Brad the Grad

I have been MIA from blogging lately. My husband decided to "steal" the laptop last week, but I didn't mind because it was for a great cause. You see, Brad had his last day of his last term on Friday. And Sunday he turned in his last paper. We/he are officially done with school! Aaahhhh!!! So excited!! It has been quite the journey getting Brad's education. Here's how it has all gone down:

- Brad went to BYU his freshman year of college before he went on his mission. We'll just say the two didn't mix that great...

- Came home from his mission, another year at BYU. The relationship didn't change that much- Brad just couldn't 'click' with going to school and what he was majoring in (first mechanical engineering, then math)

- Decides to quit school and work for his dad (and meet me and get married!)

- I really thought I'd have to pull his teeth out to get him to go back to school (i am majorly pro-education). He surprised me a few months after we were married and told me he was going to reapply to BYU and BYU-Idaho to get his degree. Yay!! (and truth be told, i was rooting for BYU-I since that is where i went for my freshman year)

- BYU accepted Brad and off to Provo we went!

- The year went better than before, but at the end of our summer jobs in Colorado, Brad's arm was seriously injured on a job

- Go back to Provo and he attempts to go back to school with the injury. Turns out the nerve damage and pain are too much and the injury forces him to quit school once again

- Luckily I get a job as a manager at Victoria's Secret so we think we are golden again. Lo and behold, I suddenly become very ill (lost 15 lbs in 2 weeks... no bueno for me)

- With neither of us able to support our little duo, we decide to move in with my parents till we can get back on our feet (and they are just that awesome to take us in and nurse us back to health- so very grateful for them)

- At this point we have no idea what will happen with getting his degree. A few months after moving back home, Brad is blessed with a job at the Oakland Temple

- He decides to retake some classes via online to improve his GPA and try to get into BYU-Idaho. Brad also decides on a certain career path and wants to major in Statistics. BYU-Idaho doesn't offer that major but one of the classes he retook was Econ and he found he really loved it. Thus, his new found love and major are discovered- Economics. 

- We hear back from BYU-Idaho: he got in! Next month we move to Rexburg

- Totally different experience in Rexburg: Brad loves school and does amazing in all his classes

- While there, Brad also decides that he wants to get his phD. Big news for me... kinda scares me...

- He applies to a few grad schools and graduates with his undergrad in Economics (i just want to add here how much we loved our experience in Rexburg. we loved being there and all the friends we made and we miss everyone!)

- We move back to California and anxiously await news from all the schools

- After hearing back from all of them we decide University of Oregon is the place for us- to Eugene we went!

- Brad started his first year of the Economics phD program- and it was overwhelming for both of us

- Fast forward to March and we learn about our surprise third baby. We deal with the surprise and talk a lot about our future. We decide it is in our family's best interest if Brad gets his Master's degree instead

And here we are! Though the years have been rough with getting Brad's education and all the other trials we have had through the years, we have also been so very blessed. Honestly, I never thought Brad would have gone this far and I am so proud of him. We are both so ready for school to be over and to enter the real real world. No more homework, no more weird hours, no more Brad staying up finishing projects, no more school. Huge HOOOOORAAAAAY!