The Bristow Blog: Emily's Graduation

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Emily's Graduation

On the weekend of May 10, 2008, my little sister, Emily Kristen Lester, graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Social Work. Joshua and I loaded up the green pick-up truck, now affectionately labeled “Wyatt” as in Earp, and headed for Norman, Oklahoma. Since every hotel room in Norman has been booked for likely the past four years of her college education, we stayed at the United States Postal Training Center. The training center is actually a Marriott creation but everything is somewhat more “government-issued” than say, Courtyard by Marriott. Albeit a little small, the room was comfortable and served its purpose; Joshua and I, however, are still puzzled by a bizarre substance we found smeared on the wall in our room. After we came home, we saw one those “scan your hotel room with a black light” segments on the local news. Feeling the bile rise, we both fondly remembered our christened room at the Postal Training Center. Forgive me, I digress….

On Friday night, the entire crew went to the University of Oklahoma Commencement Ceremony. Packed in like sardines, we were so thankful for the cool weather and light breeze. After a hardly abbreviated ceremony during which Joshua, Mom, and I enjoyed seeing Sooners like Won Hung Low earn his doctorate in sociology, we enjoyed a rousing rendition of Oklahoma during the crimson and cream fireworks. I think I can confidently say, even as a proud graduate of the University of Tulsa, that more than any other school in this state, the University of Oklahoma knows how to properly celebrate its tradition and alumni! The next day, we attended the College of Arts and Sciences Convocation and watched as the announcer officially proclaimed Emily K. Lester a proud graduate of the University of Oklahoma. All silliness aside, we are so proud of Emily’s accomplishments, and we look forward to celebrating again with her in another year as she earns her Masters in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma. So, as an adopted Sooner, I suppose I should end this entry only one way: Boomer!