As of Saturday around noon, we officially have a Dr. in the family. It was such a proud moment to watch Jess walk across that stage. It seems so trivial that a small piece of paper can represent so much. I'm sure it means different things to different people, but here is what it means to me.
-It means 3 1/2 years of watching Jess work so hard and sacrifice so much. Sacrificing time spent visiting family and friends in Indiana, time spent with me and Jack, time spent away from the fun activities (Cardinal games, favorite TV shows and weekend trips).
-It means no more late nights of studying and falling asleep on the couch with his head in his book.
-It means we will no longer live in a city that we grew to love, with friends, classmates and coworkers that we will miss dearly.
-It means I will no longer be working in a high rise building, doing a job that was both rewarding to me and the others that I taught along the way.
-It means that Jack's 1st home and babysitter has been left behind - someone else will move into our apartment, decorate it differently and make it their home.
-It means no more 250 mile trips home for the holiday or weekends to visit all our family and friends in Indiana.
BUT....What graduation DOES mean that we are a family again. We are all under one roof back where we belong in Washington, IN and celebrating all the relief, the joy, and the blessings God has given us this Christmas season.
My eyes filled with tears many times during the ceremony because I kept replaying the above-mentioned moments back in my mind. The specific instances and even sometimes arguments are still fresh in my memory. I know our parents and friends appreciate the effort that it took for Jess to get to this point, but Jess, Jack and I have lived it and that made Graduation Day that much more special.
Here are a few pictures of the festivities. My parents, Jess's parents, Jess's brother Trent, Jack and I all attended the weekend events.
Here is Jess receiving his recognition for being in the top 20 (our of approx. 130) of his graduating class, receiving High Honors.
Before graduation on Saturday, they had an awards breakfast Friday morning. This is a family picture taken just after that breakfast.
This is a picture of Jess receiving a special award for the highest GPA among all the students in the Basic Science courses. He and one of his best friends Brandon Steele were the only two to receive this award!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Jess's Graduation!
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6 comments:
congratulations to ALL of you for making it through logan with flying colors! it was only two years ago that pete did it, and i remember thinking "how do people do this with kids?" :-)
you guys deserve some relaxation after all the hard work, and i hope you get it. looking forward to seeing you all soon. xoxo, beth (not sure how i messed up my profile identity, but it is me, beth yoder, haha)
Awe congratulations to all of you! What an accomplishment! I'm sure you must be so proud of him!!
Yahoooooo! I am sure you are all breathing a sigh of relief! Glad you are all in one place an hopefully a bit more stress free.
That's really great! What a accomplishment for your family! Hope your settling in your new home! Merry Christmas!
Congrats to your hubby!! I went to high school with him and he always had that determination. Enjoy that extra time together and being back home!
Tara, I just read this post even though I'm a little behind....Congratulations! Reading what you wrote about graduation and moving on brought back a lot of memories of when Travis graduated from law school almost 2 years ago. You have a great way of putting those experiences in to words! It is hard work, I know, but the sacrifices pay off big time for the future!
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