Edumacated

It's official. Thank you, Marquette!

"There is a time for departure even when there is no certain place to go."

-Tennessee Williams

Let the celebration begin

From boat cruises through Milwaukee to cocktail parties and family nights out on the town, Senior Week is in full swing. We take graduation festivities pretty seriously.

Song of the day

Love this!

Smile

Look closely and you might find some silent inspiration from the man that does it best.

This is Michael's arm after his 50 mile run. (Please take a moment to let the monstrosity of this event soak in.)

Sometimes we need a little reminder, and while he was accomplishing one of his greatest goals, he didn't want to forget.

I love the power of a smile!

The Ultra

Running 50 miles. Some people wake up each day with this feat immediately on their mind. Training constantly, preparing both the mind and body for completion. For others, this activity will remain unthought of for their entire lifetime. It won't even cross their mind, and if it does, the individuals that take on this task are often thought of as absolutely insane. My boyfriend is one of them :) And on Sunday he ran 50 MILES!!

Let's take a second to digest this. 50 miles. Think of what lies within 50 miles of your current location. Your state capital? A large city? An ocean? Another state? Definitely another zip code. CRAZY!!

So he took on the Ice Age Trail 50 Mile Run. The night before, his biggest fans went on a sign-making frenzy, keeping with the theme of Cool Runnings of course. We created a new nickname for Michael, "Junyah" - very appropriate since he really is Michael Jr., and because well, it's a funny part of a great movie. So our signs were obviously fantastic, and we were ready to be the best cheerleaders possible! He started in the wee hours of the morning in 35 degree weather. The rest of the day was composed of torrential downpour trading off with intense hail, separated by quick glimpses of sunshine. I joined his family and roommates and we drove from aid station to aid station, catching a glimpse of him as he'd run across the street, throwing him a ham sandwich and some more gatorade. We'd be napping in the car, waking up in disbelief that Junyah was still runnang! He looked great for the first few hours and then his face transformed from smiles to a look of intense determination. He'd come out from the forest trails and he couldn't see two feet in front of him, but he could see the finish line. After 11 hours he achieved his goal, crossed the finish line and ran straight into a hug :) After a wild day, he can now add the title of an ultra-marathoner to his list of accomplishments, and I could not be prouder!

Goodbye and Thank you.

It is only appropriate that as I come home today and turn on my iTunes, John Mayer’s "Stop This Train" is playing.

"So scared of getting older, I’m only good at being young."

I’m done with college. !?! I just came from my very last class as a senior at Marquette University. For the last three years they have given me an education based on ethics, morality, religion and integrity. I can’t express how grateful I am. I can’t express what it means to me to have a cross in every classroom, reminding me of who I need to be. I can’t express how much I appreciate the teachers that have given me their cell phone and home numbers, that have pushed me to exceed what is good, and truly become great.

It’s such a weird feeling to not know what is next. Some have grad school, the lucky few have a job lined up. Others are in a directed profession such as nursing, teaching, or dental school.

I have my degree in Advertising in the school of Communications.

At this point, I’m not only at a fork in the road, I’m in the middle of a 15 pronged intersection. Direction? Which direction? There are so many?

It’s intimidating. And walking through campus after my last class is nearly heartbreaking. You want to say so much to the professors as you pass, to the students as you all file out, but everything remains silent. In high school we had yearbooks to tell that random person in class that they made each day ten times better. Leaving college, I have no yearbook, I have no words, all I can do is smile and give them a nod, hoping they understand the sentiment behind it.

Thank you Marquette. This is me, forever smiling at you, knowing that you’ll always understand.