That's Master Cox to YOU!

Well I finally did it everyone! Last Saturday at approximately 3:02pm I walked away from the OSH building forever! Well, forever as it pertains to graduate classes for my MPA degree. I am now a Master of Public Administration! I won't lie, I definitely shed a tear or two as I drove away - contemplating the last 6 semesters slash full two years of my life and everything it took to get there. What a long and painstaking road. But now, it's done and I'm done and IT'S ALL DONE! D-U-N, DONE!

I even got an email last week confirming that the University of Utah had indeed posted my degree to my account and they were sending it to my listed address. The moment I get that very costly piece of paper I'm getting it framed and tacking it to a wall! Any wall! Including virtual walls! I am taking a picture to post for you, dear Internet, as PROOF!  I wonder if there's a way to strategically swab some tear, sweat, and blood stains on it. The degree that is... not the wall(s). What?... ... ... it was hard. Arduous. Painstaking. Intense. Destroyer of social life. I gained 10lbs! It's true. After work and school and homework and having no time - you tend to eat crap and not care... and then subsequently have zero energy for exercising. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Master's degrees make you fat..ter.

But they also (ideally) make you smarter.

And poorer...

But more educated...

which is another way of saying smarter.

Hmmm... ANYWAY!

Do you want to know what I've done with my first school-free week?!?! Let me tell you! It got really crazy really fast.

FIRST! I did NOT do homework, rather, I went to Family Home Evening ( a little Mormon get together every Monday night intended for "family" togetherness... but as I am a single person, i.e. not married with children, , my singles ward meets together as a "family"... aw), AND exercised. I can't waste a moment getting rid of those 10 "Master" pounds. On Tuesday I played Ultimate Frisbee with no qualms of how I shouldn't be neglecting my Wednesday night class readings. Why? CAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE ANY! Ah ha! I then made some banana bread. Wednesday I DID NOT go to class. And that's all that needs to be said. Thursday, I went to the Twilight Series concert in Pioneer Park; Friday I spent with friends watching the Movie Under the Stars at the Capitol; Saturday... oh man Saturday... all my Saturdays in the past have been filled with either hours and hours of homework or hours and hours of class. THIS Saturday, however, I went to boxing class, did LAUNDRY, cleaned the HOUSE, GROCERY shopped, got a little crazy and went to a matinee alone, and THEN a graduation party for an hour. Also note that before bed every ONE of these nights I congratulated myself with an episode of the X-Files. I've started watching them all over, you see. And I'm on Season 2, Episode 9. What I wouldn't do to Agent Mulder. Grrrrowel. 

And now it's Sunday. For 6 semesters Sunday evenings have been the hardest evenings to endure. It's when I think of all the assignments still to finish and the reading yet to do and all the schooling hub bub that lies ahead. But not this Sunday. This Sunday I churched, watched more XFiles, took a 2 hour Scooter ride, applied a chocolate facial (Target), and now here I am telling all you fine people about my crazy school free week like you're still listening.

But listen Internet, you only graduate with your Masters once (unless you're one of those crazy people who wants two Master's degrees... shudder), and I think its worth rambling on and on and on about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an engagement with Agents Mulder and Scully and then later, a LEISURE novel. Just try and stop me! Mwahahahahahahhah! (lighting bolt... clap of thunder!).