Milestone Marker

[willandi]

Last November, my eldest Grandaughter got married. This past February she turned 21.

We were lucky to be in Alabama for her combination birthday party and reception.
Picture from w few years earlier.

[DZ]

Not quite the milestone probably intended by Dixie, but about two weeks ago we celebrated the life of my brother. A surprising amount of people came, some who hadn't been to our hometown in a decade, but it showed how much of an impact one person can have on so many others. There were some great stories shared and reminded us that a 'family' can be bigger than we think.

This is not just the goofy Foo, it is also good family.

I think your milestone is wonderful to share, even though part of it must be painful. We're with you.

[LongIslandZagFan]

This is not just the goofy Foo, it is also good family.

I think your milestone is wonderful to share, even though part of it must be painful. We're with you.

Amen, Dixie. The Foo is family.

[Martin Centre Mad Man]

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

[TheZagPhish]

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

Wow! Congratulations to you all -- especially your girl. Well done!

[DZ]

I am really proud of my wife for starting a new career chapter. As an undergrad, she had started pre-med, but never applied to med-school. After graduation, she went back to school for a teaching certificate and taught middle-school science for several years. She married an Army guy at age 30 and quickly decided that her teaching career wasn’t portable enough for the frequent moves that an Army family needs to make. She went back to school for a nursing degree from a base education center while I was in Iraq. She has enjoyed tremendous success in that career and has been managing departments with as many as 80 nurses for the past decade.

Over the past couple of years, she started to feel a strong pull to go back and do what she had always wanted to do - to be what she had always wanted to be when she grew up - a medical provider. To do that, she enrolled in a highly competitive family nurse practitioner program on Monday.

My wife is one of the most passionate and competitive people I have ever known. She excelled as a teacher and excelled as a nurse, but I have never seen her this excited about anything she has ever done. She is going to be amazing as a provider.

This program will be challenging for our whole family. Some of the individual courses project to take twenty hours of work per week. We both work in management at our local rural hospital and our careers can be quite demanding. She is going to continue to manage her departments while going to school for the next couple of years. Our kids understand that they will need to do more to help mom around the house and they’re already stepping up to assist by doing extra household chores - often without being prompted. I’m almost as proud of my boys as I am of their mom.

You should be damn proud.

Good luck.

[RenoZag]

Received this text from my daughter this morning:

“ I woke up at 7:00 on my day off to get my oil changed because when you live with a 61 year old man for long enough you become one. “

Minor benchmark. . .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheZagPhish]

Received this text from my daughter this morning:

“ I woke up at 7:00 on my day off to get my oil changed because when you live with a 61 year old man for long enough you become one. “

Minor benchmark. . .

Well done.

>clink<

[Jazzgirl_127]

We took our middle boy to kindergarten orientation today. He has one friend from preschool in his class and about 6 others in the school. We also got to meet our older son's 3rd grade teacher when we passed his new classroom. I'm hoping it's a much better school year for him.

[LongIslandZagFan]

We got my son a new car over the summer... he drove himself up to Binghamton yesterday... alone. Managed to run into a serious rainstorm in the process.

I felt like i was on the trip with him as he called me about a dozen times... missed turnoff to go north to take NY Rt 17 and instead ended up in traffic hell on the Cross Bronx... should he take the upper or lower level on the GWB... can he set his cruise control faster because he was going 68 in a 65 and EVERYONE was flying by him (told him no more than 72)... should he stop to go to the bathroom only to be told he could probably make it without going... 10 minutes later, telling me he was going to stop... letting me know when he got to Pennsylvania... that he was 15 miles south of Scranton and that it was raining buckets and asking me when it might end... that the rain let up... and when he gets there... he calls his MOM!!! I was point of contact the whole trip and he calls his mom when he gets there. Honestly didn't mind. Rather have that than no calls at all.

[DZ]

We got my son a new car over the summer... he drove himself up to Binghamton yesterday... alone. Managed to run into a serious rainstorm in the process.

I felt like i was on the trip with him as he called me about a dozen times... missed turnoff to go north to take NY Rt 17 and instead ended up in traffic hell on the Cross Bronx... should he take the upper or lower level on the GWB... can he set his cruise control faster because he was going 68 in a 65 and EVERYONE was flying by him (told him no more than 72)... should he stop to go to the bathroom only to be told he could probably make it without going... 10 minutes later, telling me he was going to stop... letting me know when he got to Pennsylvania... that he was 15 miles south of Scranton and that it was raining buckets and asking me when it might end... that the rain let up... and when he gets there... he calls his MOM!!! I was point of contact the whole trip and he calls his mom when he gets there. Honestly didn't mind. Rather have that than no calls at all.

Great story, well told, and definitely a milemarker in his life, and yours.

Take heart in the phone call to Mom. I think it shows that the kid hit the sweet spot in showing equal affection for both parents. Beep underlying trust that Dad's there, knows that mom probably worries the absolute most. Not so bad, you know?

[LongIslandZagFan]

Great story, well told, and definitely a milemarker in his life, and yours.

Take heart in the phone call to Mom. I think it shows that the kid hit the sweet spot in showing equal affection for both parents. Beep underlying trust that Dad's there, knows that mom probably worries the absolute most. Not so bad, you know?

OH I know... just kidding on that... he knew enough to call me all the way up... that is all I need.

[DZ]

OH I know... just kidding on that... he knew enough to call me all the way up... that is all I need.

Gotcha. I kind of didn't read in the obvious in that. Makes sense to kid.

Great story.

[Jazzgirl_127]

First day of Kindergarten for Stanley. First day of 3rd grade for Grant.

[DZ]

First day of Kindergarten for Stanley. First day of 3rd grade for Grant.

For our ONE baby, I committed myself to "not getting emotional, not shedding tears" and then promptly got there and had tears running down my cheeks.

Thank god I wasn't the only man there in such a state.

It doesn't actually HIT until you say good-bye, right? Especially if you have no practice at it, if one's only got "one" child.


BTW - might've said this before, one of the best things about the south is you get to call your child "my baby" until basically the child says "stop." It drives some northerners up the wall. I find it kind of endearing/cool.

I think I said, it's not at all unusual to go to a high school football game and hear parents and grandparents talking about "my baby plays linebacker and mows down big fast guys for lunch" - - - dunno, half laugh, and then think aww. That's what I do, at least.