I’m not going to copy and paste all of your wonderful remarks from Saturday’s picture posts and graduation comments, but I have read each and every one of them and appreciate all of your kind words and likes regarding this momentuous day in my life!

It feels so wonderful to have been able to virtually share this huge accomplishment with ya’ll across the world.  Each and every one of you carry a special place in my heart for all that you’ve said, done, and will do in the future.  I’m really proud of your accomplishments just as I know you are of mine!

A few small things to note:

I broke down the night before in tears because the one mentor who pushed me to do this past away in 2009 from breast cancer and I felt like I owe everything about this degree to her.  I felt honored to be able to wear a memorial band when I walked across the stage and hold all of what she taught me near and dear to my heart.

The actual ceremony I am super unimpressed and disappointed in.  Especially in comparison to my undergraduate ceremony at a school that has a lot more students, a larger ceremony, and less money than this school.  Extremely disappointed.  

I have said it all along, this school was about the degree, my thesis school is, was, and always will be my home. I felt like a stranger from the moment I stepped on campus Saturday, not knowing where anything was, any of the traditions, the alma matter, the teachers, the colleges, the degrees, the school history.  Nada, nothing.  My other school I can recite the whole history of including statistics, the presidents, when buildings were built, enrollment numbers — the whole nine yards.  So it definitely felt weird.

Walking across that stage I realized how much I accomplished in three years with my degree and how much I’ve accomplished the last 1.5 years with turning my life around, losing weight, running, and just trying to be a better person — it all felt amazing, especially when I read some of ya’lls comments!

So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.  I refreshed tumblr, got text messages from ya’ll, a few phone calls, some Facebook comments, and even a few tweets from people.  It felt great and I was humbled.