After two and a half years of taking courses, I completed my M.F.A. in Creative Writing with an emphasis on Fiction. Truthfully, it feels anti-climatic because my family is in bereavement following the loss of my sister. She was a constant source of encouragement even though she didn’t quite get why I wanted to work toward a second Master’s degree since I had already earned a doctorate too. She understood it was important to me, though, and always told me to go for it.

After I submitted my thesis and last lingering assignments, I made what I call “super nachos” with left-over steak. My husband said we should celebrate very soon. I asked, “Aren’t super nachos an excellent way to celebrate?” I’m not in the celebrating mood, really, and I think that is normal for our circumstance. Still, I feel it is important to commemorate this accomplishment with at least a simple blog post. I am thankful for all of the excellent literature I got to read, helpful feedback from my professors and classmates, and the push to write more each day.