the teen's officially a freshman

btw, i don't care what y'all think of "my" boots. i dig 'em. and i still want 'em. so there!

friday was the teen's long-awaited promotion ceremony. she was ready - had the dress, the shoes, the accessories, the 'do. and since it was minimum day, she even had time to get her nails done, courtesy of MIL. i might have gotten my toes done, too. heh.

i can't believe it's already been two whole years since her last promotion ceremony! it's amazing how time flies. this only means that high school's going to zoom by, too. yikes.

after a quick run to pick up some false lashes (which i tried to talk her out of, because she already has awesome natural ones), we headed home and the frenzied preparations began. with a few minutes to spare, i got her to pose for me, red carpet-style.

the shoes looked pretty fab with the dress.

using some birthday money, she'd treated herself to this juicy couture necklace at the nordie's sale a couple of weeks ago.

we pulled up to the high school and were pleasantly surprised to find ample parking still available in the main lot.

oh, my girl. she's so awesome.

the ILs were present as well.

when the gym doors were finally open, it was a mad scramble to find seating. somehow, we'd gotten separated from the hub, so as the teen left to find her seat, i scanned the bleachers and finally spied him and the bean. they'd managed to secure a pretty decent spot in the lower level, and i ended up making like spiderman and scaling the side to get up there. in heels, no less.

i had had the forethought to bring the zoom lens, and so i used it to find the teen. in that sea of heads, i actually managed to find her.

i knew my mom, stepdad, and grandma were there too, but hadn't been able to connect with them before the ceremony began. as the principal welcomed everyone and delivered some opening remarks, the hub pointed them out to me - high above us on the opposite side of the gym. you can see 'em, right? waaaaay at the top.

it was a blessedly quick ceremony - the prior day's rehearsal had obviously sunk into their heads, because it was all very organized and smooth. i watched the teen join the line nervously, as i knew she was terrified of slipping and/or falling in her heels.

speaking of heels, wow. i mean, wow. the girls had been given strict instructions to keep their attire modest - nothing backless, strapless, halter-topped. they were expected to don a wrap if their dresses didn't meet those guidelines. okay, the teen was a total rule-breaker - her betsey johnson dress was meant to be strapless, but did come with a strap meant to be worn as a halter, which she put on. heh. but her dress was really cute and age-appropriate (at least, i thought so). the other girls were wearing some doozies - skintight, animal prints, some just plain tacky. and the SHOES! holy mother of pearl, i haven't seen that many pairs of stripper shoes in one place since i was at...well, never mind. let's just say, i was pretty appalled at what a lot of parents let their 14-year-olds get away with. it took all of my willpower to keep from snapping away at the girls' feet.

and this is where i'm totally kicking myself for having the presence of mind to swap out my lenses, but not to change the setting on the camera to the "sports" function. most of the shots i ended up with were hopelessly blurry. gah!

look at my emo teen, who made it all the way through without so much as a stumble!

their ASB president made a cute little speech comparing middle school to a three-ring circus. she handled it perfectly, with great timing and a polished delivery. and then it was over.

yay! she did it!

this is the teen's cousin - just one year ahead of her, finishing up her stint as a freshman. i'm hoping that she can help pave the way for the teen next year as she finds her way around.

before she gave me one last hug and took off with her dad, i managed to slip a little blue box tied with a white ribbon into her hand. and we even had time for her to open it.

she'd admired the "tiffany keys" collection as we walked past the pasadena store several times in the last few weeks. and magically, we managed to scoop one up for her as a promotion present. we've turned to tiffany for gifts to commemorate special times in our/her life, like the necklace and bracelet we gave her during our wedding ceremony and another when we told her we were expecting the bean. not to mention, the corny side of me reared its cheesetastic head and told her it was also a symbol of what's to come - a "key" to her future, so to speak. you know? come on! you expected nothing less.

and she loved it so much, she put it on right then and there.

she left to meet up with her dad in the parking lot, and we were right behind her. the bean couldn't get enough of the peoplewatching.

the rest of us headed off to grab some dinner - and i know a bunch of you will moan and groan loudly in 3...2...1 - at acapulco. as much as i love chain restaurants, know this: it wasn't my choice. nor was it on my dime, so there you go.

the bean, pooped from quite an active, exciting day, passed out during the short drive to the restaurant.

i was pretty hungry, so i grubbed down on the chips and salsa.

we laughed as we celebrated the teen, her promotion, and how awesome she looked - without her.

i went simple - a shredded beef taco and a tamale, with rice.

the bean finally woke up as we ate, and decided she'd munch on some chicken off of her grandma's plate.

and on the way out, she grabbed her great-great-grandma's cane and mugged for the camera.

i've got a class reunion meeting tomorrow, and my cousin seven, who'd borrowed my stack of yearbooks for a school project, was kind enough to deliver the box to me. they'd been kickin' it in my aunt's garage for the last, oh, seven-ish years. i figured it'd be cool to bring them with me to the meeting, and i've been having a blast looking through them and going down memory lane. i wonder whatever happened to the 3847598347091 crushes i had throughout those years. i hope they're on facebook. muahahahahahahaha!

and as i perused those old yearbooks, i giggled and snorted at pictures of my middle- and high school self - big ass round glasses, ginormous 80s 'fro, awful uncool clothes. i thought of how lame i was, so awkward and insecure, and compared myself at that age to the teen. it amazes me how much more mature, gorgeous, and confident she is. of course, she's got the typical teenage insecurities too, but man! if i had even half of what she's got going on right now back then, i'd have been so way cooler than i was. i'm so proud of my baby.

it's gonna be super fun watching her blossom and mature over the next four years. i can't wait. i just know it's gonna be one hell of a ride!