Flowers & Finals

I woke up this morning to take my last final ever....yes my very last written exam. Unlucky for me it was at 7:45 a.m., but lucky for me it was online and I got to stay in my pajamas and enjoy hot chocolate (yes, with marshmallows!). I had the exam finished by nine and as much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I kept myself awake. I'm not sure why I kept myself up because I just dilly-dallied instead of being productive. But, I continued with this pattern and piddled away the next five and half hours until my very last final, a project presentation. On my way to the presentation, I took my time to take in every moment, every last moment of what it's like to walk to class. From the way it can get me out of breath as I climb the never-ending incline to the way I refuse to step into a crosswalk until I'm sure neither car or bike are whizzing toward me. Then there's the familiarity of the surrounding buildings and the drifting food scents of a nearby dining hall. Before I knew it the walk was over and so were presentations. And at 5:14 this evening I officially ended my career as an undergraduate at Virginia Tech. That was it, I was done!

The walk to my car was in the dark with the orange glow of lamps highlighting small spots of concrete and creating shadows in the corners. I was accompanied by a friend who enjoyed my last walk of campus as a student with me. It was a surreal experience and all too bittersweet. As much as I have wanted to graduate, being here at school has taught me many things about life and myself. Thinking back to the day I moved onto campus as a freshmen, I would have never guessed my journey while there would have gone the way it did. My time in college has shaped me and that includes all the mistakes, accomplishments, do-overs, and irreplaceable experiences that have occurred in the last four and half years. I don't question the path God put me on and standing at the finish line of this milestone, I'm without words to thank Him for getting me where I am today.

On Friday my families (my parents, sister, grandmothers, Pete, and new Hill family) will sit in the stands and watch as I, clad in cap and gown, cross the stage and leave it with two diplomas in hand. And as I say goodbye to this chapter, I will carry some of its best moments with me into the start of the next chapter. But before I do, I am going to celebrate with the people that mean the most!

After pulling into my apartment parking space, I noticed my neighbor looking at these lovely flowers sitting at my doorstep. I wondered, "Who is the lucky roommate that gets those flowers?" And they were for me with the most perfect note attached...

Thank you handsome, today truly couldn't have ended better :)