graduation

I have been avoiding writing about this. I'm not really sure why since it was so significant to both of us. But, in pursuit of a goal I set, I am biting the bullet and getting it done.

The day of convocation was beautiful and warm, but the day of graduation was cold and rainy. Really rainy. It started drizzling in the early morning and by 9 when graduation started it was a steady rain that lasted until just after graduation ended. Of course.

But I was just so happy and pleased for Sam I didn't mind so much.

Here's Sam walking from the Z-Center along Mass Ave and Memorial to "THE DOME!!!" (as our kids would always shout when we drove by, which was at least three times a week)

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And here's me when we were still dry-ish and enthusiastic

The commencement speaker was the creator of DropBox. I'm sure it's a great tool and he's clearly been very successful, but his speech was poorly written and he gave off an air of entitlement and self-importance. Thankfully, MIT's new president, L. Rafael Reif gave a great speech (watch it here) which redeemed the event for me. 

Sam's diplomas were presented near the end of the morning by which time the ground looked like this:

I think I must have forgotten my camera since all I have are cell phone photos. I tried to get as close as I could when I thought his name would be coming up, and I made sure I was near a screen to see a close up. Here's a very blurry shot of him walking down the ramp with his diploma (on the left). You better believe I cheered and clapped my heart out for him, even though he couldn't hear it.

Sam was polite and stayed until everyone's diplomas had been presented and by the time we were done, everyone and everything was soaked inside and out. We came home and changed and hurried over to the LGO (Leaders of Global Operations- the dual MBA/Masters of Engineering program) reception where everyone seemed as exhausted from two exciting days as we were. I found a quiet corner with the kids and we ate cupcakes while catching up with just a couple of our closest friends. Levi enjoyed himself.

Here's Sam with an LGO cookie inside the stinky LGO lounge. 

The further I get from this experience, the more grateful I am that we had it. Sam worked so hard before and during his schooling to make it successful and we were blessed over and over again with the time and energy and support we needed so we could both accomplish what we needed to get our family through that time. We were blessed with wonderful friends and explored a whole new region of the country while challenging our own ideas about ourselves. I have a feeling we'll always look back on those two years as a formative time for our marriage, our family, and our purpose in life.

Thanks for making it happen Sam. I love you and I'm so proud of you!