YEAH!
3 1/2 years of hard work, sacrifice, tears and frustration ... and I guess Jeff had it pretty rough too, haha ... finally, we got to celebrate him graduating with his Associate's Degree last night.
It truly was rough getting to this point. During the semesters, Jeff worked full time 10+ hours a day and then came home to a full course load he did online. This had to be incredibly challenging and exhausting... mentally and physically draining and stressful. Then on my side, I basically became a single mom, keeping the kids out of his hair (at the beginning they were only 2 and 5!), taking care of them and the house, doing the shopping and homework and dance classes, while still working 3 days a week outside the home and running two businesses... and for the last 8 months of school, I was also pregnant.
I can't say that we were each other's best support during the whole thing. Many times our overload was taken out on each other. We each resented certain things about the other... I resented him getting "quiet time" upstairs daily even if he was studying, while I never got a moment to myself... he resented me having the freedom to go to the grocery store and couldn't believe that my jobs could be as stressful as his ordeal.
The truth is, it was hard on both of us and I'm going to say it was equally hard, each circumstance in its own way. Throw in the unexpected curveballs, like Sophie's hospitalization, Ian's acting out at school, and a surprise pregnancy, among many many other things I won't go into, and I sometimes wonder how on earth we survived and marvel that we are still functioning members of society instead of drooling in the corner of a padded room somewhere.
That we made it through it all and still basically like each other (LOL) is evident by the fact of our sweet 6 week old daughter!!! SO I am very proud of Jeff for making it through and not just graduating, but graduating with honors, a member of the National Honor Society's Phi Theta Kappa, and getting grants and scholarships to pay his whole ride at UNCG to continue on and get his degree in accounting starting this fall. WAY TO GO HONEY!!! And I am very proud of myself, and our kids, for persevering and loving him even when he was cranky and supporting this endeavor. WAY TO GO US!!!! :)
Two more years to get through, and I just know deep down that it's going to be so worth it.
This is our first photo of our entire family of 5 together... it gives me tears because we just look so right with baby Em here with us.
3 1/2 years of hard work, sacrifice, tears and frustration ... and I guess Jeff had it pretty rough too, haha ... finally, we got to celebrate him graduating with his Associate's Degree last night.
It truly was rough getting to this point. During the semesters, Jeff worked full time 10+ hours a day and then came home to a full course load he did online. This had to be incredibly challenging and exhausting... mentally and physically draining and stressful. Then on my side, I basically became a single mom, keeping the kids out of his hair (at the beginning they were only 2 and 5!), taking care of them and the house, doing the shopping and homework and dance classes, while still working 3 days a week outside the home and running two businesses... and for the last 8 months of school, I was also pregnant.
I can't say that we were each other's best support during the whole thing. Many times our overload was taken out on each other. We each resented certain things about the other... I resented him getting "quiet time" upstairs daily even if he was studying, while I never got a moment to myself... he resented me having the freedom to go to the grocery store and couldn't believe that my jobs could be as stressful as his ordeal.
The truth is, it was hard on both of us and I'm going to say it was equally hard, each circumstance in its own way. Throw in the unexpected curveballs, like Sophie's hospitalization, Ian's acting out at school, and a surprise pregnancy, among many many other things I won't go into, and I sometimes wonder how on earth we survived and marvel that we are still functioning members of society instead of drooling in the corner of a padded room somewhere.
That we made it through it all and still basically like each other (LOL) is evident by the fact of our sweet 6 week old daughter!!! SO I am very proud of Jeff for making it through and not just graduating, but graduating with honors, a member of the National Honor Society's Phi Theta Kappa, and getting grants and scholarships to pay his whole ride at UNCG to continue on and get his degree in accounting starting this fall. WAY TO GO HONEY!!! And I am very proud of myself, and our kids, for persevering and loving him even when he was cranky and supporting this endeavor. WAY TO GO US!!!! :)
Two more years to get through, and I just know deep down that it's going to be so worth it.
This is our first photo of our entire family of 5 together... it gives me tears because we just look so right with baby Em here with us.
