30 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

I've been seeing everyone doing a 30 days of gratitude for this month and I thought what a better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than counting the blessings in your life! I know this is four days late but it's the thought that counts not when it is posted. For the first of November I was thankful for something for which I've worked towards these last two years. On November 1st I found out my petition to graduate from the master's program and my senior research proposal were accepted. Oh the joy in my heart as I opened my email and read this sentence: Your petition to graduate has been approved and sent to the Registrar. So. Much. Joy.

I've been working towards my master's degree over the last two years and a few personal issues prevented me from getting it completed this fall. I had to push things back another semester to the spring so I've been a little antsy about getting it finished, mainly I wanted to get it approved so I wouldn't be waiting another year for graduation. This hasn't been the easiest of roads. I'm one of those that will tell you straight up getting my master's degree was freaking difficult and requires far more attention than an undergraduate degree. But in the end I'm not sad I chose to get my master's degree. I look back over the last two and half years and I know it was the best decision I made. There were times, especially during the proposal writing process, I questioned my decision. It's not easy writing a proposal and trying to second guess a man who who questions everything. Every step of the way was a headache. There are no words really to describe how exhausted I was when I finally saw the approval. I've never been more thankful in my life! Such an awesome feeling and I know the next eight months will be torture in every sense of the word, but I know when I walk across that stage and am hooded I will  know in that moment it was worth the headaches, sleepless nights, cross-eyed reading sessions, back aches from siting in front of a computer analyzing data and generally being a hermit while finishing the research. I'm holding onto that moment because that is what is going to get me through.