Officially graduated...

As I've been looking through childhood pictures, I came across this picture from my kindergarten graduation. It made me cry when I saw it because it honestly doesn't feel like it has been 16 years since I graduated from kindergarten. I still remember it as if it were only yesterday. I still remember kissing Chance behind the backpacks in our classroom, but part of me likes to think that didn't actually happen. Maybe it didn't. Heck, 16 years ago...who really knows.

To make me feel even older, it feels like high school just ended, too, but it's been 4 years now. It is hard to believe that my cheer years are long gone and so are most of the friendships I made. It's sad. I hate to be that annoying person who's stuck in high school, but in all honesty, I do miss it. I miss all my friends and all the fun memories I made in cheer. (Side note: NO part of me misses junior high. Those years can just be repressed in my memory, haha.)

Now, here I am...22 years old and I just graduated from college with my Bachelor's degree. It's hard to believe and still doesn't feel real. That makes me sad, too, to think that I'm done with school. I have always had a love-hate relationship with school. I loved learning but I hated school due to the fact that I wasn't popular growing up. I never missed a day of school in elementary, though, so I must have liked learning and getting straight A's enough to put up with all the cruel teasing from the other kids.

Graduating from college with my sister certainly was a special experience and I am so happy that we were able to share that day together. She has always been the most influential person in my life and I have always looked up to her more than she will ever know. She is such an intelligent woman and such an amazing role model. There have always been incredibly big shoes to fill as I've grown up and followed in her footsteps. I consider myself especially lucky to have her and go through this crazy life with her. I know she is going to accomplish countless, great things in her nursing career and I am so so proud of her!

I am happy that I can be a good example for my future children to follow as they grow up and will hopefully create big shoes to fill, as well. I sure hope that they will value education as much as I always have and will see the importance of higher education. I also hope that I can be a smart mommy and help them with all of their homework. :) 

To make things official, this bad boy finally came in the mail yesterday. Although each semester seemed to drag on and seemed never ending, those 4 years of college flew by. I was so excited to finish school that I didn't slow down and think about what I would be doing after school or what I even wanted to do with my life in the first; now, diploma in hand, I'm missing school and wishing I would have taken longer to "test the waters" and see what I'm good at or interested in. I guess part of that stems from my fear of growing up. Part of me doesn't want to get a full-time job, start paying bills, all that boring stuff. Then again, with this economy, I hope that I can even find a full-time job at all once I start looking.

Thankfully, the more responsible part of me realizes that I need to grow up and can't stay in college forever. Well, technically I could continue onto graduate school, but the realistic part of me knows that it's far too expensive and I am grateful for the education I have as it is. I can, however, continue to be a lifelong learner, whether it is formal education or not, and I can continue to always seek knowledge and grow.