As of May 14, 2005, I officially possess a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership (OL) from Southern Nazarene University. I graduated cum laude (with honors) for maintaining a 3.4 or better grade point average, but that’s not really fair; during my time at SNU I maintained a 4.0 grade point average. The classes that drug down my average were ones I dropped while failing at Redlands Community College over a decade ago.

When I began the OL program at SNU I originally told Susan I had no interest in walking across a stage. Susan eventually sold me on the idea, and I have to say in retrospect I’m glad I did. If nothing else it adds closure to the entire college process.

The entire weekend was awesome. Friday, several of my friends from work took me out for lunch to celebrate. Several of them expressed interest in going back to school and obtaining their degrees. It feels funny to think that I may have inspired someone else to go back to school the way Susan inspired me.

Saturday was our big graduation ceremony. The ceremony itself clocked in at somewhere around two hours, although we (the graduates) had to be there an hour early and hung out for about half an hour afterwards. Saturday evening, my family (mom and her husband, dad, Grandma O, my sister and her date, plus Susan and Mason of course) along with Susan’s family (her sister, our two nieces and one nephew, plus Susan’s aunt and uncle) all went out for dinner at Steak and Ale. Dinner went really well and I think everybody had a good time talking and eating.

Sunday, I crashed. I didn’t honestly thing there was a lot of stress involved in the graduation ceremony itself, but I think I let a lot of stuff go Sunday. I slept late and took a couple of naps throughout the day, and even when I was mobile I wasn’t doing anything productive. I watched a couple of movies (Bedknobs and Broomsticks with Mason, and later House of Flying Daggers during Mason’s nap) and basically just sat around the house. I needed that.

Somewhere in me is the feeling that this graduation is not only the end of something, but maybe also the beginning of something.