Master Ashton
I graduated yesterday with my Master of Arts degree in history. It's been an intense but rewarding two years. My friend and fellow history GTA, Amanda, graduated with me. I'm glad we shared the experience. It made it more special. Especially since Amanda leaves in just a little over two weeks for Kentucky, where she's going for her PhD. I'm envious that she gets to start the next round so soon, and in such a lovely place, but I'm also glad to have a few months off before I go for my doctorate. I need the down time. I also have a lot of packing to do.
Festivities began Thursday, but first, I had a paper to finish. I took a Crusades class over the summer and its final paper was due Friday. I wanted to graduate knowing I had finished everything, so I was trying to get the paper finished by Wednesday. I didn't quite make it. I still had a couple of pages of information to add, so I was in the GTA office at 6:15 a.m. doing just that. I spent the morning doing that, getting my haircut, and editing my paper. I wasn't quite done making the edits when my parents arrived, so I schlepped my laptop to their hotel room and, like the good little student I am, got them done and submitted my paper. It was a nice feeling.
Three of my aunts were coming to help me celebrate graduating. Paula and Jody arrived shortly after I finished and we all gathered in the hotel lobby to visit. It was a really fun afternoon. We went to Sticky Fingers for dinner when Steve got off work. It was good, as always, although Jody's ribs were a bit tough (very strange - ribs at SF are usually fork tender). I had some of the best chicken tenders I've ever had! They were super crispy outside and nice and tender inside. Mmmmm. Auntie Bambi arrived just as we finished and we spent the next hour or so visiting in the lobby before everyone decided to call it a night.
Graduation now was a whirlwind of anxiety and excitement. It was also bittersweet, but I made a concerted effort to not think about the sad stuff. The ceremony only lasted an hour (a VAST improvement over Flagler's droning commencement) and we were off to lunch at Olive Garden. My cousin, Kristy, came down from Georgia with her adorable little girls to have lunch with us. We all had a good time. I'm so glad my family came to share the day with me. It was so fun!
After lunch, Steve and I popped by BJ's and visited the Verizon kiosk. My phone isn't due for upgrading until September, but we got a letter offering us an early renewal if we went with a Droid phone. Well, I was planning on getting a Droid X, anyway, so we decided to take advantage of the offer. We got the phone for half price, and then we'd have a $100 mail-in rebate. As the rep was updating my account, though, it didn't require the rebate. It took the $100 off instantly. Verizon must have known I just graduated. My phone's being shipped (all Verizon stores are sold out), so I hope to have it in a week or so. It can't be too soon. My Blackberry Curve is the old 8330 model. I can't update the OS and it simply does not do what I need it to do. I'm thrilled at the idea of having a new phone with great functionality. And it was a fantastic end to a great day.
Today has started like many Saturdays. We're watching F1 qualifying and Steve's munching on some toast. Later on, we're back in Jacksonville for me to empty my desk. And then it's off to O'Brothers to bid farewell to James, the first of my grad cohorts to head off. He starts at William and Mary in the fall and moves to Virginia tomorrow. It will be an emotional day and I think the reality that I'm actually done may start seeping into my brain.
It's weird having a to do list that has no real deadlines assigned to it. I have a lot of possible scenarios on my plate. It's a bit unsettling having to wait and see what develops. I'm very goal driven. It's hard for me to just . . . hover. So we'll see how it goes. For now, I'm just going to try and absorb the fact that I have a master's degree and bask a bit in the accomplishment.
Festivities began Thursday, but first, I had a paper to finish. I took a Crusades class over the summer and its final paper was due Friday. I wanted to graduate knowing I had finished everything, so I was trying to get the paper finished by Wednesday. I didn't quite make it. I still had a couple of pages of information to add, so I was in the GTA office at 6:15 a.m. doing just that. I spent the morning doing that, getting my haircut, and editing my paper. I wasn't quite done making the edits when my parents arrived, so I schlepped my laptop to their hotel room and, like the good little student I am, got them done and submitted my paper. It was a nice feeling.
Three of my aunts were coming to help me celebrate graduating. Paula and Jody arrived shortly after I finished and we all gathered in the hotel lobby to visit. It was a really fun afternoon. We went to Sticky Fingers for dinner when Steve got off work. It was good, as always, although Jody's ribs were a bit tough (very strange - ribs at SF are usually fork tender). I had some of the best chicken tenders I've ever had! They were super crispy outside and nice and tender inside. Mmmmm. Auntie Bambi arrived just as we finished and we spent the next hour or so visiting in the lobby before everyone decided to call it a night.
Graduation now was a whirlwind of anxiety and excitement. It was also bittersweet, but I made a concerted effort to not think about the sad stuff. The ceremony only lasted an hour (a VAST improvement over Flagler's droning commencement) and we were off to lunch at Olive Garden. My cousin, Kristy, came down from Georgia with her adorable little girls to have lunch with us. We all had a good time. I'm so glad my family came to share the day with me. It was so fun!
After lunch, Steve and I popped by BJ's and visited the Verizon kiosk. My phone isn't due for upgrading until September, but we got a letter offering us an early renewal if we went with a Droid phone. Well, I was planning on getting a Droid X, anyway, so we decided to take advantage of the offer. We got the phone for half price, and then we'd have a $100 mail-in rebate. As the rep was updating my account, though, it didn't require the rebate. It took the $100 off instantly. Verizon must have known I just graduated
Today has started like many Saturdays. We're watching F1 qualifying and Steve's munching on some toast. Later on, we're back in Jacksonville for me to empty my desk. And then it's off to O'Brothers to bid farewell to James, the first of my grad cohorts to head off. He starts at William and Mary in the fall and moves to Virginia tomorrow. It will be an emotional day and I think the reality that I'm actually done may start seeping into my brain.
It's weird having a to do list that has no real deadlines assigned to it. I have a lot of possible scenarios on my plate. It's a bit unsettling having to wait and see what develops. I'm very goal driven. It's hard for me to just . . . hover. So we'll see how it goes. For now, I'm just going to try and absorb the fact that I have a master's degree and bask a bit in the accomplishment.
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