meet Owen’s mom, Melissa–that was so fun. We also got to meet Raiyaa’s mom whom we have heard so much about over the years. The Schofields came up, and so did Natalie and Luke, Halle’s good friends from Kenya.

We did her grad pics a few weeks before and had such a fun time. Basil came along, and the photographer was half-horror, half-in awe. Basil was not a huge fan of pics and let Owen know it by peeing down his neck when we tried to extract her from his hoodie. GROSS!!

Most grads pop champagne for pics, but since Halle doesn’t drink, she brought her favorite Pink Red Bull. She also brought some of her Africa field guides. I loved those personal touches. Those pics are sprinkled into this post, with some more at the bottom.

Loved celebrating this beautiful girl, and her big brain. Here was my instagram post:

Bachelor of Science in Zoology from Colorado State University 🎓🦏

You truly made the most of these four years — from marching band and late nights studying organic chemistry, physics, and biology, to hands-on adventures around the world. You studied dolphins in Honduras, volunteered at the Ft. Collins wildlife center caring for baby animals, studied abroad in Kenya, trekked to see gorillas in Rwanda, conducted original lab research, and discovered a special love for baby rhinos in South Africa.

What amazes me most is not just everything you accomplished, but the heart, curiosity, and determination behind it all. I couldn’t be prouder of the person you’ve become, and I can’t wait to see all the ways you’ll change the world.

The future is lucky to have you, Halle. ❤️