One Milestone Down

Well, in short, I graduated.  Stay tuned for the "in long" version.

Friday the 13 I graduated.  Yes, I have many posts about how significant that date is for my family.  Pretty cool. What was not cool was the length of my ceremony.  The family and I met at Ingredient, a sandwich/wrap/burger place close to campus. After a quick dinner, we headed to the Hearnes Center at 7pm.  FOUR HOURS LATER I left.  Here is a picture of me: (and please forgive the quality of these photos.  Iphones: they're convenient but there not professional quality).

Just kidding.  Look closer

Still kidding.  This is my mom's view.  Here's from my view

Yes, that's me.  You can tell now that one of those little blue hoods in the other pics was me.  Next to me is my friend Jonathan.  We started the program together and met on interview day a little more than two years ago.  We shared several classes, tons of comments, papers, beverages and conversations.  It is only fitting that we got to end our journey to our masters' degrees together.  Jonathan is a little crazier than me and decided to continue on, without stopping, to a PhD.  I wish him the best and promise to be there as the non-stressed, non-school person when he needs it.

The ceremony was for all masters, PhD, and EdD candidates, so it was a long one.  Children fell asleep, students stored snacks in their sleeves to make it through, and a few moms with cameras passed out due to exhaustion.  Just kidding.  Well, except about the kids.  A few highlights (and lowlights):

--they thanked all the moms.  The moms. At a grad ceremony where the average student age was probably 30 and a lot of people are married/ partnered.  I think that says a lot about our culture.
--They gave away 3 honorary degrees.  It was two too many.  And three too many speeches
--Each one of us on the floor was on facebook or twitter on our phones all night.  So much has changed since undergrad.
--I really did keep my cell phone (and lip gloss because I am, after all, a lady) in the long sleeve of my gown while I went on stage
--Several people cheered their loved ones on with cowbells and air horns.  Not to be outdone, my dad downloaded this beaut

Yes friends, that is a cowbell app.  How special.

In the end, I did graduate.  Here's me with the other masters in higher education students.

And my favorite photo, here's the man who put up with all the long nights, whining, and tears.

I crashed around 11 and woke up early for a great shin-dig on Saturday, hosted by my Mom (ok, maybe we should have all thanked them) and attended by friends and family.  What party is complete without a cake...

And here are some friends and fam at the party

 Yes, it was a joyous and wonderful weekend.  And it's back to reality.

If you're wanting to give me a graduation gift, don't forget you can still get a piece of our adoption puzzle by clicking on the ChipIn link.

Thanks to everyone who has loved on me and supported me in the past two years.

Here's to graduation!

The Highs and the Lows

So first, the highs:

The final paper is in!  Tomorrow, I will walk across a stage with my cap and gown and blue hood that matches my eyes.

(Because that's how you pick a grad program, after all.  What color is the hood? Does it look good with my eyes?)

It's been two years but it feels a little longer. I've had tons of support through the Hubs, family, and friends.  And in this last week, it went quickly.  I presented on administration on Monday to rave reviews (no really! My professor really liked it!) and busted it all night Tuesday night to turn in my development theory paper on Wednesday morning at 7am. And by all night, I mean I went to bed at midnight.  Because, I am a little older and a little wiser than my first degree and I realize anything done after midnight will probably need to be redone in the light of day for it to make any sense to anyone other people who are sleep deprived and awake at 2am.  Anyway, the paper was turned in TEN full hours early and I had a delightful time at work.

So how did I celebrate?  The way every other college grad does, of course! I went and got fat free frozen yogurt with my hubs and puppy and walked around campus.  Then, we went home, watched TV, did several loads of laundry that should have been done weeks ago, and I promptly fell asleep at the chime of nine pm.  .  Told you I was getting old.  Nonetheless, it was nice to know that I had no work hanging over my head and I could fall asleep whenever I darn well pleased.

Hubs says he gives me three years tops til I'm begging to do another degree.  We'll see.  The person who got nine hours of sleep last night may have something to say about that.

So now, the lows:

We received an email yesterday from our adoption agency.  Ethiopia has been saying they will make some major changes to slow down the process for a few months now.  It's been concerning but there has been no indication that the proposed changes were really going to go into effect.  Until yesterday.  AWAA (our agency) said they really have seen MOWCYA (the people in charge of writing referrals for the adoptive parents to the Ethiopian government) slow down to writing 5 referral letters a day.  That's a major slow down.

So, what does it all mean? Well, we still don't exactly know but at this point, it looks like adoptions will slow down.  Children will not be able to make it to their forever families in quite the timely fashion they were once doing so.  The goal of MOWCYA is to ensure transparency  for adoption.  We all want that, too.  But not at the expense of the children. The courts don't seem to support MOWCYAs imposed slow down but no one knows at this time exactly how this all will be handled.  Please say a prayer for the state of all of this.  That children will be united with their forever families in a timely fashion. That families (including ours) will learn patience, trust, and the peace of God through all of this.  And that the government in Ethiopia will be able to help their children and have their hearts turned to ensure the safest and fastest routes to families.

Life is all about the ups and the downs.  We take comfort in the fact that HE is faithful.

Graduation

Be prepared that this post is long...

In a little over two months, I will graduate from my masters program.  It's weird to me.  It feels like it happened very slow and very fast all at the same time.  I know my blog has been somewhat lonely since I started the program, but it seems like I just wrote the post about starting classes.

Yesterday, I received an email congratulating me on meeting the requirements for graduation. Today, I received an email reminding me of the grad fair where I can order my cap, gown, and (this time around) hood.   Much like in my undergraduate years, these emails flooded me with relief and a little stress:  this is really happening! 

God has a funny way of helping me grow and reminding me of where I've been all at the same time.  The email I received about graduation also contained the dates, times, and locations for the graduation ceremonies. In an institution of our size, we have numerous ceremonies.  My ceremony is Friday, May 13 at 8:00 p.m. in the Hearnes Center.

Let me break it down to you as to why this exact date and time is so very symbolic to me.

First, for those who don't know, the 13th is a big thing for the hubs and me.  Specifically, Friday the 13th is even more special.  You see, Hubs proposed to me on Friday, April 13, 2007.  On Friday, July 13, 2007 we were married.  We started our jobs in our current city on August 13.  Our new home has the number 13 in the address (which we did not know until we closed).  We celebrate every Friday the 13th.  It is our special day.  More important than our anniversary, it allows us to remember the little things and celebrate the Lord's hand in our life and our love for each other.  Now, my grad school graduation will be added to the list of important family activities that landed on Friday the 13th.

Lest you think it ends there, something heavy hit me about the announcement of my ceremony.  You see, going to the same institution for undergrad and grad school does some funny things to a person.  Or I should say, does some funny things to me.  I had known the date and time of my ceremony for a few months but the location was news to me.  The Hearnes Center.  Not a big deal.  It's the largest place to hold a graduation ceremony.  What's weird to me is that almost exactly five years ago, I stood on the floor of the Hearnes Center to receive my Bachelors in Arts.  The same floor.  And yet, on May 13, 2011, I will be in a completely different place.

I left undergrad feeling alone.  Uncertain.  Unhappy.  Unwanted.  And unprepared.  This had nothing to do with anyone but me.  My family was all there--smiling, taking pictures.  My future employers--the family who would help me find my place in the world while I watched their daughter--were there.  I had plans--a job even.  Yet, as I stood there on that rainy, chilly, day, all I could feel was alone.  I was so far away from my God I could have had the world but it wouldn't have mattered.  I didn't have it together.  But most importantly, I had no idea why I didn't have it together.  I knew I was a mess.  But I wasn't ready to fall back into the arms of the God who loved me and the family who supported me.  So I stood on that day wanting to be anywhere but in my cap and gown.  Wanting to run back to the certainty of college--the ability to pretend that the real world didn't exist.

My God held tight to me.  He held me and taught me even when I didn't think I wanted him to.  And though I didn't know it, he was teaching the same lessons to a tall, dark, and hansom young man I would meet four months later and marry just more than a year past my graduation.

Friday May 13, I will stand in front of the loving family I had there the first time.  I will stand with a husband who sacrificed alongside me for two years to make this day happen.  And most importantly, I will stand there clinging to the promises of my Father in Heaven that he will never leave me nor forsake me.  That I can love him even when I don't understand.  And that he will love me.  I can stand in confidence.  Not in my job.  Not in my abilities or knowledge that I learned.  And definitely not in my ability to make plans and be certain they will turn out as I wish.  But I can stand confident that no matter what happens, I am not in control.  After five years, I have learned the best control of all is no control at all.

And I look forward to standing in the same spot and being in a different place.

2 Corinthians 7:15-17 (English Standard Version) (from biblegateway.com)

15And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers(A) the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16I rejoice, because I have perfect(B) confidence in you.




Here's to growth.