Congratulations!!!

I have had some really big news to share, but until Dave took his state test I didn't want to jinx it. Now that we have received his testing results and he PASSED! I can now share the good news with all of you.

I am now the proud wife of a paramedic!!!


For those of you who don't know, Dave has been taking classes to become a paramedic since the fall of 2007. Before this he was in college for almost 7 years. He started college in Toledo, then switched to Akron, switched majors and finally decided that he would go to a local community college for their paramedic program. I tell you this simply to explain that my husband has been in school for a looooong time. We (kindly) joke with him that he could be a brain surgeon by now with all the schooling he has under his belt. In all honesty though, I don't think I have been more proud of my husband than I was on Saturday when we walked up to the front of the room and received his certificate. For you see, in the time that my hubby has been in school we have met and started dating, moved in together, gotten married and started a family. Those are a lot of things for anyone to go through, let alone having to stay committed to working full time (and then some), putting in major clinical hours and maintaining good grades. And he has pulled it off!

The sheer amount of determination that my husband has to give myself and our child (and future children) a better life is remarkable. I have never seen him so dedicated and focused. He was very nervous to take his state test and fail because this test has a very high percentage rate of failure the first time. He didn't want to let me down. I tried to let him know that even if he failed, I loved him and was very proud of him. We would simply take it again and again until he passed. You guys, he took the test in less than an hour and passed with flying colors. My man is a genious. ;)

So this post is dedicated to my husband. Who can finally relax and take a break from schooling (but wants to get right back into it again and start his nursing degree!) for doing whatever was necessary for you to get through these last two very difficult years. I am so very, very proud of you and even though I know Kensley can not understand all that you have sacrificed to make her life better right now, I know that when she grows up she will and she will have an excellent role model for her to look up to. So CONGRATS BABY!!! You did it!!!

(Here is Dave with his mom on graduation day. I swear K is much more excited about his graduation than she looks in this picture. She was just much more interested in chasing a 3 year-old boy down the hallway ;~) Does daddy have his work cut out for him or what?!)