on graduating college

a few days ago i officially officially graduated college.
i pretend-graduated in june (with a ceremony and a cap and gown and everything!), but this time it was for realz. i finished my last exam at precisely 1:37pm on monday afternoon (december 6th, 2013 - for the record) and to be honest with you, it wasn't as victorious of a finale as i was imagining. in my head, it went like this: i would answer the last question on my exam, throw my paper up in the air, run through the halls (towards freedom), burst through the door, do some kind of victory dance (complete with fist pumps, high-kicks, twirls, spins, the whole thing). i expected there to be a full marching band playing and confetti sparklers and fireworks and probably a big banner saying "you do it, heather! you are the champion!"

or something like that.

surprisingly, it didn't happen quite like that.
first of all, my exam was on a computer so i didn't have any papers to throw into the air when i was done (instead, i just typed my last answer really loudly so everyone around me would know that i was done). second of all, the test was hard as all hell which didn't leave me feeling victorious and triumphant but more like, i think i just graduated? ....maybe? third of all, it's been snowing this past week, so all the floors were especially wet and slippery and i wasn't willing to risk my life just to run down the halls. i sort of just walked out. and finally, much to my dismay, there weren't any fireworks or sparklers or banners. just a bunch of cold, miserable students shuffling through the snow. (where was the band???)

so, with few other options to choose from, i shuffled right along with them and went home.

despite this extremely anticlimactic ending, i am done. you guys. i'm done!
i actually finished school one year early (go me), but getting to this point still felt like a long (long, long) haul. school really knows how to knock the wind right out of a girl, you know? the idea of actually finishing school always seemed like a mystical and slightly impossible dream. but here i am! it hasn't sunk in yet. i think i was expecting to feel instantly different. like, as soon as i finished that exam i would stand up and be instantly taller or something. (if nothing else, let's hope that i'm at least a little bit wiser)

and so. the end. that's it! no more school. official college graduate, party of one.

p.s. my very talented photographer-friend took these photos of our campus. aren't they magical?

p.p.s. this post is a big fat spoiler alert - surprise! it snowed! stay tuned for more of that.