Ann got her Master’s Degree. I’m feeling this high level of pride for her hard work and her accomplishment. We both almost completed Bachelor’s degrees at Christopher Newport College/University, but both got interrupted by life. I tried to go back to school for a while at Thomas Nelson Community College, but life interrupted again (this time I moved). Ann managed to get all the way through the rest of her Bachelor’s and move right on through to the Master’s in one steady stream this time around. I still haven’t gotten the wind back under me for another round of school, but I know I will do it once I set my mind to it again.

So I went home. There was no way I was missing the chance to see my sister walk across the stage to get her Master’s Degree. Yaw and I flew up to Virginia and stayed at Pat’s house. Both feeling under the weather already, we had a very turbulent flight up. The air pressure in the cabin was constantly changing because the pilot had to keep changing altitudes in an attempt to get us to calmer air. It didn’t work, but at least he tried. By the time we landed, our already tender sinuses and ears were throbbing and we could barely hear each other whine about it.

Once we got to Pat’s and got settled in, we both took pain meds and conked out until about 10 a.m. I had all these great plans for visiting with old friends up in VA, but couldn’t shake the headache that greeted me in the morning. Finally, we gave up on any plans and just hung around the house with Pat and her family. It was a nice evening, just not the one I’d planned on.

Graduation day came and we left ahead of Pat and the gang because I needed to stop at Target. Between Target and the Interstate, I got lost twice – in Virginia Beach, where traffic is murder on a good day. We were all supposed to meet at Rob’s house and caravan over to the convention center where the ceremony would be, so that we could all sit together as a family. Yeah, that worked. Uh-huh. We were supposed to be at Rob’s at 1:00. I got to Richmond at 2:00 and rushed to find parking and scurry 4 blocks (maybe only 3?) to the convention center on high heels. Fortunately the flag-bearers were only just doing their thing when we arrived.

I was relieved to be in my seat and settled when the first speaker came up and made a speech, then the other speakers did their thing, then finally the graduates were brought up. Doctorate Degrees went first, then Master’s, then Bachelor’s and finally Associates. I was surprised to see that the longest list of graduates was in the Master’s Degree section; I expected the longest list to be the Bachelor’s Degree section.

After Ann received her degree I lost interest in the ceremony itself and took to people watching. Eventually, Rob and Pat and their respective gangs also lost interest and wandered towards the back of the hall. Yaw and I joined them and played catch-up quietly until the ceremony ended and we were all able to leave. Now that it was over, I wasn’t concerned about the appearance of my feet, so off went the shoes and Yaw and I jogged to the car, trying to avoid getting too wet. Damp and winded, (yes, after only a few blocks – it was hot!), we made our way to Rob’s house for a family celebration. I had hoped that after dinner, we could try again to escape and visit my old friends, but once again, the headache and general fatigue of being unwell kept me down. We went back to Pat’s and spent another evening with them.

Sunday came and we spent the day deciding if we were going to visit with my parents (they didn’t pick up when I called them) or if we would join Pat’s family at the Norfolk Botanical Garden. I’ve lived most of my life in VA and never visited the place once, even though it’s supposed to be the highest rated rose garden in the U.S. Mom and Dad did call back, though, so we went and spent the afternoon with them. Mom food was quickly provided and we ate what we could, which as usual was too much. I wasn’t even hungry until I walked into her kitchen door. Sigh. Mom food: What would the world be without it?

The flight home was much smoother, thank goodness. Home at about 11 p.m. and back to work at 8 a.m. And the move continues...