of rounded edges

I passed my comps. March 27 and 28 were by far some of the most stressful days of my life. I sat in a conference room, in quite the uncomfortable conference room chair, and wrote... and wrote... and wrote wrote wrote to the point that I couldn't feel the tip of my fingers. I wish I was kidding. My handwriting was messed up for days after my exams, because of how exhausted my hand was after writing for 16 hours straight (8 on the 27th and another 8 on the 28th!). Needless to say, someone needs to modernize that comprehensive examination program!!! stat!
Then it was the waiting game... I had to wait until April 9 to hear whether or not I would receive my MA. I worked so hard to get to that point, and it is sad to know that even with a 4.0, the only thing that matter was what I wrote on those two days. Regardless, my kids were thankful that comps were done. I remembered what it was like to smile, joke around, and have FREE time! The moment I put that pen down on the 28th, it was as if a huge weight had left me. On April 9th, it was still stressful, but within an hour an a half I knew: I was now a master.
I graduated on May 9th. I had been dreading graduation, as this particular celebration is always a huge mess when it comes to my family. I see everyone walking away with giant wads of cash and presents. I am lucky to go through it without having doors slamming or people screaming - no wads of cash for me! My parents both took the day off, and we drove our separate ways to Greeley. I was mortified because my dad hates uncomfortable chairs, and he will make sure everyone knows how uncomfortable he is. The ceremony was short, it really surprised me. We had a kickass speaker: a sci fi writer who talked about how we live in a society that is a chaotic system... how we forget that our smallest actions can unleash a massive reaction. She was awesome. Then they read names, then we rang our bells, and off we went.
I was surprised to walk out and find my dad holding a teddy bear for me AND waiting with my mentor and his partner. Everyone was smiling! No slamming doors! We drove to Loveland and had dinner at Bonefish grill. We told stories, reminisced and laughed a lot - my coop teacher has a knack for making people pee their pants with laughter. Next thing I know, it was after midnight. I drove back to the hotel thankful, and so happy that I finally got to have my own personal happy graduation day.
I got back to school on Monday to a giant "CONGRATULATIONS MASTER BEE" on my board. My 5th hour kids diligently worked on it and surprised me. Then came a box of see's chocolate. Noms... graduating ain't bad at all!
The semester is now over. I saw the last of my kiddos on Friday, and it was somewhat bittersweet to say goodbye to some amazing kids... I won't get to have them for at least another year. I hope they stick with the program and return to me - they are awesome.
I have many plans for this summer, including my new house! I am freaking out and hoping I made the right choice. I bought a small condo in Littleton... I am currently in the closing process, and praying it all goes well. On July 3rd I depart for Denmark, and then hopefully I will move in to my new place. 2014 has been good to me so far!! Keep 'em coming!!