Once a Sandie…

Our oldest daughter, Whitney Leigh-Anne, graduated Saturday at the Amarillo Civic Center with 491 of her classmates at Amarillo High School. Whitney’s Senior year is finally over. This year that began with not a little anxiety and uncertainty got better and better as it went along and ended Saturday night in grand fashion: stirring speeches, inspirational (and really loud) music, lots of giggles and smiles, and a raucous celebration amid flying mortar boards and flashbulbs and yells.

What a wonderful weekend!

We had a house full of family from Thursday evening through this morning. (No, on second thought, it was just my mom and dad who came Thursday and stayed through this morning.) They came from as far away as Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. And Arlington. And Mesquite. And Kilgore. (Wait, never mind; Amarillo is far away from every place.) Carrie-Anne made black and gold Oreo balls while fielding job offers and negotiating with principals and human resources guys (she took the job at Tascosa High School!), Brent fixed some sprinkler system issues I was having in the backyard, we all took turns blowing up and taking down what seemed like lots of air mattresses, we scrambled to find the extra tickets we needed for the actual ceremony (thank you, Christy!), the Kingsleys grew increasingly smug as the Thunder tied up the Western Conference Finals, Dad must have checked my rain gage and the hallway thermostat seventeen times, and I preached Sunday morning in sweat pants, tennis shoes, and a pair of wrist bands that looked like they were manufactured in 1986.

What a wonderful weekend!

Congratulations, Whitney! We’re so proud of you. Straight A’s. Extracurricular clubs and events. Great friends. Amazing attitude. Superior work ethic. And a Christian kindness that is evident to all you meet.

Whitney will stay here at home and attend Amarillo College in the fall. And we’re expecting nothing less than continued growth and stellar achievements.

Praise God! What a wonderful weekend!

Peace,

Allan