I'm a big kid now...

Today started out like any other day. I got up, let Oliver out into the freezing tundra we call Logan (The high on Monday was 9. ONE DIGIT.) and then proceeded to get ready. Being that it's a Friday, I had a little more enthusiasm than normal and took Oliver on a little bit longer walk than normal. I made mine and Adam's lunches while thinking about what we should do tonight, since it is the weekend. I'm perfectly content inside my warm house with a fire going but we're working on being a bit more social and a little less hermity (Is that a word? Or is it hermitish?).

After getting into work, I sat down to check my email and found this pretty little thing:

DEGREES AWARDED - BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
 DEGREE               :  BA                               
   DATE RECEIVED      :  Dec 2008                         
   DEPARTMENT         :  English                          
   MAJOR              :  English      

It's an official email from BYU stating that I had graduated. I graduated college. I graduated college. I. cannot. believe. it.

I calmed down, took a deep breath and I realized that I did earn that degree. Oh the endless hours of religion classes, and know-it-all RM's (that's lingo for Return Missionaries, just incase you didn't know). The many days of Shakespeare where my teacher related King Lear to Christ. Sitting two rows away from President Hinckley at a building dedication. Meeting David McCullough and asking him a question. Hearing Ken Burns speak. Mint Chocolate brownies and chocolate milk. Meeting some of my closest friends freshman year. Reading endless amounts of novels and only disliking one: James Joyce's Dubliners. Falling in love with Jane Austin (cliche I know), William Blake, Charlotte Perkins Gillman, Mark Doty, Muriel Ruckeyser, Greek and Roman literature and the list goes on and on.

Don't forget the lovely BYU slang as well (it's pertinent to know if you want to fit in):
DTR: Determine the Relationship
EC: Eternal Companion
FHE: Family Home Evening
"S": Sex (my least favorite one)

One of my all time favorite moments at BYU: Jenn (my roommate) and I were headed to our first class of our first semester at BYU. We decided to stop and buy ice cream (we liked to treat ourselves before we earn it) with our sweet meal plan cards. While trying to decide on a flavor, we noticed these two cute, ahem older, guys looking at us. Being a dumb freshman I said, "Hey guys, want some ice cream?" They nodded their heads and started walking over. Jenn proceeded to squeeze my hand as we squealed with delight.

"Hey, I'm Daniel and this is Todd. Uh, we'll each have two scoops of cookie dough. Thanks girls"

And they walked off. We hadn't even finished squealing and the moment was over. Reality sat back in and we realized that they didn't want us, they just wanted our meal plan card. However, later on in the year, I learned the power of the meal plan as a barganing tool, never again giving out ice cream for free to the cute, older guys.


And now that I have an official English Degree, I don't have to banter back and forth. I can just declare that "hermity" is a word, because I said so.