School's Out F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

Bobby is officially DONE with school! YAHOO! What a long, tiring, and incredible journey these past 5 years have been. This past weekend Bobby completed his MBA at Indiana's Kelley School of Business. What an amazing achievement! He looked so handsome wearing his Masters hood and gown. I told him he looked like an extra for the next Harry Potter film. I'll admit I got a bit teary eyed as I watched him walk across the stage. My thoughts returned to the moment when we first began this journey and all the sacrifices we made to get to this end.

Bobby's story is very different from those of his MBA peers. To give some background: most MBA students finished their undergrad several years earlier-worked for some time- and then decided to return to school to get a higher degree to make them more marketable or earn them more money. Bob was just the opposite. He attended BYU for his undergrad nearly a decade ago and didn't finish it. He left BYU with a less than stellar academic record/GPA. When we got married, he started attending night school part time at the local community college. We knew that at this pace, he wouldn't finish his undergrad for another 8 years and wouldn't be able to forgive his past academic record which would affect his chances of getting into a top MBA program.

In 2006, we decided to return to BYU so Bob could retake his former classes and continue his schooling to complete his undergrad degree. In 2009, Bobby walked across the stage and accepted his undergrad degree. Those in his graduating class were just in Kindergarten when Bobby first started school at BYU. Part one was done and then we headed to Indiana so Bob could complete part 2 of his degree: the MBA.

I've never seen Bob work as tirelessly as he did while at IU. There were nights when he didn't sleep. Weekends were spent working with a team on a project. Books were scattered across my living room floor on a nightly basis. Dinner was eaten hours after everyone was asleep. This degree was earned with blood, sweat, and tears- lots of tears. It was a sacrifice for the both of us. I feel that I've earned a tiny portion of that Masters degree. Piper gave up her daddy and I gave up my husband for 2 years, so he could achieve his educational goal.

To Bobby:
I am so proud of you. You are amazing. You are so smart and I envy your achievement. I couldn't do what you did. I couldn't even do a fraction of what you did. I think I'd rather give birth a couple more times before I even think about getting an MBA. I told you from the beginning of all of this that I was your ride or die chick- I'd stick with you till the end. We're a team, always will be! I love you!