Graduation

So, I did it!!! I graduated with a Master's of Science in Education with a focus on Curriculum and Instruction. Sound like a mouthful? What if I told you I was overall outstanding graduate student in my graduate program? Yeah, they don't give awards for humbleness in grad school and if they did, I'd get zero. But I'm proud of myself I worked my ass off and made straight A's in all of my graduate classes. But the thing of it is, I probably wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been surrounded by such amazing people, some of whom are pictured below. This is the Social Studies cohort aka my current job competition :) I'm just kidding. They are lovely and they challenge me to be a better teacher.

Friday at the hooding ceremony I warned my friend Matt that I was about to scream loudly for Audrey whose name was about to be called . He asked me who she was and I responded "she's my soul-sister." I don't know how else to describe her but she is one of the best people I have ever been lucky enough to call a friend and one of a handful of people whom I call soulmates because God intended our souls to meet. She will make an amazing counselor one day, after she returns from being Jesus' hands and feet in Kenya for the next few years. She is an amazing gal, I tell ya.

 

 

And these two lovely ladies are "the Marys." We were the three girls in our cohort grad program so I, too, have answered to Mary for the last year or so just to make it easier for everyone. These are two of the smartest most driven women I have met and they have become 2 of my closest friends. They are cheering me on through Harry Potter and I can already tell you our summer book club is going to be epic!

My brother and sister were, likely, bored out of their minds through the graduate awards ceremony and then the hooding ceremony. They were also quite disappointed that the hooding ceremony didn't actually mean that I wore my hood on my head so they fixed that for me.

 

 

I've already bragged on the bearded man on facebook but I'll do it again here, what the hell. His birthday is tomorrow after all so I'll throw him a bone. :) Drew organized the best eva' grad weekend on the river and invited all of my family and friends there to celebrate. He has cheered louder and harder than anyone for me these last two years. The thing about me being done is, as our history suggests we take turns going back to school so the ball is in your court, dear.

 

Deno and Big Mommy as they are affectionately called by Ike. They got all sappy on me this weekend. The thing about being 3 hours away is they had no clue what I'd been doing all this time. (I think mostly they thought I'd just been backsliding). But I was so glad that they got a glimpse into all of the hard work I've put in over the last 2 years. They are my best ole' goody thangs and always will be.

These two gals came to my grad party on Saturday and dragged their loved ones along with them. When I say I've never had a choice in whether or not to be friends with them, I mean it. I was born with these 2 friends and they have never left my side. I am lucky to still have them be such a big part of my life 25 years later. (I have other lifelong friends too but they're busy doing thing like grad school at Columbia and chasing adorable little blue-eyed toddlers around).

 

This was the lovely view from our porch.

And this is Deno getting frustrated teaching me to fly fish...in the yard....with no fly. I so desperately wanted to be a natural at fly-fishing but that was not the case. I've been talking for months about learning to fly fish after graduation but I think it's safe to say I won't be winning any awards for my fly-fishing abilities.

 

These 2 were little angels all weekend but after the party we were all pooped.

 

I was so grateful to all of my family and friends who travelled to celebrate with me unfortunately the rain kept us from getting as many pictures as I would have liked with everyone but tt was an awesome weekend and I couldn't have asked for better! Now onto much more time spent doing this..... Cute, huh?

Survived!

Yesterday was my back to school day. My day started out with me feeling like the oldest person on the whole campus. I am stuck taking a couple of under-grad classes (Macroeconomics and Appalachian Geography) in order to meet the requirements to teach Social Studies. The Appalachian Geography I want to marry and have it's babies. The macro I want to murder and cut into pieces. Yes, I really do feel that strongly after just one day of each of those classes.

Being the oldest has it's advantages though. I'm no longer nervous to speak up and for the first time, school has my entire concentration. I spent my entire under grad wanting to be married. Now that I've gotten that pesky fever out of the way, I'm ready to do this school thing right. My night class last night was my first graduate level course. I went from feeling like everyone's mother to feeling like everyone's granddaughter. Not in age necessarily, though there was some of that. But in experience. I am the only person in the class with NO background in education. And this class in intense. I love the professor, he is an amazing man (yes, I can already tell) but he also scared the shit out of me when giving his expectations of us.

I'm excited though. I've been struggling with anxiety lately but something about being back in a classroom (even if it's for stupid econ) puts me at ease. I know the potential of what I can learn if I will just let myself. How dorky do I sound right now???? Okay, enough.

I'm off to come up with a research topic and 10 sources, read 3 chapters, take a quiz and write a quick page and a half paper. Welcome back to school Meghan! What were you thinking???

Oh and check out Radford's new college of Business and Economics, it's pretty impressive.     http://www.radford.edu/content/cobe/home.html