I forgot....

In the middle of all of the difficulties of the recent weeks, we did manage to get down to St Louis for my graduation from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with my MA in History. We got in late Friday night on the 9th, got up early for a 9am ceremony on Saturday morning.

Everything went smoothly and nicely. We enjoyed a fairly quiet day, had lunch at my favorite Mexican place in Edwardsville and then met up with a few friends for a pizza party at Imo's Pizza, a St Louis delicacy (though you have to be from STL to appreciate it). The celebrations were low key and subdued, but it was nice to see some friends and spend time with my mom. We had cheesecake and bubbly juice at my mom's place afterwards. Callie hung out for awhile and we chatted about books and she gave me a really wonderful graduation gift. She gave me a book called I'm Proud of You: Life Lessons From My Friend Fred Rogers and a handmade bracelet (that her mom made) with the words "you can never go down the drain - Mr. Rogers" on it. What's funny is that Callie didn't even know I love Mr. Rogers!! So, I was deeply touched by her gift. I read the book in a day, and absolutely loved it. I recommend it!

We had a quiet Sunday and drove back in the afternoon. I wasn't sure if I could go down for this. The weekend before was Brad's funeral. At that time I said there was no way I could go. But, as the week passed, I decided that it was important that we go. It was hard, but it felt necessary.

My mom asked me if I felt any different now that I have a Master's Degree......haha.......nah. I am just glad that I pushed through and finished this, even as I am seeking another MA that I feel called to and I hope will lead to a meaningful career for the rest of my life. I will never stop being a history geek, and LOVED working on this degree. Those were some of the best years of my life. Thanks to all who supported me and encouraged me in the world of academia.