05/03/2008 SATURDAY, DEREK SORENSEN'S GRADUATION!

Krystal and I during Derek's graduation. Most all of the chairs were taken, so we sat on the bleachers in the back against the back wall. I think it was the best seat in the hall! Krystal decided to take a picture of us while the speaker was talking! Boy, I made a BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER! I was honored to go to Derek's graduation. Denny had planned on going but he was in bed sick with the flu, SO I went and had a blast! I am so happy that Derek has worked so hard to get his degree! Krystal will graduate with her Bachelor's Degree next May! YIPPY!!! NOW TO THE BIGGGGGGGGGGGGG STORY! Derek's granduation didn't start until 2:00 p.m. I got off work at 11:00 a.m. so I could go home and make sure that I was ready to go when Krystal and Derek needed to go! We left around 12:30 p.m. to go and pick up Derek's Grandma, Mary Andersen, who was riding with us to Cedar City for his graduation which is about 45 minutes away on the Freeway. We leave Washington City and get on the Freeway and heads North. Just after we pass the Hurricane Exit, traffic is STOPPED for as far as you can see! Knowing that we are on a time limit, we all started to worry! The traffic would move a short distance and then STOP! We finally saw a truck go over this dirt path like road and get on the Freeway heading back toward St. George. Derek asked us if we thought it would be wise to go back to the Hurricane and take that exit and take the back roads through Hurricane, La Verkin and Touqerville and get back on the Freeway there since we didn't know what was causing the traffic to stop. So as we got to this dirt path, Derek, took off and we made it to the other side and got on the Freeway going South. We took the exit amd drove through Hurricane, through LaVerkin and through Touqerville. We almost got to the Touqerville exit when we got behind this big truck going about 10 miles an hour trying to make it up the hill so he could go down the hill and back up a little hill to get on the exit! We all tried to think POSITIVE but the truck was really trying out PATIENCE!!! Finally, we got on the Freeway and Derek was able to pass the truck and off we went. By this time, it was about 1:30 p.m. and we still had about 30 miles to go!!! So Derek was driving safely at 80 miles an hour! WE WERE FELLING PRETTY GOOD! Then all of a sudden we heard a buzz! Derek looked at the buzzing light which was flicking on and off saying, "LOW GAS!" WE HAD ANOTHER PROBLEM! As we were going to pick up his grandma, Derek had mentioned that we needed to stop and get some gas. But in the excitement of going to Graduation and picking up his grandma, Derek. Krystal and I forgot all about the GAS. We were having such a good time just visiting. Now what to do? There is a gas station about 15 miles from Cedar City where we can get gas OR should we just take a chance and see if we can make it to the Graduation? It was about 1:45 p.m. by now and Graduation started at 2:00 P.M We all pondered on the topic for a moment and then voted to stop and get 2 gallons of gas which should get us to the Graduation and fill up after Graduation was all over! So Derek drives into the Station, swipes his credit card, put the nozzle in the car, pumped the gas and jumped back into the car and almost burned rubber getting back on the Freeway! He talked to his mother who was just getting to Cedar City from Logan where his little sister's husband had graduated that morning! So they would meet us in front of the the P.E. building, Derek and his grandma would jump out of the car, Krystal would jump in the driver's seat and off her and I would go to find a parking place. THAT'S WHAT WE DID. Derek grabbed his robe and hat and was off. He said afterwards, that they were calling out his name when he ran up to where he was to be in line. So he barely made it! Krystal and I happen to find a parking place right across the street so we were able to find Lorene Sorensen (Derek's Mom) and her friend, Heidi Tasso and Grandma and sit down for Graduation! Of course, I have been to soooooooooooooooooo many College and University Graduations, that I pulled my Romance Novel out of my purse and started to read and this is when Krystal decided we needed to take this picture which I am glad of! CONGRATS, DEREK!!!