This is my graduation

Well, I did it. I finally finished my Master's degree on July 26, 2013. This has been a difficult degree to earn, not because the program is hard, but because the circumstances were not my favorite.

When I did my undergrad I was blessed to have Andrew working full time. I only worked 20 hours a week on campus, so I was able to take a more than full time load. I worked really hard to finish school in 3.5 years. (The half was student teaching, if I had chosen a different minor, I could have finished in 3.) I take a lot of pride in that. But I wasn't able to do that this time around.

I had my first full time job, and I was forced to go slow. I also took a semester break between degrees because I had planned to go a totally different route. Looking back, I'm glad that things worked out the way that they did, but there was a lot of hurt and disappointment when plan A fell through. Then I watched people I graduated with finish school back in December, and as stupid as it is...I felt jealous, and disappointed in myself. (Ok, I already called it stupid...so ease up already!)

In reality, it only took me 2 years and one summer class to finish up my degree. But it's felt like an eternity. I feel joy, relief, and excitement now that I have finished my MA. But...graduating in the summer means there are no graduation activities, and no graduation. What's more, is doing this 100% online has meant there is even less of a celebration. I have definitely made friends online, but not like I did in my undergrad.

So...Saturday I celebrated my graduation in the best way that I know how...

Dog Park - Andrew has become a true night owl lately, while I'm pretty well synched into my morning schedule. I woke up bright and early and decided I would take Archer out for more than just his business, I would take him on a nice little walk. One of the reasons why we ended up at our apartment complex, is because it allows German Shepherds and it has it's own little dog park. Archer recently was neutered and hasn't been allowed to play for almost a month now. (There were some complications.) So I walked him down to the dog park, and he had the time of his life! We met Earl (an American bulldog mix), Blue (an appropriately named Blue Heeler), Bear (a 7 month old Great Pyraneese) and MJ the lab. Archer had a blast and was laying down by the gate within an hour. I was glad I could let him play so hard, because I knew Andrew and I weren't going to be home much that day...

House Shopping - We started out our day looking at a potential house to rent. My hopes weren't high because it's not a traditional rental situation. One of Andrew's professors is going on a sabbatical and wanted us to rent his house while he is gone. After looking at the house and talking with the owner I was thrilled. We agreed to rent the house as soon as our current lease is up, and now I'm so excited about more space, a fenced back yard, and no more 3rd floor living!

Shopping - I debated getting a really expensive diploma frame for my MA degree. When I graduated with my undergrad I decided that I should wait and get the expensive frame for the bigger degree. However this time around I still couldn't bring myself to shell out $150 for a frame. So I decided that what I wanted was a really nice watch. It would be a nice reward to myself for finishing, and I would get a lot of use out of it. More than just hanging it on the wall. So I had a lot of fun trying on watches and was surprised by the watch I fell in love with. I had my heart set on rose gold, but ended up with this beauty!

Lunch - We headed to Park City to the Fossil outlet, and I decided to surprise my old boss's wife with her favorite cookies for her birthday. They caught us on the drive and offered to take us out to lunch up at their resort in East Canyon, since they were already headed there. We took them up on it, and enjoyed some awesome conversation and their kind-hearted generosity. (I honestly can't explain how much I love my old boss. He was an amazing man to work for, and he continues to help me even though he isn't my boss anymore.)

Pool - Andrew was a trooper. He shopped with me through the outlet mall, TJ Maxx, and World Market. So we decided to end our Park City day with one of his favorite activities. We found a place to play Billiards. Andrew is my little pool shark, and while pool isn't one of my favorite things to do I know that he loves it.

Pizza and a Movie - We ended the day with some pizza and a movie back at our place. I snuggled up with my puppy, and it was a really nice ending to a fun day! 

So I didn't get to dress up and walk across a stage. No family was able to come up for my special day, but I had my #1 supporter there with me and it's more than I could have asked for.

Happy to spend the day with this goof-ball