Graduation

There is not much better than Graduation Sunday in Gainesville. Gainesville will always be a place that I hold near and dear. I spent 5 and a half years there, met and fell in love with my husband there, met some of my closest friends there and so much more. I think in a way I discovered who I was there. It is a great town with a great university and wonderful people and now no Zaccardis. Nick graduated from the University of Florida's College of Journalism on Sunday, May 4.

Let's start at the beginning...


In the early morning hours on Sunday I was out with Jordan and Marin at a fabulous restaurant in Chicago called Carnivale. We had a great time chatting over amazing food and drinks. Jordan and I got back to her place around 1:45A. I went to pack my things - trying to fit all that I brought and all that I bought (a couple suits at the Limited, 2 pairs of shoes and goodies from Kirschbaum's) into my one carry on suitcase and shopping bag. It was quite a feat once I got it all to fit. We got into bed around 2:30A.

Just as soon as I laid my head on my pillow the alarm went off at 4:30A. I brushed my teeth, washed my face and we hit the road to the airport. At the airport I grabbed some breakfast and boarded my 9:35A flight to Jacksonville. We stopped in another one of my favorite cities, Nashville, on the way to Jax. Too bad I didn't have a few days to spend there! Instead I arrived in Jacksonville at 10:30A. I was so excited to see Grant as he picked me up to take me straight to Gainesville.

We drove the 1 hour 45 minute drive through Baldwin, Starke and Waldo to Gainesville and arrived at around noon. Graduation was at 2P. Perfect timing for a quick bite to eat. We snagged a spot at the bar at Ivey's Grille - one of my most favorite breakfast spots in Gainesville. After brunch we went to the O'Connell Center for Nick's graduation. Luckily my family saved us seats.

Before graduation I spoke to Nick on the phone. I told him that he should put something on his graduation cap so that we could find him in the crowd. I suggested an "I" for his favorite college, the University of Illinois - Champaign Urbana. I noticed that he took my advice and his hat was decorated with a large "I" fashioned from masking tap. Other interesting decorations included the always popular "Thanks Mom" and a very unique Chicago Cubs graphic/logo.

After the ceremony the family (me, Grant, my Mom, Dad, Aunt Diane, Uncle John, Nick, Mike, Zack and Tess) walked over to the College of Journalism for an after party. Somehow in the madness of hundreds of graduates and family members we lost my Dad, which, in turn, made my Mom get very stressed. That is never a good thing. Grant and I decided to leave the after party to guarantee a table for a celebratory dinner at Carrabba's, Nick's choice for his family dinner. On the way back to our car we ran into my Dad in the parking lot. I called and told my Mom so she could stop stressing and enjoy the afternoon. We took my Dad to Carrabba's and got a table for the group. Dinner was had, presents were given and then we drove back to Ponte Vedra Beach. At this point I was pretty exhausted, yet still lasting with just 2 hours of sleep. What kept me going was the fact that I'd get to see Penelope when I arrived back home and boy was she excited to see me!

It was the longest day ever, but I was/am so proud of Nick. He did amazing things during his time at UF both academically and socially. However, most importantly, he became a very amazing young man whom I am proud to call my brother.