Happy Graduation/Mother's Day Weekend!

This weekend has been incredible.

I graduated from Ole Miss, Magna Cum Laude (although I still crack up thinking about the speaker saying, "whether you graduate Cum Laude or Thank you, Laude!"), and it was a beautiful day I got to share with my parents, grandparents, niece (Anna Kaitlyn), and Matt Chisholm.

Although my four years at Ole Miss have been difficult, I loved the friends I met along the way, and I have been mentored and loved on by some incredible professors. I was always disconnected from my classmates and peers in Oxford. Many of my classmates hung out in the bars after observations in schools, and they knew not to bother asking me (and for right reasons). I just never could understand how they can work with children every day AND maintain that lifestyle. I hate that I wasn't able to influence my peers as I should have, but I'm thankful that my faith in Christ has grown stronger these past four years, and I haven't lost Him in the madness that can come with being a college student.

I didn't feel like many of my Oxford classmates were passionate about teaching, and this school year, I just decided to let go of constantly trying to be liked and moved to the Tupelo Center, where I was loved and encouraged every single day. My classmates became my second-mothers, and I was able to be Julie Kate, for the very first time in my years at Ole Miss. My talents and passion came alive at the Tupelo Center, and at graduation yesterday, I stuck with my group from beginning to end. We became a family during our fall action lab semester, and this semester, during student teaching, we came together once a week to debrief and encourage whoever it was that was crying on that particular day. I think someone was crying at every meeting this semester. I cried during our last meeting. I struggle with saying good-bye to people.

Graduation day was the end of that season in my life, and while I have beautiful, sweet memories from that season, I'm ready to embrace this new season. God worked in my life throughout those four years, and I praise Him everyday for constantly reminding me that He was near, no matter how exciting or difficult life was at the time. I realized how prepared I am for this next season during the last interview I had at an elementary school. I do not know whether I was hired or not, but it was a very postive experience. I was comfortable with the interview committee, I was confident about my knowledge and experiences, and I didn't let the difficult questions (and there were several) put me in a difficult place. I was able to be myself (excited and passionate) and professional all at once, and that is God living through me, at His fullest.

This morning is Mother's Day. Anna Kaitlyn (my 7 year-old niece) & I put together a basket full of bath goodies for Mama, and she had two giant vases of flowers from Don & JoHanna (in Hawaii) and from AK & me. She woke up this morning and got so tickled because Anna had taken Dixie bathroom cups and spelled out MOM on the kitchen table. It was so funny; I love that my girl can read and spell now. She wrote in her "prayer journal" during big church this morning, and I peered over to see what she was writing, and she had written, "Jesus, it is Mommy & Grammy's speshul day. Thank you for my mommies. The preechr is tellin us to thank them today but I want to thank you 1st for them. Thank you Jesus." :)

I think that says enough.