Thank you ALL. I know you've never met me in person, but you've all known lots of inside information about me for over a year, and I really appreciate the support.
I got all teary-eyed reading your notes. THANK YOU.
At work today, my colleagues were wayyyy excited, so that does help me know I've worked really hard for this. They even wanted to figure out a way to keep me in the department as I move on with my studies. That was a great compliment!!