CONGRATULATIONS BRYAN! ANOTHER GRADUATION

Bryan in black tie rather than cap and gown

That's Bryan, my grandson who lives in New Orleans.  Jesuit High School graduates do not wear cap and gown for graduation.  He looked so handsome in his tux.  I had to help Bryan with his cuff links and studs, as no one else knew the trick.

At the ceremony, the group of boys were well-rehearsed and moved individually and as a group like military men in formation.  When I was in high school in NOLA, Jesuit boys wore military uniforms.  The Jesuits ran a tight ship then.  I don't know about now, but the graduates toed the line.

My grandson did not know all the words to the fight song, which is sung at sports competitions, but I did, because my high school friends and I attended the Jesuit football games.  I sang the fight song for the family after a couple of glasses of wine and embarrassed them all.

Jesuit graduates on the stage

We were seated in the nosebleed section at the Pontchartrain Center, since none of us were interested in arriving two hours early.  I never found Bryan in the group until his name was called, and he went up to get his diploma.  Yay Bryan!  Shouting or applause for individuals was prohibited, and the audience mostly heeded the rule. These days, graduations move along rather quickly, which is a relief from the long ceremonies which I remember from days past.

Bryan will join his cousin Joey at LSU in the fall. 

Grandpère and brother Andrew

A rather nice photo of Grandpère and Andrew, Bryan's brother.  How 'bout Andrew's red bow tie?  An unflattering photo of the ladies, my daughter and me, is not included in the post.

Bryan was known as "the antiseptic baby", because he was the first child in the family, and his parents took very seriously the doctor's caution not to let anyone touch him except the parents and me, who was there to help.  I remember a young neighbor coming to visit, and Bryan's Dad told him at the door, "We're not letting anyone touch the baby."  The young man walked over to the bassinet to see Bryan with his hands in the air, as if to say, "Look!  I'm not touching."  When the next two boys came along, the rules eased up, as there's nothing like having another little one in the house to spread germs, so the Mom and Dad gave up.

Bryan walked at the age of 7 months, but I think his brain was not developed enough, because he walked into walls and banged himself up at an alarming rate.  His crib had to be padded, because he pulled himself up to stand at an even earlier age, and he would then let go and bang his head against the side of the crib.  His parents missed the big event of the first steps, as I was taking care of Bryan at the time.

Anyway, all's well that ends well.

WE ARE ALL SO PROUD

The bright and good-looking lad pictured above, my grandson Bryan, will graduate from high school tonight.  His Mom, Dad, Gramdpère, and Gramdmère are very proud of him.

Congratulations and blessings, Bryan!

That's Gino looking adoringly at Bryan.

PS: I'm sure his brothers are proud, too.

BLESSINGS AND CONGRATULATIONS, BRYAN

On Monday evening, my grandson Bryan, pictured above in the red gown, was one of the confirmandi at St Matthew the Apostle Church in River Ridge. He stands with his Dad, Mom, and two brothers, William on the left and Andrew on the right. Grandpère was his sponsor. The girls wore white gowns and the boys red. Both Bryan and GP played their parts well. The mass was lovely, with the choir at St Matthew's performing and leading the congregational singing beautifully. Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond gave a sermon suitable for all ages. Altogether, it was a lovely evening.



Above is Bryan with his aged (OMG, how aged!) grandparents. At a certain point in one's life the picture-taking should stop, right?

I should mention here my mea culpa for having missed my oldest grandson's confirmation, much to my regret, due to a misunderstanding on my part that Grandpère, also Joey's sponsor, was going to a rehearsal instead of the real thing. I should also mention that miscommunication in my family is not all that unusual.

In the top picture, Bryan's eyes caught the light of the flash and were blank. I shopped in eyes as best I could, but the result is far from perfect. Sorry, Bryan.



Above is the picture my daughter took of Bryan in front of the Resurrection cross. I wish I had caught him in his wicked moment with his arms stretched out. Alas....