Shannon's World

Some of you might know that for the past 18 months I have been pursuing my Master's in Education. Well I'm happy to say that I am finished!

Interesting thing is that I actually completed my last course a month ago. Two days after my last class I was on a plane to Tampa to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk. Once I returned from that walk, four days later I was participating in the Dallas 3 Day Walk. And the day after that walk was finished, I was on a plane for business reasons to Jacksonville, FL and then on to Chicago, IL. Whew! I hope you're getting the idea that my life kept moving once my last course was completed!

Well, yesterday is when it all hit me. As I was going through weeks worth of mail (remember all of the travel), a good friend who lives into another state sent me a congratulations card for completing my degree (when she asked for an updated address a few weeks ago, I never thought about why she asked). I was blown away that she even knew I had completed my degree (maybe I mentioned it on Facebook?) and the kind words that she shared with me.

Also in the stack of packages was my actual diploma. Once I opened the package and looked at my diploma, all of the emotions from the past 18 months came flooding forward: happiness (that I was finally finished!), sadness (for the relationships that suffered during that time), and exhaustion (from the long hours of studying, the late nights, and balancing a demanding career that has lots of travel). But mainly I was proud of myself for achieving something that was important to me and the sacrifices I made along the way to achieve my goal. There were so many times that I just wanted to crawl in my bed and give up. In the end, I'm glad that I didn't.

So, you might be thinking 'What's next?'. Right now I'm just going to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family, walk the Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll 1/2 marathon next week with family and friends, and then go to Hawaii at the end of December for some rest and relaxation!

We'll see what 2012 has in store for me...