<p>So, who here is going/participating? This will be my third and I'm hoping the third time is the charm for the weather. 2006 brought rain that cleared off just before Laura Bush's Senior Day speech, but left us with cold temps both days on Alumni Lawn (btw, trash bags in your purse are a good thing under those circumstances!). 2009 brought torrential rains that sent us inside Memorial Gym for both Senior Day and Commencement. We had an awesome speech from Doris Kearns Goodwin, but commencement was like a sauna with so many bodies inside the gym. </p>
<p>Kelsmom, isn't this the year for your D to graduate?</p>
<p>midmo, if I knew how to use emoticons, I’d give you a “wink” for the on the ground comment! I’m sure Alumni Lawn has been set up for at least a week now since they do it right after Rites, but if it rains the night before or that morning, the metal chairs will be filled with water. Even if you tip them over, there will still be some moisture and dirt left, so sitting on trash bags can keep your lower half clean and dry if that happens.
While Nashville hasn’t been suffering from the storms the way my hometown has/is, I think they’ve had lots of rain the last 10 days and they had the terrible storm rip across campus a few weeks back. I’m hoping karma will give us some good payback for graduation!<br>
The processional with the bagpipes, trumpeters, and everyone in their academic regalia is really something to see. I’m sure it will make me choke up one more time when I think of what wonderful gifts these young people will bring to our world and its problems. The year D graduated, the recipient of the Founders Medal for the divinity school was also graduating from med school as well and it was awesome to hear about his contributions to the Nashville community as he combined his two degrees through a medical ministry to low income patients.</p>
<p>^^^ My d graduated the same year and I remember being flabbergasted by all the Founders Medal recipients. I think the guy from Engineering was about to do his masters on some kind of crazy accelerated schedule and then start a prestigious doctorate somewhere in the fall - do you remember, 2VU0609? It made me realize (again) that there are exceptional people at Vanderbilt!</p>
<p>When my d graduated, we walked through campus the day before, taking pictures of all the chairs on the lawns. Graduation had to be inside the next day because of the weather. If that happens this year, here’s my advice: Get to the venue early and pick seats on the side that has actual seats, not bleachers. It was a long morning - Chancellor Zeppos spoke for way too long - and I don’t know if our backsides could have gotten through it on bleachers.</p>
<p>Amen to frazzled1’s advice about the seat side versus the bleacher side as someone who was on the bleacher side! D is in Nashville again and heard Chancellor Zeppos speak recently and remarked on what a good job he did compared to the long graduation speech. Different kind of speech, but hopefully he has learned that shorter is better since 2009!</p>
<p>I don’t remember the engineering guy you mentioned, but every single one of the medal recipients will make the average person feel like a lazy sloth after listening to their accomplishments!</p>
<p>The Senior Day speaker is a Nobel Peace Prize winner which makes maybe the third or fourth time for someone who has received that honor. I’m not going to that this year since my grad isn’t an undergrad, but a law school grad. I’m looking forward to the receptions for his activities on Thursday afternoon and to the chance to meet his girlfriend’s family at dinner on Thursday evening.</p>
<p>Have a wonderful time, all. We made d2’s 2009 Vandy graduation into a family vacation and enjoyed some great meals, Nashville sightseeing, and all the pomp and circumstance. Best wishes to the new grads, too!</p>
<p>Yes, I will be there in two short weeks!!! H, S, and I are making the trip from Michigan, and my in laws will be coming from Augusta. My SIL may also pop in from Atlanta. My family can’t make it, since my niece chose that weekend for her wedding. We have our Friday reservations for dinner, and I think D also made reservations for Thursday night. I am not sure whether or not we will go to Senior Day, only because we will be leaving after work Wednesday … so don’t know how far we will get that night. We plan to do some sight-seeing while in Nashville, and also hope to get together with a friend (now living in the Nashville area) whom we have not seen in years … he was in our wedding 28 years ago graduation weekend! FIL’s birthday is graduation day, our anniversary is the day after … it’s a celebration weekend all around, and we are excited.</p>
<p>I am just a bit disappointed that CAS doesn’t have the more personal school events the other colleges seem to have. Sure, they have PBK, but that’s not the same as all-school receptions. We will enjoy ourselves at the big post-graduation reception, though (hope to score some champagne!).</p>
<p>I read about the medalists last year and was in awe. I can’t wait to hear the water-walking feats this year. They sure put me to shame, given that my greatest accomplishment my final semester at school was hitting the bar every single night (and to think that I was proud of that - glad I raised my kids to be better than their mom ;)).</p>
<p>I can’t believe time has flown by so quickly. D has made the absolute most of her time at Vandy, and I am so proud of her accomplishments. Now if one of those job nibbles will just turn into an offer …</p>
<p>Thanks for the plastic bag tip. Nashville has had some weather this spring. Son’s rental house got struck by lighting a week or two ago and a lot of electronics got fried. </p>
<p>kelsmom, you have reminded me that son is supposed to be giving me some information about dinner plans for Friday night. Time to bug him again. Fortunately, he and his girlfriend have rather offbeat taste in restaurants and the kind of places they take me to when we visit will probably not be hot spots for VU graduation! </p>
<p>A question for those of you more familiar with Nashville than I am: what is a good bakery for a birthday cake? Son’s birthday is the day after graduation, and I think we will have a combo celebration of some sort. I’d like to order it ahead of time.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to the graduation and related activities. A snafu has already arisen, as my daughter’s finals at a different college were rescheduled thanks to snow days, and she will barely be able to fly in on time; scheduled arrival is late Thursday night. I hope no bad weather strands her at the Memphis airport. If it does, we will have to make a late night diversion to go get her.</p>
<p>We may not actually have needed to make our dinner reservations so early, as we will be eating at Firefly in Green Hills - not a hot spot, but we really like it. It does get busy, but it won’t be packed like places closer to campus.</p>
<p>I am so excited to see my daughter - haven’t seen her since Christmas (although thanks to the studio cam, I saw her new hair cut when she did her radio show tonight!).</p>
<p>Oh, hair cut! Thanks for reminding me. I have to bug him about that, too. I visited him a few weeks ago with my D during her spring break, and he was looking pretty overgrown. I think I’ll put his girlfriend in charge of that.</p>
<p>The last two places we went to eat were a Thai place and a Korean place. Good food at both, but not fancy, especially the latter. I’m voting for Thai.</p>
<p>As for the college-specific events: I’m having trouble getting a handle on what’s going on. I gather there is an awards ceremony Thursday afternoon for engineering, and we have been invited to that. I thought there would be a whole college reception of some sort, but I haven’t heard about it.</p>
<p>My thoughts will certainly be with you all. D is a senior student athlete whose team is out of town competing over the graduation. She doesn’t really care about missing it, but I am really sad to miss out. It looks like a wonderful event. The University is planning a private ceremony for the four seniors who have to miss the graduation, but it is the following Tuesday at noon - just not the same. Please forgive my whining. I should just be excited that she is graduating at all from such a great school.</p>
<p>Oh, that’s sad that she (and you) have to miss graduation. On the other hand, it’s pretty cool to have been a college athlete! I am glad to hear that the university has something special planned for those graduates, because many schools would not have bothered. You get to be doubly proud … you have a D who not only graduated from Vanderbilt … but competed at the collegiate level as well. Congratulations!</p>
<p>Help - we need fashion advice! My FIL is asking what he should wear (in his 80’s) … H figures maybe dress pants & a sports coat … or suit??? Southerners tend to dress better than those of us from the midwest, but we don’t want to overdress if we don’t have to.</p>
<p>MIL & I will wear skirts & tops. It’s pretty easy for us. It’s the men folk who aren’t quite sure!</p>
<p>You will see lots of men in suits, kelsmom. However, I think dress pants and a sport coat will be fine as well. My exH has worn a suit both times and S wore a suit to his sister’s graduation in '09. There is definitely some variety among families in the same way there is variety among the grads. Some guys (not many) wear shorts and polos under their robes and their rainbow sandals, while most wear long pants/dress shirts/ties. Most female grads will wear dresses. </p>
<p>I just checked Nashville weather and it looks like it will be warm in the 80s through Wed. or Thurs. and then cooler with highs in the 70s as a chance of rain moves in. I hope we dodge the rain, but I will be glad if it cools down. I’m planning to wear a bright swing jacket with black pants and I will roast if it is in the 80s. My choice is being dictated by shoes! Lots of walking from where you will park (likely in the garage on 25th by the tennis courts) to Alumni Lawn and then over to the strawberries and champagne reception. Chancellor Gee used to take pictures with the grads there; I guess Chancellor Zeppos does the same.</p>
<p>Hope your commencement experience is wonderful!</p>
<p>Congratulations to you and your graduates! </p>
<p>Sending thanks for all your posts over the last year. Our son just finished his freshman year, loved his experience at Vanderbilt, and is looking forward to the next three years.</p>
<p>Well, we lived through Commencement … it was moved to the gym due to the weather. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Select/Vanderbilt, which turned out to be an excellent choice. It was extremely close to the gym, and we were able to walk. S watched his sister have her degree conferred, then returned to the hotel to sleep while the names were called. In laws had major issues & ended up not coming to the ceremonies. Let’s just say that the gym is NOT a good place for folks in their 80’s who are not able to walk long distances (through masses of people) … and bleachers simply will not work. Had I realized how bad it could be, I would have reserved a wheelchair. I did reserve a disabled parking pass, and the parking was NOT close. This glitch was unexpected & a great source of stress, but we survived.</p>
<p>The good news for us is that D was in the first row of students for CAS (end of alphabet - beginning of second side of rows for CAS). We chose the right side & could see her throughout. She was filmed quite a bit, so we will purchase the DVD & in laws (and relatives who could not make it due to a niece’s wedding) will be able to see her.</p>
<p>The best part of the weekend was just spending time together. We spent time at D’s condo, and we had great meals together. S slept on an air mattress at his sister’s condo & enjoyed being with her, her roommate, and her roommate’s sister. They went to the movies, chatted, and just had a nice time. We miss having her around!</p>
<p>The best news … D got a call Friday afternoon for a job interview!! She had a screening interview the prior week, and they interviewed 45 people. She made the cut to the final 10 & will be going in to interview with several people this week. Keep her in your thoughts (and prayers, if that seems appropriate! :)).</p>
<p>Hope it was great for the rest of the grads’ parents!!</p>
H, S, and I are making the trip from Michigan, and my in laws will be coming from Augusta. My SIL may also pop in from Atlanta. My family can’t make it, since my niece chose that weekend for her wedding. We have our Friday reservations for dinner, and I think D also made reservations for Thursday night. I am not sure whether or not we will go to Senior Day, only because we will be leaving after work Wednesday … so don’t know how far we will get that night. We plan to do some sight-seeing while in Nashville, and also hope to get together with a friend (now living in the Nashville area) whom we have not seen in years … he was in our wedding 28 years ago graduation weekend! FIL’s birthday is graduation day, our anniversary is the day after … it’s a celebration weekend all around, and we are excited.</p>