Is this real life?

The weirdest thing happened to me about a month ago...

I GRADUATED!!!

I know I have been going to school for like 5 years now; and I know it should be just the natural course of things for a super-senior, such as myself, to take the plunge and actually finish with his undergraduate experience; and I know the world is just waiting for me to do something with my life...

But yes, BYU let me graduate and for the past month and some change I have felt like a drugged-up little kid who just came from the dentist, wondering "Is this real life? I feel funny. Is this going to be forever?" I've been coming to grips with the reality that I am done with my undergrad and it all feels a little surreal... kind of like a really realistic dream and someone's going to turn the lights on any time now and say, "Time to wake up Daniel!"

Dream or reality, these pictures serve as evidence for the latter. My parents came up from Chandler, AZ to support me in this graduation thing... which I'm not sure actually happened in the first place, and secondly, which I'm not sure I deserve credit for since I had just finished BS-ing my last exam the night before to ensure a passing grade! My sister Annie came too and we all commemorated the end of my undergraduate by going to a BYU baseball game and hitting up SmartCookie afterward for their very last night being open for business (the Provo establishment of SmartCookie sadly closed the day I graduated), which I believe symbolized the end of this chapter of my life! (Please note possibly the very last smart cookie to be purchased in Provo in the slide show)!

Now you may ask yourself, "So, what is Daniel P. Mooney doing with his life now that he's a college graduate?" Answer: waiting for the fall semester to come when I'll be starting my Master Degree... as if I can't get enough of school! So, now that I'm just getting used to the idea of being free from homework and tests, I have to get used to the idea of getting back into it all!

Oh well, I guess I wasn't ready to give up school in the first place. I knew all along that it wasn't over so I guess this is just a weird time in my life when I'm just in transition into bigger and better things! In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the break and doing things like pinewood derbys, triathlons, and hanging out with seriously some of the coolest friends ever!

Love, Daniel