I'm waking up today relieved that the most intense week of my life so far is done, but saddened that it went so fast that I almost didn't get a chance to savor each moment. I had been waiting for THE Graduation Day and counting down the days and minutes as if it was some grand Christmas surprise. I put so much pressure on this day to be absolutely perfect, wearing the prefect outfit with perfect shoes, with a perfect design on my cap that I was adding on more stress than necessary. Yesterday was supposed to be the epitome of all my academic endeavors and last chance to be on the nation's largest and greatest campus, and I almost blew it with being bogged down with so many tasks..but almost.

Even though I stayed up till like 2am trying to start decorating my cap and got up around 6am to finish it, I was still elated at the opportunity and glad that I did finish it in time for me to get ready. I didn't feel any different. No sad feelings of "this was it" and no tears came down, but I thought all that would come once I reached the stadium.

My family and I get there around 11am even though the Seniors are to meet in the RPAC (gym) at 12:15pm but securing a decent parking spot was key because I surely did not want to be strutting too far in my red heels (even though I brought a spare pair of flip flops).

I take lots of pictures of every Senior friend I run into. I'm talking and racing through each Graduation line trying to make sure I don'y miss anybody on this last and final meet up. I already had a low-battery on my cell phone so I clearly wasn't taking any calls but my friend was answering each and every call and getting stressed out about his family's requests for parking, seating, and weather forecasts.

NOTE TO AN UPCOMING GRADUATE:

1)Turn your phone off! Of course you'll be talking to your friends and family trying to locate where you are, but the calls really start to get out of hand, and it gets hard to differentiate which ones are really important. You are not the Parking attendant or a Weatherman, You are just the Graduate. So know your role and know that you are only 1 person, who has a million thoughts on your mind and cannot tend to every situation at the last minute. It's almost like your wedding day, and you surely would not be handling any problems on that special day (and people should really wise up to not call you then) but it happens so act accordingly so that you don't act up.

2) Be realistic with seeing your friends. Having been through two OSU graduations previously (My oldest sister graduated in 2006 and middle sister in 2007) I know that meeting up with your friends for that final good-bye is almost impossible but still neat to try. Each college and major has a special section and everyone is seated in ABC order so your pals could be clear across the stadium. I was a part of the Largest Graduating Class ever this year with 8,162 Graduates! So just imagine all those people trying to find their families and friends. It gets tedious and annoying and you find yourself in the midst of a "Where's Waldo?" maze that never ends. So try as best as you can to meet up with people beforehand or designate spots like "Gate 12" because it can get rough out there.

3) Don't complain about the weather. This is the #1 issue Graduates have about the Commencement ceremony, and it makes sense to a degree since OSU does have an open, out-side stadium that receives whatever the forecast declares. June 14 originally expected a chance of rain and then became Sunny/ Partly Cloudy, and of course instead of everybody being appreciative of the sun (because if it rained, the ceremony would get cancelled & postponed) people were upset that they were going to die of heatstroke as if they had never been to a football game before. Now granted those black robes can certainly add to the heat, but no one dies and you can always go to the bathroom and concession stands for water.

4) Try to listen to the speaker. I was caught up in the "It's too hot" speeches from my friends that I barely heard the words of wisdom from our speaker, John Glenn. Sure, no quiz will be assessed about his main points at the end, but it would've been nice to hear something the man said for my own inspiration and memories.

5) Savor each moment, but don't overdo it. Sure graduating from THE Ohio State University is such a big deal, but don't lose sight of the day's main focus: You receiving your degree. Not you taking pictures of every second of the day or saving every piece of paper for an eventual scrap book or trying to take a final tour every spot or meeting a bunch of new people. You do all those things throughout your time at OSU so that you don't overload yourself for 1 day. I find myself getting overly sentimental about good-byes while others are really nonchalant, so find your balance and make Graduation day count, not kill you.