"And in the end, having my freedom, boast of nothing else..."

Let me tell you of a tale . . . a wonderful tale.  It regards a certain day in my personal history I'm sure will be made into a national holiday.  It is the day I finished my last undergraduate university final EVER.  Ahh yes . . . a wonderful tale.

It began not unlike any other day.  I got up, ate some cereal, then did some last-minute studying.  Somewhere in there, Jake (who is also having a similar day, though he'll have more semesters of school and thus - more finals) and I managed to play around with Brooklyn a bit:  

But play time did have to end eventually, and I had to get going to school for my last final.  It was a scheduled test, to take place in the basement of the Clyde Building at 11:00 AM.  Now, on a normal day, it takes me just over an hour to get onto campus using the bus system . . . but this (as I previously mentioned) was no ordinary day.  We had some 6-8 inches of snow dumped on us that day, and I knew it would be tough making that 12 mile trek from Pleasant Grove to Provo.  I decided to leave a tad early, and got to the bus stop at 8:30, giving myself well over two hours to navigate the public transportation system to my destination.

 So at the bus stop I waited . . . and I waited . . . and I waited.  

 After 45 minutes of waiting I called UTA's customer service line to inquire as to the whereabouts of the bus, which was at this point 40 minutes late.  I was promised that the bus was enroute, and "just around the corner" from my location.  In fact, the lady on the phone said she was suprised that I "couldn't see it right now, it should be so close!" 

Well, with such a promise, I waited yet another 20 minutes before I realized that I was in serious trouble.  At that point I shook the near inch of snow that had accumulated on my shoulders, backpack, head, and shoes and jogged the few blocks back to my house.  I had no other choice . . . I had to drive myself.  Naomi was planning on using the car that day (since I had planned to take the bus) but unfortunately her plans had to be postponed, as my schedule was deemed a higher priority at the time.  It's not every day you have your last final ever.

 The drive itself (which normally takes 20 minutes) took me the next hour to make as I battled icy roads, 20 feet visibility, and dumb students from Southern California who don't know what snow is, let alone how to drive in it. 

 I parked at Jennie's house, ate some of Lydia's home-made fudge (Thanks Lydia!) and trekked up to campus, arriving at the appointed room with literally 90 seconds to spare. 

 The test itself (the ending of which gives this day its notoriety) lasted just a smidge over 4 hours, and was probably the most intense of my college career.  It was the final for my Hydrology class, and consisted of 100 multiple choice questions followed by an open book, 12 question monster.

 I did finish it though, but was so focused on the exam for the entire 4 hours that I did not realize a) how hungry I was, b) how thirsty I was, and c) how much I had to pee.

 After I took care of the aforementioned problems, I walked on back to Jennie’s house to grab the car (feeling so free I walked atop the snow like Legolas).  It took me just under an hour to finally get home, at which point I got to shovel the driveway to the view of a beautiful Sunset.  Have you ever noticed that the best sunsets occur just after storms . . . and final exams?!

 That night we had a little party with myself, Naomi, Jennie and Jake.  We vegged, watched a few episodes of The Office, then Jake, Jennie and I enjoyed a nice game of Risk, in the which Jake handily and decidedly defeated us. (Seriously, who rolls that many sixes?!) 

 All in all, it was a fabulous day, and I’m glad the finals have ceased.

 But don’t anyone tell Craig we played Risk that night . . . he was still taking a final, so we couldn’t invite him.  He might be a little miffed.  Oh . . . probably better not tell Nikki either, she got married the next day so we couldn’t exactly invite her either (she’s been bugging me for ever to play some Risk!)