Graduation!!

After nine years, six colleges, four degree programs and 120 credits (and one husband and two children), I finally finished college this last weekend. It was an incredible push at the end to finish and I'm so glad I put every last ounce of effort on the line, so I can finally be completed with formal education - and now I can write without requirements and research without boundaries.

Joshua finished in December, so he participated in Commencement with me and since we both shared the same degree program, we were able to sit next to one another at Commissioning and Commencement. Which I thought was particularly handy, since I really like his company.

My parents flew in from Hawai'i, my best friend came up with her son from Texas and friends from the university and town joined in the celebration with us, making it so special! After having worked for the university during Commencement season, I remember the joys of graduation day and had such high hopes for the event - which were all completely as I imagined!

It's such an immense joy to be completed with something that has been a part of my life, in front of me (and in the back of my mind) for almost a decade. Chipping away each semester as we transitioned into married life, carefully planning our new life as civilians, then welcoming Aoife into our lives and finally the ongoing learning of the tasks and delights of being a home-mama.

It was in the late evening hours after Aoife was asleep, or while she napped that I read through texts, wrote posts, challenged other students and learned the full value of Sabbath. There were weeks when the homework didn't fall into my cute grid timeline and it all ended up on my lap at the end of the night while I pushed out the last assignments before my clock dinned the midnight hour.

And for the first time since my second trimester with Aoife, I had to reintroduce my glasses into my studies, since hours of studying, reading, typing and editing my thesis had brought my green eyes to see naught but blur on the computer.

But: it's all over. I'm all done. In a couple of weeks, I'll be opening up my mailbox to find a hard envelope much like my husband's several months ago. I'll rip open the cover, pull out my degree and frame it just like my husband's.

Then I'll tuck it away somewhere safe so I have plenty of wall space for all those great family

pictures and artwork my daughter creates.