Summer 2012: The end of part of a beginning.

We graduated!

No, really.

The endeavor that began long ago in Fall of 2006 has been completed this Spring of 2012.  Mostly.  There have been several hiccups along the path to graduation.  Let's review, shall we?

The last words Dad said to us as he kissed us each on the cheek before leaving us at the bottom of the JGC to begin our Freshman year at HSU were "Have fun."

And OH did we.

Father pictured with NOT our baby.  Note: neither of us has kids yet.

When I was 14 I was sure I'd be married at 18, having my first kids at 20.  Seemed reasonable.  What else WAS there for a small-town girl?  Um, a whole lot more!

At 18 we began our first semester at Humboldt State University and joined the Marching Lumberjacks.

Sept 2006: Ft. Bragg Paul Bunyan's Day Parade

With the band as our new family we made some pretty cool friends.

Brooke and I bonding.

Brooke is similar to a horse in the following ways-
 -They both like classical music.
 -Can sleep standing up.
 -I have had my hair chewed on by both a horse and a Brooke.

We met Brooke in English 100 class during the first week of of school.  Rach and I were already sitting near her, and I remember being unable to take my eyes off her.  I was mesmerized by possibly the very earrings pictured above.  Creepy staring aside, we eventually were forced into a group discussion by our professor and naturally strayed off topic.  It was then we discovered we were all joining the Marching Lumberjacks.  Yay.  Instant best friend.

Left to right: Bry, Brooke, and a Hippy.

Since then, we've all grown into better and wiser people.  People who can actually style their hair like ladies.  People who can apply make-up that does not look like it was painted on by Picasso.  And generally three women who worked hard(ish) for their degrees.  We find ourselves in 2012 looking the part of real adults whether or not we feel that we deserve the title yet.

Left to right: Seventeen magazine cover girl, Brooke, and Bry.

On the first day of band practice I heard "Can I share your stand?" as I was placing my stuff on the metal music stand in front of me.  I looked over to my right, then down when my initial glance showed no one.  I was startled to see the very same girl who I kept bumping into in the shared bathrooms of the dorms.  She was small, with long black hair and Gothic clothes to match.  With startlingly pale skin the whole look screamed "BOO!"  Afraid she would put a curse on me, I agreed to share the stand.  Instant best friend.

Left to right: Child of the Corn, Child of the Corn's twin, Fwoot-Buddy Caitlin.

Caitlin moved back to SoCal to finish her degree after being at HSU for two years, while Rach and I were abroad in China for a semester.  The first semester was not so horrible because we were away from all of America, not just her, but the years that followed have been cold and hallowing.  FYI, we miss you!  We see one another about twice a year, usually at a Band Gig, sometimes at a wedding. 

Left to right: Bry filing her music, and Caitlin laughing at my professional wedding hair-do.
Really, a hair stylist did THAT.

Left to right: Caitlin, and some sort of Duck-thing.

Great friends leave and still manage to stay in touch, some friends stay and fall out of touch, and then there's Sarah.  Our first day in the dorms, literally THE first day, we were blaring our best CD- RENT- with the door open and singing loudly in the hopes of attracting... gay men...?  I don't know what we were really going for, but what we got was a Sarah.  I would say she kicked the door down and demanded to meet the owners of the fabulous musical collection, because that IS something she would do, but since the door was already ajar she really just meandered in.  Instant best friend.

Bry and Sarah.  We thought this looked like the Batmobile.

I would have found a more flattering photo but this is the earliest one with her face in it.  Shows our priorities.  She's stuck by our side for six rocky years.  We were separated by a brief stint in China, but Skyped regularly- where she informed us that "Skyping" someone sounded naughty.  When we returned to the US she moved in to our apartment (stage 5 clinger).  But then she had a daughter!

Left to right: Bry, Sarah&Evie, and the the Husband-who-should-not-be-allowed-to-dress-himself.

I honestly tried to find a more recent photo of more of us with Evie, but someone always has to hold the camera... I have so many flattering photos of us together, but as this following one is the most recent it shall represent our relationship now.

Left to right: Sarah, and something from Outer-space.

Lucky for us we had a class together this semester or we never would have seen one another.  Between homework and her daughter and my husband and our cats... we would make plans that each of us knew we'd be both too tired and busy to keep.  Truth is adult friendships are hard.  It is so easy to miss out on important events in your pal's life.  But, this far out of High School, it is easy to get tangled in our own webs of self-importance.  My own mom couldn't make it to our graduation from HSU because she is preparing to move.  Years ago I would have been angry, but after having to miss out on so many important things in other people's lives has shown me the importance of simply being.  Being a good daughter.  Being a good friend.  Being a good wife.  Living, and forgiving.  These lessons are what help keep long distance relationships and friendships strong- which is how we've been able to stay friends with a certain lady for the past- lemme count- nearly 13 years?

Left to right: A blorgon, Kat, and Bry.
Yes, we're in a refrigerator box.

We met Kat in 6th grade through my then best friend who was her neighbor.  The conversation went like this-

Friend: Hey, I have a new neighbor.

Bry: Cool.

Friend: Yeah, like right across the street.

Bry: Cool.

Friend: They just got a puppy!

Bry: You should introduce us.

Instant best friend.  

Left to right: Bry, Kat, and a mannequin.
We shared her as our date to prom.  Seriously.

We had a rough start, what with her parents forbidding us to ever come over again after we got into a fight with her sisters.  Not like a fight fight, just an argument.  But really, with five girls all in one room...  Anyway, we sort of went everywhere together and pretty much lived in her parents house each summer so needless to say it was devastating when we moved away in the middle of High School.  We made do, and still visited occasionally.  Then Rach and I got accepted to college, and moved four hours away instead of 30 minutes away and we did not know how we'd endure!  We visited when we went home for holidays, and she managed to visit when she could.

Left to right: Bry, Kat, Tinkerbell, and Caitlin.

Halloween 2006 at HSU.

In the span of six years the group of us has been through several births, weddings, and deaths.  Let's montage this!

Hit play!!!!!!!!! And then scroll...

Kat has the first baby of the bunch!
Iris Angela Cantrell was born on December 15th, 2007

Rach and I begin our stay in China on September 1st, 2008

Approximately four days after arriving in China we met this kid.
"Aaron," or Hou Jie, gave  us the best three months of our life!  Instant best friend.

While we were in China, our dog Buddy got very sick in America and had to be put down
RIP Buddy!  Family member and best friend since 2000.

After two months of practically dating, David Wellman asked Bry out
shortly before we took this photo on April 9th, 2009.

Like mama like son.  We adopted Figaro in May of 2009 as a 4 week old kitten.
He's like three or four months old here.  Still tiny.

On Mother's Day of 2009, Grandma Fix was found dead in her sleep.
It was a day of great sadness throughout the whole family, however
I have no photos of her available to me at this moment, so instead I will post this.
This as the day David met my family.  We are all sober...

Kat and Chase marry on August 22, 2009-
Incidentally David's 26th birthday as well and Rachel and Steven's first date.

Rach and Steven began dating on December 8th, 2009.
Thanks to Bry.
You're welcome.

Jennifer marries Daniel on May 10th, 2010.
So many of the people I love in ONE photo. <3

I made it to about here before the music ran out.  So, hit play on this one before scrolling down.

Late May of 2010 the three of us were asked to be in a commercial for Blue Lake Casino.
It never aired, but I wanted to post this to explain why our hair was bleached.

The 2010 West Coast Fix Family Reunion!
Back Row Left to Right: Uncle Jack, Cousin Jacqueline's husband Steve, David, Mom, Dad, Aunt Rose Mary
Front Row Left to Right: Cousins Jacqueline and Roxanne, Rachel, Grandpa Fix, Bryana, Alia
For the record, Alia said she would make a silly face too.  She lied.

David and I drive to Hanford just to get this little lady, Frankenstein, in late June of 2010.

David proposed on June 21st, 2010.

Born via C-section, we are finally allowed to visit two days after her September 30th, 2010 birth.
Meet Evelyn Oliver Hylton. 

David and Bry get married on April 8/9th of 2011 during the
Marching Lumberjacks spring concert.
Left to right: Caitlin, Kat, Iris is bending over, Raggedy Anne doll, Bry, David, and Brooke is officiating.

June of 2011 David graduates with a BA in Math Education, pictured with  his mom Barbara.
Side note,that morning I cut off my hair shorter than it had been for the past 8 years.  Big deal.

Bry and David on their July 2011 Honeymoon
Disneyworld to Universal Studios to a cruise to Mexico, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. 

Since nothing terribly interesting happened for a few months, here is Iris' 4th birthday party.
Left to right back: Steven, David, Chase
Left to right front: Alia, Bry, Iris, Calvin inside Kat, and the Grinch.  

Just an awesome photo of my Mom during Christmas 2011.

Kat's newest edition arrived on February 13th, 2012
Calvin Michael Cantrell

Jennifer's first!  Logan Eugene Mills.

Grandma Thelma Heinrich passed away on April 17th of this year.
We were unable to make the funeral because she lived in Pittsburgh, PA.

This basically catches us up to now, which is May 26 of 2012 because this has taken me a few days to write, but the point of it all is- and really, there is a point- thank you.  Thanks to each and every one of you who has been a part of this wild ride.  Some have been featured more than others but it was THIS:

Which smooshed all together into six years, brings us to this:

HSU Graduation 2012!

So there you have it.  You are all wonderful people!  I look forward to spending parts of my life with each and every one of you!  So long and thanks for all the fish.

Oh, and David got his teaching credential... blah blah blah, whatever.