Graduation and Moving Day

Cap and Gown Day

Aaaand.... it's official!
 We waited so long for this day to arrive and it has come and gone in a flash!
It's crazy everything Jeff went through to get to this day.  There were a lot of long days, early mornings, late nights, grueling exams, waiting in traffic, long bus rides, more mountain dews than he should have ever consumed, worn out scrubs, parking tickets, and overall exhausting days, but he made it.  WE made it!
This was quite possibly the biggest accomplishment Jeff has ever completed.  He should be proud of himself.  I know I am.
I was pretty emotional when they asked all the dental students to stand so they could be recognized for their hard work.  My mind did a quick flash back on everything we went through (both good and bad) to get to this day, and let me tell you, it was all worth it!

 
I swear I got a picture of Jeff walking up with his diploma but I can't find it anywhere!

My friend Kami so kindly agreed to watch Trey so I could enjoy the ceremony without worrying about chasing a busy toddler around.  Kate lasted through most of it and then Tony took her out while she apparently screamed bloody murder for a good 10 minutes until some kind lady offered to take her and calm her down.  Thank you lady, I still don't know who you are. :)

(Jeff, Tom, Lance, Bryant, Tyler, Brett)

My dear friend Nicole and I.
We had quite the tearful goodbye.  We experienced a lot of firsts together and helped each other raise our first child, who also became the best of pals.  We sure do miss you guys!

I shed a lot of tears this day.  More than I wanted to.  But I'm sure glad I was able to be a part of it!

Moving Day

Our last weekend in Pittsburgh was all a bit of a blur.  We were so busy with graduation, packing up our house and getting last minute things taken care of, I felt like I hardly had time to shower!

Jeff's parents probably regret their decision to come to Jeff's graduation.  I don't think they realized what they had in store for them, and frankly, neither did we.  Jeff kept reassuring me that we would have plenty of time to pack up our house, that there was no need to feel stressed or overwhelmed (which is what I was almost every day).  Well I was foolish to believe him.  I think I mostly just wanted to believe him because I didn't want to spend every day packing!  That last month turned into a week, and that week turned in to a few days, and those days turned in to one day, and we still had LOTS to do.  I did a lot, or what felt like a lot, on my own the few weeks prior but I guess it wasn't enough.  Somehow we accumulated WAY TOO MUCH stuff since our move to Pittsburgh.  I guess that's what happens when you have two kids.  I really don't think I sat down for much longer than 5 minutes those last few days.  Between packing, cleaning, graduation, and last minute goodbyes, I felt like I hardly had enough time to blink!  It was crazy.  I'm blaming Jeff for making me think we had PLENTY of time to get everything done before our flight Tuesday afternoon.

Jeff's parents were a HUGE help in packing up our house those last few days.  I think we wore them right out.  To be honest, I don't know if we would have made it in time if they hadn't of been there to help.  We were still throwing last minute things in the truck when the guy came to pick it up.  I was really starting to worry that we might have to leave some things behind.  The good news is we made it, but with not a minute to spare!  We had a few hours after they picked up our truck to clean our house before it was time to head to the airport.  Those few hours went by FAST.  I've decided the worst part about packing is the end.  Once you have all of the furniture and boxes out of the house you are left with a whole bunch of random things that you don't know quite what to do with and a house that appeared clean before you started packing and was definitely NOT clean when it was empty.  I hardly slept those last couple of nights because I just kept thinking about all the things I needed to do.  Would have made more sense to just get up and do them.

I think if I were to do it again, I'd just hire someone to move for us.  It's dang expensive, but it would be so worth it.  We had friends who were in the military and they pack and move all your stuff for you.  I was SO jealous of them.  Anyway, I was so exhausted by the time we got in the car to go to the airport that I wasn't sure I was going to survive the long flight home.  BUT, my prayers must have been answered because my kids were ANGELS and somehow I survived without collapsing.  I think a lot of that might be due to the fact that my mother-in-law was there to help.  I owe her BIG TIME.

Here is proof that we wore Jeff's dad right out.

I wish you could see all the boxes surrounding him.  He found himself a nice little spot, amidst all the boxes, to sit down and take a little snooze.  Somehow he can sleep like that and feel rested afterwards.  I don't get it.

Jeff was a little exhausted himself.
These guys overdid themselves.

We packed this little guy right up and shipped him with the kitchen items.

Ha!  Now you know why he was an angel on the flight.  ;)

 I think we'll keep him. :)

We barely had enough time to take one last picture in front of our home.  I wish I'd have thought of this sooner so we could have presented ourselves a little better.  This was literally the last time we sat on that porch before we parted ways.  Jeff and Tony on their journey to Montana in our car, and Kathie and I to the airport, Utah bound.

Whew!  I'm sure glad we made it!

Goodbye house.  Goodbye Pittsburgh.  You were good to us.
Moving to Pittsburgh was the best thing we could have done.  We started a family here... and made so many memories in this home.  Jeff and I had to rely on each other when we had no one else and lean on each other when things got difficult.  It was a huge strength on our relationship.  I learned a lot about becoming more independent, went way out of my comfort zone, and did things I never imagined I would do.  We now have two beautiful kids, great friends, and a degree to show for it.  I'd consider it a success!

I think I'm gonna go cry in my pillow now.