The Chick from the South

    So yesterday, Jolene's back went out due to some repetitive tasks at work. She looked like I did several weeks ago when my back went out—a walking 90 degree angle. Oh, so painful. At any rate, once Jo had called off work, we began making some phone calls to area chiropractors, and as luck would have it, the chiros in Franklin were all closed for the day.

    So we called a chiro in Portland. Portland is a town south of us across the Tennessee line and is closer than Bowling Green would be. The lady who answered the phone was super-nice but wanted the information on Jolene's insurance card, which, of course, was out in her wallet in the car. Since Jo was in no shape to walk up the stairs, she told me to go outside and get it for her. This was all fine until I realized that she had not parked her car in the garage as is the usual custom. No, it was parked outside on the gravel, and in my haste to retrieve the needed articles, I had neglected to slip my flops on; needless to say, my feet are NOT accustomed to such goings-on. So I very carefully picked my way to her passenger's side door-ouch, ouch, ouch-and lifted the handle. Locked. Sooooo frustrating. So I hobbled to the other side and rummaged around until I found her purse and wallet. Then for the long journey back. I walked along the edge of the garage pavement as soon as I was able, but let me tell you, in this 100+ degree weather, it was hotter than a biscuit and not much better for the feet than the gravel had been.

    By the time I arrived at the door, the 90 degree angle that is Jolene had hobbled her way to the top of the stairs to see what was taking me so long.

    She snatched up my offer to take her to Portland to the chiro, and so off we went. It was an altogether different chiro experience than what I have ever experienced. For one thing, one of their staff members is an 11-year old border collie, which gave the practice some immediate brownie points in my book. "Tipper" is tremendously smart. Dr. Barker has trained her to keep a Frisbee in her mouth so that her barking is minimized. Since Jolene was one of the last patients of the day, and he had no others to work on at the moment, Dr. Barker came out to the waiting room where he and I discussed dogs for about twenty minutes while Jolene was getting x-rayed. He can give Tipper verbal commands, and she'll do what he says. He told her to go get her red ball, and so she went back into the laundry, and after much growling and sighing, she emerged with her red ball. He says they have names for all her balls, and he'll tell her which one to get, and she knows what he is talking about. It was really fascinating.

    So the real story of the day was the drive back. I am not as familiar with Portland as I am with many other roads in the area, and so as I was approaching the outskirts of Portland heading back toward Franklin, I found that my lane was ending. There was a huge semi to my left, which prevented me from merging left. So I put my blinker on and slowed down so that I could pull in behind the semi. In my mirror, I could see that the car following the semi purposely sped up so that there was hardly enough room to insert a credit card, much less room for me to slip in in front of her.

    Now Sharon and I have long ago written Tennessee drivers off to having a very low driving IQ, but this about took the cake. I was so astonished and ticked off that (yes, I admit it) I honked my horn at her in exasperation (one of the few times in my life that I have remembered to utilize that Useful Tool at the proper time). The driver, who was talking on her cell phone, responded with some repeated gesture with her hand held high in the air that I took to mean she thought I should've merged a long time ago and that it wasn't HER fault that I was out of laneage. For crying out loud—what purpose did it serve for her to hug a semi's hind-end? It's not like she could pass the semi—too much oncoming traffic for that, and you can't see a thing except a trailer when you're that close! Well whatever. Maybe she had some important business to which she must attend.

    While she continued to hug the semi's hiney, I dropped back a car length or two, and Jo and I resumed our business at hand—slurping our strawberry malts. When we approached the Flying J by I-65, we again had two lanes. Well, what do we have here? I said to Jo. Ms. Fancy Pants was stopped at the stop light. As I approached, the light turned green. "Watch this," I said to Jo, chuckling, and I pulled to the right lane to buzz right on by her.

    Well, this chick must have caught on that it was ME—the turtle—approaching her rear, and she suddenly mashed her gas pedal to the floor and beyond. WOULD YOU BELIEVE that her tires literally squalled as she desperately tried to ensure her place ahead of me? Jo and I were so astonished, our mouths literally fell to the floor. She had to stop at the next light too, and I again had the same chance to buzz right around her. We both decided I should not even attempt it, as we didn't want to incite a coronary, but I couldn't help but make some very sarcastic remarks. I don't remember what I said, but it was enough to tickle Jo something awful as she began to take on the form of a puddle on the floor. One thing I said is that I want to follow this chick to see what is so all-fired important that she gets there before I do. A sale somewhere, perhaps?

    We soon found out where she was headed: Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart???? "Wooooooooooooooooooooo," I said, as I passed her in the turning lane, "Wallllllll-Marrrrrrt!!" Since there is no tax on groceries in Kentucky, the low-IQ people from the South often fill our parking lots when getting their groceries. Maybe there was only one piece of chicken or one gallon of milk left--I just don't know. I do know, however, that there is currently no winter storm on the horizon—tax-free groceries should be aplenty.

    Since she had to sit there in the turning lane waiting on the oncoming traffic, I briefly considered going to the next entrance, parking my car, and taking over as a temporary Wal-Mart Greeter. But I refrained. I didn't even honk my horn, wink, and wave as I flew past. Instead, I scraped what was left of Jo up off the floor and deposited her at home.

Cleo and Teddy Bear's Boys

Cleo and Teddy Bear have had some puppies. They are seven weeks old now and almost ready to go to new homes. I am SO FOND of all of them--it breaks my heart to see them go. But even I know that six dogs is just too much. So enjoy these "limited edition" puppies...as this shall not be a repeat experience.

Cleo & Teddy Bear's Family Album 2

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5 Minutes with Taylor

I pick Taylor up from preschool and deliver her to my mother's house for babysitting four days a week. It's a ten-minute round-trip, which means I have little five-minute conversations with Taylor. Teddy usually rides with me, and Taylor usually greets him with a squeal every day. And then it's a five-minute conversation back to the house. We don't get into anything in depth, but it's usually a full five minutes. Here are some recent conversations.

- - -

I stopped at the bank on the way home one day, and, as usual, the teller put a referral gift card in with my receipt. (I've only gotten a zillion of them.)

"This is for you," I said, handing it back to Taylor in the back seat.

"What is it?" she asked, glad for an unexpected gift.

"It's a gift card for free luggage," I told her. "But it's only good if you open a checking account. Do you think you can open a checking account?"

"No," she said wistfully, then a little more brightly, "but I guess I will be getting some money from the tooth fairy."

And then she told me about the story her teacher read of the child who tricked the tooth fairy by using shark teeth.

- - -

"I have had a very bad day," Taylor told me after clambering into the car.

"You have? How come?" I asked.

"My friends have all been mean to me, and Morgan would not let me have the Barbie phone," she said.

"Taylor," I said. "Someday when you're all grown up, you'll look back and see that that Barbie phone wasn't important at all. In fact, the most important thing is that you are friends with Morgan."

"But I'm not going to grow up," she said.

"You're not?" I asked. "How come?"

"Because my daddy told me that I can't grow up," she said.

I think her daddy may just have to be disappointed.

Our Trip to Tijuana and San Diego

My 5-week Winter Break this year was quite eventful. It's a shame I haven't posted all that's been happening, but for now, here are some pictures to enjoy from our trip to Tijuana and San Diego.

Our Trip to Tijuana-San Diego

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Graduation: December 13, 2008

What a flurry of activity took place the week of graduation! Sharon and I had numerous finals, we had out-of-town family and guests for whom to prepare, and we had to plan our open-house graduation celebration. I was so pleased that three of my Kansas friends came for the event. Jennifer & Paula Yoder and Doris Miller brought my aunt Ida from Kansas. They drove through the night on Thursday and arrived Friday morning about 9 am. My brother Alvin and his family also traveled through the night on Thursday and arrived about 8 am. Sara flew in from VA and arrived in Nashville between 10:30 and 11:00 pm.

By the time graduation rolled around, I had resigned myself to giving some comments at graduation. I had to go to a rehearsal of types on Friday at 11, so that I could do a walk-through while carrying the flag. You would think it be a simple thing, but it was such a bulky thing and because we did a fairly long walk in a part of the hall with a low ceiling, I'm sure I would've speared someone or gotten hung up on the ceiling had I not had the opportunity to practice. I also felt a lot better about it after being able to practice. It was at rehearsal, however, that they told me that the previous 0gden Scholar had talked longer than he was supposed to have and that my comments should be limited to two minutes. Wow. I wasn't planning to speak overly long anyway, but do you know how difficult it is to say anything worthwhile in two minutes? So I had to totally start from scratch again. Sharon was sleeping with me that night, and so I made her stay up to give me inspiration. Needless to say, it was 2 am before it was finally written and we could go to bed.

Sharon went into a mini-panic when she discovered that she had left her hat at home on her closet shelf, and we were already halfway to Bowling Green. Alvin stopped in to get it for her, but they were at least twenty minutes behind us. My instructions were to go to the baseball locker room where the president and all the faculty would be gathering prior to our march into the arena. So Sharon helped get my hat into place, and once her hat finally arrived, I did likewise. When I arrived in the locker room, I was met by the dean of Potter College. He told me that he had seen the TV interview, and while he knows I'm not from his college, he wanted me to know that he is still so very proud of me and wishes me the best! He was so kind and gracious and quickly put me at ease. Then the 0gden Foundation representative came in and found me, and we quickly became chums. We spent a lot of time chatting beforehand, and later, during the ceremony, we sat next to each other, and he would whisper stuff to me that I found rather amusing. I couldn't tell you what it was because I don't remember it. But one thing he did tell me was that if I messed up, it would be quite alright. The provost and the president also found their way to the corner I was in and conveyed their congratulations as well.

So then we all gathered around for general announcements and we were launched out into the hall. The president was following me, and with every person he met in the hall, it was "Hello there," and "There's a future Hilltopper!" or some other such greeting. We were given the signal to start, and I was second out of the gate. I followed Dr. T. He, as the longest-standing faculty member, carried in the mace. I managed deliver the flag with no mess-ups or trips, and I was glad to sit next to my new friend. And what a sea of faces there were! Unfortunately, while Sharon was in the front row, I couldn't see her from my vantage point. But everyone could see me as my chair was placed in such a manner that no matter who was speaking--there I was. I hated that. Being on the big screen for almost the entire first hour of the ceremony was no fun… no craning of the neck to see people, no scratching, no moving, no adjusting, no anything!

Soon enough, the Time drew near, and I had to go get my plaque and deliver my two minute speech. Here's the speech for those of you who are interested:

-----

"I would like to first of all thank the members of the 0gden Foundation for this honor, and I also wish to applaud those of you in this audience who have contributed to my academic journey here at Western in a positive way. As I was reflecting over my time spent here the past four years, I have had to consider that when all is said and done, it is not the high grades nor the accolades that I shall treasure—Rather, I shall value the kindnesses shown me that have made this experience less difficult. I'd like to share an example of this with you.

One of my classes earlier this year required me to purchase a small, paper-back textbook. And the price was $60. I was determined, however, that I should not have to pay so much for a book that was so thin. After some research online, I found that the prior edition was a mere fraction of the cost, and so, a little impulsively, I sent an email to the author's company and asked them if the changes from one edition to the next were really all that significant. When I didn't receive a prompt response, I had actually forgotten about the email. So it was with surprise that I received the following email message several weeks later from the author himself:

"If you will send me your mailing address," he wrote, "I will put a copy of the third edition in the mail to you at no charge.... since we were all poor students at one time."

I was astonished and a little embarrassed perhaps, but too grateful not to accept it. And it arrived soon thereafter. Much more valuable to me than the free current edition of the $60 book, however, was the example of the author who was not so out of touch or self-absorbed that he couldn't remember what it was like to be a "poor college student."

And when I consider the potential success of this graduating class, it strikes me that we will all have opportunities at some point to make someone else's journey a little easier. And so I will leave you with the challenge I found in the author's inscription to me: "Go do great things!"

How will you use your degree to impact someone else's world?

Thank you and congratulations on your achievements!"

-----

As promised, Dr. W came back for the graduation. After many years as the head of the HCA program, he left Western this past August. "I put my invitation inside my suit coat pocket," he told me afterward. "I wanted to make sure they would let me in!"

We had arranged to meet up with Dr. M afterward so that we could take pictures together. She was my German professor and it was she with whom Sharon and I went to Germany in 2006.

We had a small gathering later that night at Martin's house for family and friends. Although the week and hullabaloo surrounding graduation was exhausting and not one we care to repeat, we could not help but conclude that we have been exceedingly blessed with an amazing family and many friends. We are appreciative for those of you who took time out of your own busy schedules to celebrate these special moments with us. We thank God for each one of you.

Two Minutes…

So having been designated the 0gden Scholar (which turns out to be a bigger deal than I originally thought), and with being one of two Mennonite sisters who were both graduating at the same time and "with honors," Sharon and I were catapulted into the media spotlight briefly. They say you get fifteen minutes of fame, and then it's over. I think "two minutes of fame" would be a little more accurate in our case.

At any rate, it started with being contacted by A.B., who wanted to do a story on us for a television segment called "View from the Hill." Someone told me later that they like to have a big graduation story for every graduation, and this time, Sharon and I were The Big Story. We weren't all that excited about it, but we agreed to do an interview for the two-minute spot. Let's just say we did NOT enjoy that process at all. It was so difficult to give an answer that we felt good about while knowing that it could be twisted into something else entirely. This was complicated by not knowing ahead of time what questions were going to be asked. The first question was "Tell us about your community." Well, that was nice and general, wasn't it? You could go a thousand different directions with that.

At the same time the television interview was being conducted, the one in charge of media relations for the university was taking notes for the purposes of writing a press release which would then be released to the newspapers. They also had a photographer in the room who was taking many, many pictures. Needless to say, we decided we were not meant for the camera.

The media relations person sent us a rough draft of his piece ahead of time, and we took the liberty of making corrections. And he was fine with us making corrections, which we appreciated so much. In the end, we liked his article much better than any other thing that was put out there. What happens is that the University sends out their article in the form of a press release, which other newspapers can then take and publish as their own story. A reprint was not good enough for the BG paper, however, and they wanted to write their own story. So we had a late night interview with one of their reporters. Unlike the university, we were not given a chance to edit it, which resulted in a poorly written, inaccurate article. We absolutely hated it. The other smaller newspapers stuck with the university version, for which we were very grateful.

When we were contacted by the university's radio station for an interview, we were beginning to feel harassed. We were much bolder by this time, however, and told her that the only way we would consider it is if she sent us the questions ahead of time. She mostly stuck to the questions, although she did throw some curves into it. I haven't had the nerve to listen to the interview yet, but Sharon did, and we were both very upset to find that the intro she stuck in there when the piece was edited was her own version of what she had wanted us to say (and didn't). I had also sent her some corrections after the interview and asked her not to include certain questions, and according to Sharon, she did anyway. We were SO NOT HAPPY! They say don't believe everything the media throws at you, and we are here to tell you that that is true.

We have decided that there is the Real Truth and then there is the Censored Truth. And what makes these interviews so difficult is that you have to give the Censored Truth on the fly. What do I mean by that? Well, for example, one question they repeatedly ask is if we have experienced any rejection from our community because of attending college. Or alternatively, have we received support from our community, and if so, how? Well, the Censored Truth is that no, we have not been "rejected," per se, and our community has supported us as best as they know how. Any conservative Mennonite who has been in college would probably know all too well that the Real Truth is slightly different.

We knew the story had hit the newspapers when Sharon and I went to the dry cleaners early one morning, and the dry cleaning lady told us how much she had enjoyed reading our article. We were a little startled, but it was the first of many such comments from people we met in passing. For example:

• We met one teenager in Nashville who came up to us and asked us if we were from Franklin (turns out, she was too and had seen the article). When we confirmed that yes, we were, in fact, the subjects of the article, she was sooo pleased and just beamed.
  
• The night before graduation, Sharon had run into Wal-Mart for a couple items. A lady approached her and said, "I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but are you one of the ladies graduating tomorrow?" Sharon said yes, and she next asked if she was the one going for accounting. Sharon thought it was kind of creepy to have some random unknown person know that much about you.
  
• One day at school, Sharon was getting off the elevator, and an elderly gentleman that she had run into numerous times over the past four years stopped her and said, "I read about you in the paper. You're a Starrr!"
  
• When Sharon's friends, Ryan and Jenna, heard about the upcoming TV spot, they both declared they were going to call all their friends and relatives to watch it. Jenna said that she was going to call the TV station and ask for a copy of the segment and tell them, "Those are my friends!"
  
• Dr. W1 announced to the entire class that we were going to be on TV and that they should go home and watch it.
  
• I told Dr. W2—who had written one of my letters of recommendation for me—about having gotten the award. He said he was going to put it in the departmental newsletter. I said that I didn't think it was necessary, but he said, "No, no. You don't understand. It's not about you. It's about a student of MINE getting the award. I now have bragging rights!"
  
• When Sharon and I were standing in line in the bookstore on campus, one of the cashiers called out, "Are you sisters? I read about you in the paper."
  

So here are some of the headlines:

• WKU: "Sisters from Mennonite Community Among WKU's Top Scholars"
  
• Bowling Green: "Value of Education Goes Far for Graduating Sisters"
  
• Franklin: "Two Mennonite Sisters to get Honors Degrees"
  
• Russellville: "Schmuckers to be Honored at WKU"
  
• Franklin (post graduation): "Schmuckers Receive Honors at WKU's Commencement"
  

Here is the link for the television interview: http://www.wku.edu/news/releases08/december/scholars.html

And the flurry of good wishes flowing in from the public was astonishing… we feel blessed to have been shown such support. I'd like to share some of those:

From Classmates:

• Hi Kris, All I can say is CONGRATULATIONS! I went to [Western's] website and read an article about you and your sister. What an accomplishment! ~W.L.
  
• Congratulations. You've both done a really good job. ~B.W.
  
• Congratulations on your honor and achievements. Good luck in your MPH courses. ~W.H.
  
• Kris, I read this article about you and your sister today! I used to see a lady on campus and she looked very much like you, but I just thought it was a coincidence!! I now know that it was your sister Sharon. Congratulations on your accomplishments! You are very knowledgeable about health care and I know you will succeed at everything you put your mind to! I've enjoyed getting to know you and I look forward to keeping in touch, beyond our days at WKU!...see you tonight for our final! Good Luck! ~T.C.
  
• I am so happy that both of you have done so well and are graduating with honors. That is so great! I really liked learning more about your family and your travels tonight on the news. I had no idea. How fun to have such a supportive family. I am proud to have known you both and am really happy about your success!! ~E.S.
  
• Sharon, I just wanted to congratulate you on graduating. It is a great feeling. ~C.S.
  
• I finished reading the article on WKU's website after we got off the phone. I thought it was great and you and Kris should both be very proud of yourselves. Don't be embarrassed. You can't help it that you're geniuses. :) ~R.B.
  

From Professors:

• Wonderful radio interviews. Now you are REAL celebrities. It was...no IS my pleasure to know you and Sharon. You are fantastically gifted young ladies, who will make an enormous impact on everyone you touch and everything you do. If I can assist you in any way in your future success, PLEASE DO NOT hesitate to call. ~H.L.
  
• Dear Kris and Sharon, Congratulations to both of you on your academic achievements. It was wonderful to see you today. I have now caught up on the news a bit: seen the Daily News story, read the WKU news story, and seen the video spot on the WKU web site. Your comments indicate a tremendous amount of discipline and character. It was so nice of you to mention how much the trip to Germany in 2006 meant to you. I'm going to forward the links to Markus. I am sure he will be excited to see them. ~L.M.
  
• I saw you at the WKU graduation and was so very pleased that you were recognized a WKU outstanding scholar!!!! I am proud of you and wish you the very best. I would like to talk with you sometime […]. Hope all is well. Again, congratulations. ~S.J.
  
• Sharon, Congratulations! I just learned you were named one of the two Scholars for the Gordon Ford College of Business for the December Commencement. ~S.W.
  
• Sharon, (You are a celebrity!) Not only do you have a 4.00 GPA, had a perfect performance in my class, but you also made the news. Congratulations! I read the story about you and Kris. I am sure you will ace your CPA exam. Just study for it! ~G.K.
  
• Great job, Kris! We are all so very proud of you. I plan on being there to see you get your award! Sincere best wishes always. ~C.W.
  

From my friends at CHC/Medical Center:

• You didn't tell me about this! I am very proud of you and your family. ~C.S.
  
• Hey Kris!! I wanted to congratulate you on receiving the Ogden Scholarship Award. That is great!! You are such a good student… Dr. W. would be so proud! :) Congratulations again!! ~S.W.
  
• Hey Kris, Congratulations on the 0gden Scholarship award. What an accomplishment! I know your parents are extremely proud of both you and Sharon. I read the article in the newspaper – it was really good. Both you and Sharon are inspirations proving you can do anything with confidence and support. But what really is important is your devotion in using your education to help your Church family. We should all strive for that kind of profession. Way to go! I hope everything is going well with your graduate studies. Hang in there because I know your hard work is going to pay off. Take care and keep in touch. ~M.C.
  
• Congratulations, Graduate!!! What an honor!!! C.S. shared with me about your Ogden Scholarship Award. Way to Go!!!! Good luck with your future endeavors. ~C.P.
  
• Congratulations on your upcoming graduation. We wish you all the best. ~V.T.
  
• Congratulations on being awarded the 0gden Scholarship! I am very happy for you, and you must be ecstatic. This award does not come as a surprise to me since I've had the pleasure to get to work and know you. I have seen firsthand what you are capable of and the intelligence you possess. Again, congratulations and best wishes! ~R.M.
  
• WAY TO GO KRIS!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY AND SO VERY PROUD OF YOU!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!! ~T.S.
  

From Acquaintances:

• My mother-in-law from Franklin called me and told me about the news regarding your graduation from college! Just wanted to say congratulations..that is a wonderful achievement!!! ~M.D.
  
• Dear Sara, I was on my way to Florida and PBS-WESTERN had an interview with your sisters! It was such a good interview. I could just picture them as they were talking. Then Meg e-mailed me that they were on TV. And tonight there was a BIG article in the Glasgow Daily Times about them with their pictures! They are celebrities. You must be very proud of them as I am sure they are of you. It's absolutely amazing what you three did with that 8th grade education you had. I couldn't be more proud of you if you were my own family. When you talk with them, please tell them I said "congratulations on the good work" and keep on going! ~J.E. {former USPS coworker}
  
• Hi Kris and Sharon, I was so surprised to see you both in the newspaper and on TV! Congratulations on your accomplishments. Aren't you glad you didn't make the USPS a career! ~J.W. {former USPS coworker}
  
• What celebrities you are! TV & newspaper write ups—just wonderful! We are so very proud of you and your accomplishments and all that you stand for. I'm so glad that I had the chance, through Mother and Daddy, to get to know you! God bless you wherever your paths may lead! ~G.P
  
• We wanted to say congratulations for all your accomplishments. What a very special lady you are and how proud your parents must be! Way to go! Congrats to your sister as well! Best of luck and good wishes! ~J.T.
  
• Congratulations on your graduation. I saw the news article that was written about you and kris . God bless you as you use your schooling for His glory! ~S.S.
  
• Sharon, I am so proud of you! I knew you would go to school someday. I am excited for your sister as well. I know you don't like publicity, but you never know who is watching and can offer you a job. I have thought about you several times and wondered what you were doing. Once again, I am very proud of you!!! ~S.T.
  
  

From Family:

• yayyyyyy, Kris, you're awesome! Go for global engagement!!!! ~Andrew
  
• I'm proud of you for doing it, but just let me say, I would NOT have done it! Whatever did you answer for the civic question? That gives me the chills and I don't even have to answer it. ~Sara
  
• I'm afraid if they had asked me the civic engagement question I would have said, "can you define civic engagement for me, please?" And I'm quite proud of her. I think it will be fantastic to have her speak at my commencement! ~Sharon
  
• Congratulations! I am so incredibly proud of you! And I am so disappointed that I won't be able to be there. Please, please have someone make a video so I can at least see belatedly. There was no doubt in my mind that you would be the winner. They had no other choice! You just bowled them over with your knowledge, you grace under pressure, and your charm. I wish I could have been there to see the interview! ~Uncle Joe
  
• Congratulations! I am also quite proud of you and I know you can make that speech! If you can face that sea of stern faces and answer their questions (and win), then you can speak to a friendly crowd and tell them what you want to. ~Mom
  
• Congratulations on such a prestigious honor and a load of cash. ~Martha
  
• We're thrilled and proud of you! Lyle says, "Many happy returns of the day!" I assume that doesn't mean the interview, but rather the day you get the scholarship check. ~Maria
  
• I am SOOO excited! ~Jolene
  
• Wow... wowwwwww. ~Louisa
  
• First off,Kudos to you Kris ! I am awed that there is such intelligence within our family. Do you think some of it might rub off if I touched you? Smile. And yes, I know that you can give out a few words of wisdom at commencement. Just imagine that you're on your soap box and you're expounding to
  a bunch of your best friends. YOU CAN DO IT !!!! ~Aunt Ida
  
• Kris- Congratulations on your honors. ~Nora
  
• Congratulations to you and Sharon! Don't worry Kris, fame typically lasts 15 minutes! It was a great article. ~Annie
  
• This is a small note to congratulate each on your wonderful and outstanding accomplishment. Jay and I hope and pray that you are very proud of yourselves. The fruits of your hard-work and determination are finally here. We wish each much success and the very best now and always. It is time for celebration and party!!!!! Congratulations once again! ~Liz

0gden Scholar Award

As many of you know, Sharon and I graduated on December 13. I thought I would try to summarize all the goings-on of the past month for blogging purposes and for those of you who are interested. I will do this in multiple postings.

Graduation… wow! What an ordeal that was! What made it extraordinarily frantic was because somehow I landed the 0gden Scholar Award. So here is how that happened (the following is an email sent to my family on 11/18/08):

As some of you may know, I was approached by the registrar last spring and was asked to defer my graduation until December. As an August graduate, you get to pick whether you want to walk in May or walk in December. If I waited until December, J.B., the registrar, told me, I would definitely be the Scholar of my College, an honor that goes to the student with the highest GPA in his or her respective college. The catch is that you have to be totally finished, including internships, and that precluded me from getting the honor at the May ceremony. In addition, J.B. told me, if I deferred until December, I would "be invited to apply" for the 0gden Scholar award. This award is open to all the Scholars of the Colleges, of which there are approximately 9-12(ish). Of that pool, they select three applicants, whom they will interview before making a final decision.

I know a lot more about this now than I did then. When I was first contacted by J.B., I kept asking her, "now what is this for again?" and "now who qualifies for this?" Well, because it worked out better for Alvins and Sara to come to only one graduation (rather than one in May and another in December), and with the enticement of the possibility of a $1000 award attached to the 0gden Scholar, I chose to defer my graduation to December. In the meantime, I would finish up my internship and head into my first semester of graduate school in the fall.

The day before we left for Europe would have been my original graduation date. I went ahead and attended the ceremony and watched sadly as all my Real Friends graduated without me.

And I beheld the duties required of the 0gden Scholar. And I was upset.

The 0gden Scholar, as it turns out, leads the faculty up onto the stage doing nothing less than carrying the Western flag (I've only touched a flag once or so… at VBS when I was…like, three). And he sits with the faculty… facing the crowd. And HE SPOKE FOR EXACTLY A VERY LONG TIME. Does this sound like something I am interested in? That would be a negative.

So fast forward to October. This has been as stressful of a semester as any to date. I can barely eek my stuff in on time. And then J.B. calls me again and informs me that yes, I am, in fact, the Scholar of the College and that as such I am invited to apply for the 0gden Scholar award. I was less than enthusiastic, and so I finally asked her, "the 0gden Scholar speaks at commencement, doesn't he?" Why yes, as a matter of fact, that's right… and that is a very good thing to know, she said, and she is glad that I mentioned it.

Well, YESS! That would be that would be something to consider, wouldn't it?

I told her I would think about it, but that speaking at commencement would likely keep me from applying. I hung up and no less than two minutes later, J.B. called me back and said that she is sure that if I were really opposed to it, that I could decline to speak and still get the award. "No one would have to know," she said.

Well, as it turns out, Sharon and her friend Ryan tied for being Scholars of their college as well, and they are also invited to apply. But they didn't, because, Sharon says… regarding the required essay, "I couldn't possibly."

Whatever!

So I considered it… and I made some contacts to see if I could find some people to write letters of recommendation on my behalf…just in case. And they gladly consented (my preceptor from my internship and one of my professors).

And with everything else that I've had going on… I barely eeked out my application and essay by the deadline. I decided that since I was having letters submitted on my behalf, I had better go ahead and apply.

So I get a phone call a week ago, and dear J.B. is sooo happy to tell me that I have made it to the final three.

And a knife twists in the pit of my stomach even as we made arrangements for The Interview.

And The Interview was TONIGHT [11/18/08]. At 6:00.

And next to almost missing the train to Treviso (nothing will ever top that), that interview has to be the WORST experience in my short-term memory. It was sooooo horrrrrible.

J.B. herself ushered me into the room, but before I entered, she made sure to tell me that all the colleges are represented and that "F.C." is the representative of the 0gden Foundation. I had the feeling she was giving me a Hint, but I didn't know what to do with it.

And I walked into that room and nearly fainted. It was a sea of stern faces that stared back at me (anyone remember the Dorrie books with the pictures of the long tables with all the figures dressed in black?).

All I could think was "I have changed my mind."

I walked around and shook hands with everyone as if I were at an Amish church service. And they were kind enough to point out that I would get the "hot seat." So I sat at a table all by myself facing the mob. Each person was able to ask one question, and they started with Dr. Trafton (former professor of Jolene's). I knew I was in trouble when he came out with "Describe your civic engagement experiences and what civic engagement means to you personally."

Talk about a deer in the headlights.

The questions were simply awful (variations of the following—I can't possibly remember the actual questions):

1. "In your time here at Western, what was your greatest obstacle, and how did you overcome it?" [The one answer I remember: " Being all things to all people." How did I overcome it? "By defining my limitations and letting other people know what they are." (translation: just say no)].

2. How have your experiences prepared you for global engagement?

3. What one research project have you done that you found the most interesting?

4. What do you see yourself doing in four to six years?

5. If you could do one thing over in your time here at Western, what would it be?

Awkward, awkward, awkward. It was literally a series of impromptu speeches through which I just muddled my way. Anyone who knows me well knows that I do not think well on the fly. I don't remember how I answered which question, but somehow, I talked about Mr. Wilson (from the Tech School), about Menno-culture, about my work with SEMMA (they were very intrigued by that), about my dad, and various other and sundry things. And by the end, I was "Kris—Master of the Beady-Eyed Look." And when my time was up, I fled the scene. It is very cold around here right now, and I found myself shivering with teeth chattering---but I knew it wasn't from the cold. I literally felt white.

I called Sharon on the way home and loudly lamented how terrible that experience was. And when I got home, I paced the hall. And I cleared my desk of all unnecessary things. And I attempted to eat some Ramen Noodles, but the only thing that could make me feel better was ice cream, and so my noodles ended up in the Puppy Bowl.

You would think the story would end there… but no.

At 8:02 p.m., the telephone rang. The caller ID said "C., F." J.B. had originally told me I wouldn't know anything until the first of December, and so I assumed they must have forgotten to ask me the Final Question. So I picked it up and identified myself. And F.C. himself was happy to inform me that I AM THE WINNER. And he was also happy to inform me that I would get to carry the Western flag and would "get to" make some comments at commencement.

Well, blow me over with a feather!!! I didn't have the heart to tell him I object.

Anyone know how to carry a flag?