Graduation....

     For graduation a friend recommended that I take grad photos for my online resume. So, here I am, finally finished. I embarked on this adventure 3.5 years ago after a divorce. I had always stayed at home with my four children. I never imagined having to go back to work or finishing a degree that I had given up on at age 20, when I decided nothing else mattered in the world than staring a family and staying at home with them. After all of the schooling, I can't say that anything is essentially more important than my family, but I learned a lot about myself and how much more I could fit into my life if given the chance, desire or motivation. What better motivation than being responsible for the welfare of four of your favorite people in life? 

     What I want to do is thank my family (extended as well) and friends for the continual support, love and sacrifices, but how can I adequately do this? I can't tell you how many times people showed up at my door with freshly baked dinners, notes of encouragement, unexpected cards with money from my parents when I didn't have the heart to ask, cookies for my kids, offers to take my children for the night, offers to take my children for the weekend, offers to take my children numerous places so I could concentrate. How can I put into words how very supportive and loving my friends and family are? There is no way to do this. However, if you don't mind, I hope you can see that I am happy in my pictures (above). That is what I liked the most when I had these done. I am happy even though life is strategically hard with four children and four classes every semester for three years straight, but we survived and it felt right, so I found happiness in an uphill climb. Thank you for helping me feel happy when otherwise, it seemed like endless books, papers and children that needed more and more of me and less and less of their mom sitting at the kitchen table doing homework all hours of the night. You are what kept me going, and my kids!!

     One really bad finals cramming habit that I formed was what I called the absence of sidewalks. I have always been a big runner and often have too much energy for my own good. This may be why I have four children, although they have finally managed to wear me out!! What I found out was that if you rarely drink soda and don't eat too much candy, on finals night you can push your regular fall asleep time to 4 a.m. or farther into the early morning with a plethora of these devices. All you do is get a bag of snickers and cans of coke and lock your bedroom door. It really works superbly, if you don't mind feeling a bit sick afterwards. Most of the time, if you are in finals mode, you are sick anyway (so that shouldn't matter too much- if you are sick you are sick). The jumping photograph is to help me remember what caffeine and sugar does to me. Winter finals with this combination meant jumping on my bed and watching snow fall out my window. I am used to Arizona, where I could always manage to go for a run on endlessly warm and inviting sidewalks- if I had too much energy. Minnesota does not have this enhancement feature when it is winter and minus thirty. For the most part people do not go out of their homes during the winter to run. They get in their heatered vehicles and drive places and then run like bullets through the white atmosphere to enter buildings wearing generously bundled foot attire that you cannot purchase quite as bundled in most of the other states (check also Alaska and Maine for these items). They most certainly do not run during winter finals time, it would be even more dangerous than caffeine sickness. So, with an overhaul on junk food and no running space a bed and jumping became my only solution. I am so glad to be done with college days-minus possible graduate school challenges- but I will never go full time again, such a relief!!! 

    Lastly, I just wanted to share that I know that Heavenly Father loves his children. Many times I thought about other possible alternatives to finishing my program with a degree and two minors. I know that every time I wanted to give up, I was able to keep going because I just knew that this was equally important to my Heavenly Father. He gave me the love and support and care to keep going even when I wanted to give up. I know He lives and I know that He loves all of his children, whatever situation and whatever strife. He is there for us and wants us to grow, stretch our limits and broaden our horizons. Because of our savior Jesus Christ I know even when we fail to miss the mark, He opens other doors in our lives to make things more possible or lighten our moods to bring us more cheer and happiness. Sometimes that is just a friend that somehow knows that this must be the day you are planning on locking yourself in a room with a bag of candy and she shows up with chocolate covered blueberries instead, a healthier alternative to pure sugar cane. I am so thankful Heavenly Father is aware of me and my family and always sending help and refuge through life's difficulties and challenges. I know the best is continually our last year's sorrow, just unfolding into the joy that comes from the journey. When we look back we never say never, we always say, "thank you for showing me that the best is yet to come." It could never be best without good, better and sometimes even bitter days, we would never be able to tell the difference. Yeah for graduation to my family and friends- I am sure you are so glad to be done showing up to save my days! Thank you so much for everything!! Christina