BIG Week
So I started writing this post...and then...the weekend picked my butt. And then I lost motivation to write entirely. And theeeeennn...I finally sat down and decided I should finish it. So here it is. And it's about last week:
This is it. This is the week I've been waiting for for months. Literally months. It's the week after which baby can be born at almost any time. It's the week that I needed to get through before I'm mostly home-free. So in short...it's a big week. And although it isn't over, it has not disappointed.
Yesterday, John and I got up bright and early, put on our Sunday best, and drove to Raleigh where I was to attend the NCCCS Excellence Event. I was nominated earlier this semester by three of my instructors and a board of people chose me out of the nominations. I didn't really understand then what a big deal this would be but now I understand. This award was academic and was not art related. It was based on my work ethic as a student and I'm honored to have received it and am glad it was NOT an art award. The reason being...I feel like I'm at the point where I believe I can succeed in my art. Being recognized for my academics is an honor beyond that and I will always treasure it. But back to the event.
We parked at the Raleigh Convention Center and walked to the meeting area where we would be meeting my school's Executive Vice President and taking a shuttle to the Governor's Mansion for refreshments and an address by the Governor herself. We arrived, got through security and enjoyed "mansion lemonade" and some amazing cookies while we mingled and waited for Governor Perdue. She arrived and spoke and was very inspiring. She has a background in community college administration which brings this entire event close to her heart. Afterward, we posed for pictures with her, the group of Excellence Award Recipients and the group of Presidents of colleges. From there, we returned to the shuttles and headed back to the convention center for the awards ceremony. At this point, I was already thoroughly inspired and pumped to be there. It was a BIG deal John could be there with me. HUGE deal. There's a lot of things he misses out on because of his busy schedule and deployments and I was thrilled this wasn't one of them. I was also thrilled that it was for me. I know that sounds weird or even selfish...but I go to a lot of events with him for the military. I don't mind and usually have an awesome time. I don't mind being his arm candy. But it was nice to go to an event and have it be MY event and have him be there supporting ME and being MY arm candy. haha...Hopefully that makes sense.
After arriving at the convention center, finding our seating assignment and getting name tags, we mingled in the lobby until the doors opened and we headed to the buffet. I was introduced to one of our school's sponsors (who happened to live literally across the street from us!) and a state senator before we ate. The food was fantastic and I probably had the fullest plate at the table...because...duh...I'm pregnant.
How to even continue...the rest of the event was award presentation and several speakers. I can't even say how inspiring the entire experience was and how surprisingly gut-wrenching some of the backgrounds of some of the award recipients were. I teared up several times and thoroughly drank in everything that happened and everything said. When it was time to receive my award, I received a lot of congratulations for my pregnancy by the other recipients and just felt honored in general to be in a room of such driven people.
We all worked hard and were there because we worked hard. It was so inspirational. As I went up to receive my medal and award, the lady hanging the medals around peoples' necks accidentally made mine land in my cleavage. She giggled, said "Ooops!" and corrected it. We then looked at each other and just BURST out laughing.
Luckily, the audience caught on to none of this. I'm happy to say I made it to the stage and back without tripping and received plenty of concern over me being careful going up to the stage by those directing the recipients (I admit, I looked VERY pregnant...probably because I am VERY pregnant). The rest of the event was fantastic and we both had a wonderful time. The drive home was full of rich conversation and dreaming.
The next day was the reception for the Student Art Show for my school. This is the first real PROFESSIONAL art show the art department has put on and was held in town at a very well-known and admired art gallery. It was the same night Nicolas Sparks (the author) was having a big opening for his newest movie made from one of his books AND was the same night as the Art Walk, a monthly night where businesses participate and basically have open houses of their shops and support the arts. So it turned out to be a good crowd.
I wore my suicidally high green heels and received a lot of attention from people who recognized them from my still life featuring the same shoes. The entire evening was fantastic, full of lots of networking, meeting new people, seeing old friends, and just feeling the love overall. Part way through the evening, I gave in and changed into flats. But not before the award ceremony. Several of my friends received awards and I received the President's award which basically meant the school purchased one of my paintings to be a permanent part of its art collection. This was a HUGE honor and really makes me excited about the future.
I feel like SO MUCH has happened in the past few months and year. And it's like it's all coming to a head with the end of the semester approaching and the arrival of baby approaching soon after (hopefully!) that. I have had a difficult but AMAZING school year. Difficult in the BEST sense. I've worked really hard and have been honored in ways I would have never thought of or expected. God has blessed me in so many ways: with fantastic instructors and classmates, amazing opportunities I KNOW I wouldn't have had going to school as an 18 year old at a 4-year university, an incredibly supportive husband, and a baby I am ITCHING to meet. I have small moments where I wonder if this is the peak of my life or if this is my quarter-life-crisis. lol. But I know that things happen for a reason and God is directing my path. This art show was my first real show displaying my work and I entered my first juried art exhibition earlier this year. I feel so much more comfortable with the thought of entering more and can't wait to see where this all leads...with baby in tow. Thank you all for being a part of it, for supporting me and believing I was capable of good and great things even when I had serious doubts at times. I've learned so much about myself. And I look forward to learning more as I continue to grow.
This is it. This is the week I've been waiting for for months. Literally months. It's the week after which baby can be born at almost any time. It's the week that I needed to get through before I'm mostly home-free. So in short...it's a big week. And although it isn't over, it has not disappointed.
Yesterday, John and I got up bright and early, put on our Sunday best, and drove to Raleigh where I was to attend the NCCCS Excellence Event. I was nominated earlier this semester by three of my instructors and a board of people chose me out of the nominations. I didn't really understand then what a big deal this would be but now I understand. This award was academic and was not art related. It was based on my work ethic as a student and I'm honored to have received it and am glad it was NOT an art award. The reason being...I feel like I'm at the point where I believe I can succeed in my art. Being recognized for my academics is an honor beyond that and I will always treasure it. But back to the event.
Photos: Meself
Comments