Graduation Reflection

I am finally graduating today with my Masters Degree. I started this journey over three and a half years ago back in January 2008. It's funny to look back, we were living in our apartment in White Plains, not even home owners yet or engaged for that matter. Now here we are living in our own home for over 3 years, married for 6 months (almost 7 really) and with our adorable puppy. I remember that first semester, closing on our house, moving, painting and all the other things that go along and trying to study for finals.

There were many late nights driving back from school getting out at 10:00 and an hour drive home, I remember that drive being so long. Driving through snow storms and pouring rain to get back and forth. I remember one night driving to Andrea's condo nearby school in the snow and thinking I would never make it, and now here she is living in Virginia and about to become a Mommy - this week!

There were difficult group projects with members who made life harder than it needed to be.  By the end of the program I gave up on group projects and wanted to do them on my own instead. There was an online class which I swore I'd never take again and would rather drive the two hours back and forth from school than sit in my living room and participate in the online forum for participation. There was summer school sitting through stats class and homework to read by the pool. I spent almost all my Sundays doing homework, passing up on family events or doing other things because I had homework to do.

I've left a space on the wall directly above my Bachelors Degree and have looked at the empty space on the wall for 3 years since we moved in waiting for when I can finally hang my piece of paper proudly on the wall. It feels good to finally have that weight lifted to no longer have that obligation or burden always hanging in the back of my mind of what projects or homework I needed to get done. Now I can do all the fun classes and things that I've wanted to do but haven't had time and I can't wait!

And this marks #4 on my 30 Before 30 - Graduate with my Masters Degree - that is one I am very happy to cross off the list