A college Graduate

After 18 months, 14 classes, over 30 papers, a jillion hours, and even more tears, I finally finished my first college degree. In February I finished the program, received my degree in the mail and felt really great to be finished with this journey. However, after much thought, I decided to participate in the commencement ceremony.

I started homeschooling this year and since I've been shoving education down their little throats for the last year, I thought it might be fun for the kids to see a graduation ceremony and what an honor it is to be recognized for hard work.

Reason number two was that I really don't know what the future holds and this may be my first and only college graduation ceremony that I get to be a part of.

So, I registered for the commencement ceremony at the Richmond, VA campus. We decided to take the kids and make a day of it. And turn into the entire day it did! We drove two hours, waited for two hours, ceremony for two hours, and the drive back two hours. It was a long day, but worth it. I felt very grateful for the chance to celebrate this accomplishment. I'm so grateful for the chance I've had to go back to school and get this degree, whether I ever use it or not.

I will have to remember this special day when my student loan bills start showing up in the mailbox, but it's an education, what could be more worth it?

So, even though there is no job hunting on the horizon, I feel great knowing that if I needed to, I could go and get a good job and having a degree in my back pocket might get me into places I couldn't go before. Now...what to learn next! :)

Thanks to all my family and friends for the support and encouragement. I couldn't have done it by myself.

Update

Jackson still has the cast on. Ortho doc said he saw a healing bone, so it was surely a break. Should be off by June 22, we're all counting the days.

The big blue monster

Jackson was running around the house the other day and according to him, he "tripped his foot on the carpet". He was not happy about me or David trying to touch him or bend his foot. He cried for a while and wouldn't walk on it, so I finally took him to the emergency room.

4 hours, 8 x-rays and one big blue monster later....


The orthopedic surgeon said that he couldn't tell by the x-rays if anything was broken, but in kids as small as Jackson, it's hard to tell because of growth plates that cover their little bones. So, just to be safe and make sure that if anything was broken it would heal, he put a cast on him...all the way up to his thigh. He chose blue because Thomas the Tank Engine is blue.

He's been doing great with it. He's dying to have a real bath and he gets a little hot, but overall, he's been a real trooper. Luckily, we go back on Tuesday (the 10th day) to check things again. I have a good feeling that we'll be able to take the monster off.

After this latest fun is over...maybe we'll tackle and conquer another monster...the potty training monster.

Notice the magazine David gave him? Hee hee.