I’m so excited for Michael. He graduates Saturday from Texas Christian University.

I saw him briefly today and warned him I was going to say something totally parental and over-the-top. “It just seems like yesterday I picked you up from the campus visit and you were eating that purple popcorn.”

We laughed.

With each graduation, I’m more excited than the one before, especially the kids’ college graduations. I was so “meh” with my own. In fact, for both music degrees I opted out of the walk and got paid to play in the ceremony.

I suppose if you play through Pomp and Circumstance continuously for a 15-minute procession it would make you “meh” about the ceremony, too.

I was excited for my masters in journalism degree, though, and made a point of going through the ceremony. Mark was out of town, but the kids wanted to come. That was 2002, so Sam would have been 14, Michael 11 and Paige, 8. We got to the UNT Coliseum a little early, and I figured out about where I would sit on the floor and then put the kids in the nearest row next to me. That way Sam could wiggle in the aisle all he needed to. They were maybe 30 feet away, and Sam wasn’t the only one who could barely stay in his seat. It was so funny to watch them.

We went to a late lunch at a nice place with tablecloths afterward and they all ordered hamburgers.

I made reservations for Classic Cafe after Michael’s ceremony.

I wonder if they’ll order hamburgers.