What NOT to do when your daughter graduates...

Three years ago, my oldest child was graduating from high school. 6/6/06, bad omen. I should have known it wasn't going to be easy, nothing ever is with your first child.
I cried in the playground on her first day of kindergarten as she walked so bravely into those big doors, 12 years later...I cried everytime I thought of her leaving the safety of Mr. Dehaans classroom to enter into the big wide classroom called "life". Mr. Dehaan was Chelsea's concert choir/Belle Voix/Madrigal teacher, but he was so much more. He was a mentor, a great example of the gospel, and although he couldn't preach it in class, he taught them every chance he could when they performed in sacrament meetings throughout the valley. So it was on this day, 6/1/06, that my sad tale begins.
Mistake No. 1- It was the saturday before graduation, and I had asked my friend Melanie to come to the house. Melanie was a student of cosmetology and had recently learned the art of making ones eyebrows perfectly seperated and arched. I must have been a sucker for pain that day, because after my eyebrows were waxed, I decided to have my upper lip, chin, side-burns, (I know, I'm hairy) and nose waxed as well, and no, it wasn't the top of my nose (yeah, ouch!). Pretty much my whole face came out feeling as smooth as a baby's you-know-what. But no time to admire my hairless-ness, I had a baptism that afternoon to go to as well. My niece Heather had asked me to lead the music, so I had little time to waste before I had to get ready and make the 1/2 hr. drive there. Applying make-up to my stinging face wasn't as easy as I had hoped. I had never been waxed before, and didn't know the consequences that would follow. My face was red, tender, and swollen, but I hoped the makeup would conceal the redness and the swelling would go down before I reached my destination.
Mistake No. 2- The kids and I piled into the car for the pleasant drive up to Bountiful that beautiful summer day. Chelsea, in the front seat, had control over the tunes that filled our air-space. She had her Madrigals CD, and although I normally love to hear their beautiful voices, all I could think of that day was the fact that she would no longer be a Madrigal. She would no longer associate daily with those friends whom she became so close with. She would no longer have a teacher like Kelly Dehaan to encourage and inspire and bring out the best in her. So when the madrigals started singing the song "Do you Remember", I LOST it! Tears started streaming down my already puffy face. By the time Chelsea noticed something was amiss and asked if I was OK (hint: never ask a weepy-woman if their ok) that put me into full-out bawl-fest. Now I have to choke out why I'm crying, how life would never be the same, for her or me. How she was moving on, and although she may have been ready, I wasn't prepared to let her go.
NEWS-FLASH: I am not a pretty cryer. Let me just tell you, I have one of those faces that when it cries, it gets all distorted, and red and blotchy, and my eyes turn red and puffy, but even knowing all that, I still didn't know quite how bad the consequences were.
We made it to the baptism, I tried to sneak in the back, but the soft prelude music and my emotions that were still not quite under control got the best of me. I was crying before they even started. I made Chelsea get up and lead the music, I just couldn't do it, and that brought several heads turned in my direction to see why it wasn't me up there. I got more than a few strange and concerned looks from my family. All through the talks, the baptism, the blessing, all I could think of was the day Chelsea got baptized, how it didn't seem that long ago, and now look at her. Where did those years go? After the baptism, I quickly left, and by left I mean I got in my car and drove away. I was bawling again. The flood gates were opened and didn't seem to want to close until I got it all out. So, I took a little drive till I could calm down. By the time I got back, they had started the luncheon. Of course by now everyone was worried about me. Where did I go? Why was I crying? But even my explanation didn't seem to soften the confused and worried looks upon their faces. It wasn't until I got home and looked in the mirror did I realize why I saw horror and worry in their faces...I looked like a freak! I thought the swelling and redness would have gone down, but instead, due to constant crying I'm sure, my face was even more swollen, red, blotchy, and bald! I was so embarrased...people who didn't know me at the baptism must have thought I was a burn victim.

So, this year Kayla, I am not going to get waxed (I'll have to go hairy) I will shy away from baptisms, and will not listen to sad, remember-when songs. I have learned my lesson, you will not have to...what did you say? Tonights your farewell concert choir performance? You get to present Mr. Dehaan his gift? The Madrigals will be singing "Remember"? Oh boy, I'm in trouble...here we go again!