Celebration, indeed! On December 18th, I will graduate from WVSU with an Associate and a Bachelor of Science in communications.

Mind you, I'm not a kid - the oldest credit that I transferred in was from 1989, and that wasn't even the oldest college credit out there with my name on it. The oldest credits date back to around 1982 or so, but I figured that (a) those records are in a ratty cardboard box in the back of a warehouse; and (b) it was somewhat ridiculous to imply that I had retained any knowledge from the early 80s. At least college knowledge, anyway.

In any case, I was able to return to school full time two and a half years ago. It was my plan to earn the AS, but realized after one year that I could continue on and earn the BS, too. In order to earn both degrees, I've had to take 18 hours each semester -22 this semester- and I've explored levels of exhaustion that I didn't know existed. Even so, it's been so rewarding that I am investigating graduate school.

When I first returned to school, I thought, "This degree is going to validate years of work experience." But now I am convinced that I am richer in ways I'd never considered before. I've been pushed by excellent professors and have created huge amounts of work -written, artistic, and otherwise- in just a few short years. The people I have met -of all ages- have provided great conversation, exchange of ideas and information, and friendship in many cases.

So this is my upcoming celebration, and I am very excited, proud, and yes, pretty stinkin' tired. But it's a happy tired!