Wow!
What a crazy week!! Of course finals week is always busy but there is something special about the last one. I took work off so
that I could have some time to study. For some reason I just haven't seemed to
have much time for it recently. Ha! I have realized that I have missed nearly a month’s worth of material and if I wanted to be able to graduate I had to
pass these tests this week. Chase has been pretty stressed to. Engineering
finals will do that to anyone! I have 3 exams and a final project to get done.
The project was due Monday. The project – a portfolio website for Chase’s
graduate school applications - was about three quarters of the way done, but I
had been procrastinating it the last couple of weeks and was down to one night
to get it finished. Luckily things went smoothly Monday morning and everything got done.
Never underestimate my powers of last minute productivity, it is a skill I have honed for the past 4 years! I spent the rest of
the day studying frantically for my two history finals on Tuesday. Those were
my most difficult finals, simply because there was so much material to review.
Remembering everything I had learned about the Soviet Union and WWII was a tall
order, but the tests went well and I was able to leave with that pride that
comes from knowing you did well on your tests. Thursday was my last final and I
wasn't too worried about it. Probably because marketing isn't what I want to do
with my life, the class wasn't too difficult, and the test was going to be multiple choice. The strangest
feeling was sitting down to that test and realizing that there were 100
questions between me and the end of my college education. I couldn't help
counting down as I answered questions. 75 to go. Half way done. Only 25
questions left. 10 more!! 5!! This is the last test question ever!!! Phew! I'm still waiting for it to feel real.
I
was very lucky that my finals were over on Thursday so I could do my infusion on Friday. I was also lucky that it
was the second week after an infusion, so I was feeling back to my normal self
and didn’t have to try study through any nausea or chemo headaches. This did mean
that I had an infusion at the end of the week though. It wouldn't have been
much of a problem if it wasn't for graduation on Saturday. There wasn't really
much to do about it except pray that I had some strength and energy to get through
the ceremonies. This infusion brought the normal side effects. The most
prominent one this time around was a killer headache that lasted most of Friday.
But it also meant that the nausea was at a minimum. I think I've mentioned but
nausea is my least favorite symptom. Headaches can be helped with lots of
water, some Tylenol, and a nap. The nausea never really seems to go away for
those first few days. If there is any kind of fairness in the universe I will
have served my time feeling sick and not have to deal with morning sickness
when the day comes to get pregnant! Seriously, those ladies who deal with it
for months on end are super heroes!
Graduation
day came and I managed to drag myself out of bed to get ready. To keep the
sickness at bay I had to eat some toast as soon as I woke up and then packed a
purse full of snacks to keep me going. After some deliberation I decided to not
wear a headscarf with my graduation cap. I didn't really have on that I loved
with my dress, and it was hard to get the cap on over top of a scarf anyway.
After watching all the girls with perfectly curled hair struggling to control their
hats, I was kind of glad that I didn't have to worry about it. The cap stayed
on my head and didn’t mess my hair up at all. Yay short hair!
So
many people
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| One down, one to go! |
were there to support me! I almost couldn't believe how many people
turned up to sit through the “exciting” ceremonies just because they loved me.
Chase’s family, aunt and uncle, and grandparents were there, as well as my
family, grandparents, and aunt, uncle and cousins. I even had several friends that were there. All told there were about 20 people at our
little apartment for lunch. Chase had gotten a large sandwich from subway
ordered to feed everyone and I didn't have to do a thing. That is the way a
party should be. It was so wonderful to see everyone and to get to talk to
family and friends I hadn't seen in a while. The most exciting miracle of the
day was that I hardly felt sick at all. It was my best post-infusion Saturday yet.
I am sure it was because everyone was praying for me. It might have been silly but I was looking forward to the
ceremonies and celebrating the end of my school career and was really hoping to
be able to enjoy the day. I felt awesome all the way up until everyone
left. Then I realized I was exhausted. Graduation is a long and exciting day
and by the end I had absolutely no energy left. I went to bed around 9:30 and
slept for about 12.5 hours. Even that wasn't quite enough and I had another 4
hour nap after church. I think it was a logical response to the stress of
finals, and the excitement of graduation. Even after all that sleeping I still
feel like my energy reserve tank is empty and it may take a while before I can
stop feeling tired. It was totally worth it though! I couldn't have asked for a better way to end college!
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| Chase's Incredible Family |
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| My wonderful family! |
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| The bald headed support crew! |
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