La, lalalal La laaaaaa....and the diploma goes to....

ME!!!!

That's right folks...after eight LONG years (11 if you count my original start date) I have finished by Bachelor's degree from BYU! I'm sure that I could pretty much be a brain surgeon by now. Hhmph...a little depressing, but overall incredibly SATISFYING.

I've spoken with friends and family about this accomplishment and the fact that I won't walk in BYU's graduation. How do I feel about that? Well, how would you feel about it? Seriously, I've gone back and forth, but I've come to the following conclusion...Here are the reasons I would want to walk next Spring

1. An 8.5 year old toeheaded amazing 3rd grader who's helpful, loving and kind.

2. A newly 5 year old with Fall-kissed auburn hair who's energetic, lively and incredibly loving.

3. A 19 month old stawberry blonde who's favorite activity is chasing down unsuspecting "babies" everywhere she goes.

4. A 30 something old, dirty blonde headed man who's been there for the bitter and the sweet, who has dried my tears and convinced me to look at the eternal perspective when finishing this degree felt impossible

5. An almost 30 year old (scary!) who's literally labored for 8 long years while trying to be the best mom and wife possible. A terrible housekeeper, and awful organizer, but a determined mama.

As I constructed these thoughts in my mind it occurred to me that the top 5 reasons I would like to walk in BYU's ceremony are sitting in my livingroom every single night. So, I've decided to walk....at HOME....That's right, I'm staging my own graduation, with cap and gown (hat and robe) and diploma (whenever it arrives by mail), commencement speech and even refreshments to follow.

I'm sure I'll tear up during my speech, and I'm sure my kids will be as restless as they would be at a real graduation commencement. My husband will snap pictures and take video and I'll cry some more. And then I'll cry even harder as I realize that the degree in my hand is nothing compared to the 4 people sitting restlessly on the couch.

So what's next? Well....hm....that's what I'm wondering. I have a list 8 years long (seriously) and so it's off to start on it. Organizing, entertaining, teaching little ones to read, go pee pee in the potty and read some darn amazing books....(I've started one such book, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society")

Just for fun: I'm curious.....what would you do with this bucket. The picture sums up the last 8 years of my life and I'm not sure what I should do with it. I don't want to burn it (I would have probably like 5 weeks ago), I'm not a scrapbooker, and I don't want it to be just another box in the mound of rubber tubs. Ideas and suggestions are greatly appreciated.