Graduation Hangover

With multiple trips to and from the airport, last minute scurries to Macy’s for a graduation outfit, and absolutely no rest for the weary, I’m STILL nursing a graduation hangover. Oh, my head…

I am officially a University of St. Thomas graduate with a B.A. in Political Science and minor in Theology!

Family from Oregon and California made this trip, including my father who has not flown on a plane since 1995. My son and his girlfriend came from Linfield College and my husband’s parents came from Menlo Park. Of course my son, Matt and my wonderful husband were here to keep picking me up off the ground and helping me get through the chaos.

So…

All my thanks and love to my family and friends who have helped me get through the last few years. It hasn’t been easy balancing school, homework, multiple jobs, family, and sanity; I’ve wanted to throw in the towel several times. Everyone has been so supportive and I thank each and every one of you.

As for my professors, you rock! I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to sit in front of you daily these last couple of years. Not only have you inspired me, but you have shown me the importance of a higher education and what a wonderful tool it can be to inspire others.

I have received so many emails, cards, and Facebook wall postings telling me that I have set the example of the saying, “If you put your mind and heart into what you want, you can accomplish anything.”

AMEN.

I look forward to this type of hangover again in two years (Master’s Degree here I come!!!)

Family, Friends, and Professors:

Obama Brings Record Crowds to Oregon

Being an Oregonian true and true (I’m a Texas transplant), I had to post on Barack Obama’s speech Sunday in front of a record breaking crowd of people in Portland, Oregon. He criticized John McCain on social security, lobbyists, and foreign policy. Obama ended out his week of criticisms and campaigning in the Rose City.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Obama drew a roaring crowd of 75,000 (another 15,000 couldn’t get in)– the biggest of his presidential campaign, and equivalent to one-sixth of Portland’s population — to an afternoon rally in a park along the Willamette River here. The size of the turnout served as a reminder that Obama is strongly favored to win Tuesday in Oregon, a state whose voters — comparatively well-educated and liberal — appear tailor-made for him.

Today he spoke in Billings, Montana where he said that voters should be concerned that “after nearly three decades in Washington, John McCain can’t see or won’t acknowledge what’s obvious to all of us here today — that lobbyists aren’t just part of the system in Washington, they’re part of the problem.” He also defended McCain’s remarks about Obama’s “inexperience and reckless judgment” in regards to Iran.

Kentucky and Oregon hold their primaries tomorrow. The latest polls from Real Clear Politics show Obama leading in Oregon and Clinton leading in Kentucky.

Additionally, Obama also picked up another endorsement today: Sen. Robert C. Byrd, 90, a former member of the Ku Klux Klan and a one-time opponent of civil rights legislation. Pretty interesting when you consider that if elected, Obama will be the first black president.

In the picture above, Petey and I are watching Obama’s speech in Montana.

UPDATE: VIDEO ADDED-