Our son CJ has graduated from college, just moments, it seems after we were the snack parents for the T-ball game. In addition to posing for photos in the pouring rain and the blinding sun, we managed to attend all of the following events, many without the right outfits:

- Dinner with sophomore roommate's family (from New Jersey)

- Baccalaureate ceremony

- President's reception

- Fraternity cocktail party

- Dinner with junior roommate's family (from New York)

- Drinks with current roommate's family (from Honduras)

- Dessert event in the Gardens

- Breakfast at the Stadium

- Commencement procession and ceremony

- Departmental diploma ceremony and reception 

- Mother's Day Dinner

- Packfest at the condemn-worthy dwelling where CJ spent his senior year

and, since we've been back:

- Dukan diet to counteract the effects of all of the above

- Graduation BBQ (relatives)

- Pre-K reunion (awww, so sweet….especially the screening of "The World is a Rainbow," with over the top hand motions and class bunny reaction shots from graduation in 1996.)

- BBQ and photo op with kindergarten friend with whom CJ spent the last seventeen years.

And, of course, no round of graduation festivities would be complete without a seven-hour ordeal at the emergency room when GC injured his hand at 11pm the night before the commencement ceremony. There was also the visit to the hand surgeon for a redo of many stiches and other procedures done in the ER.  All is fine now, and GC fully participating in his internship with just a bandaid on the injured area – thanks for asking.

But our Machu Picchu plans quickly morphed into a less edgy retreat to Santa Fe, where everyone got a well-deserved deep tissue massage. The Neurotic Parent took a blog hiatus becaus of a) the emotionally overwhelming cap and gown newsfeed on FB and b) a new obsession with virtual apartment hunting for CJ's first real world dwelling.  Much to be said about that when I figure out how much can be revealed…and whether I'm invited for the upcoming Ikea run.

NEXT: Where they are now – Paths chosen by kids mentioned in the original 2008 blog