The Graduate

I sit here at my computer on a Sunday night. I went Christmas shopping and tonight I got to wrap a few of the gifts I’m giving Phillip. I still want to buy a few more things but only have a week to do so. I can’t believe our first Christmas is fast approaching.

It seems like a lifetime since the last time I wrote about my graduation – and other times it seems like seconds. It’s weird how time feels. It drags and flashes all at once. This year, especially, has felt that way.

Tonight my darling husband graduated from UTA. It’s been quite the trip for him. Starting at Mizzou and finishing at UTA. What a journey. I can’t believe we’re both finished and ready to move into the grown-up world. In the past year, we have both graduated and gotten married. So mature. So grown up. And yet, we still feel so young with the whole world ahead of us.

This time of year always makes me feel this way. I’m caught between the nostalgia of the previous year and the hope for the future year. I love spending time with the family and yet yearn for those moments to be alone and reflect on my own thoughts. A contradiction, I know. And trust me, I realize this post is making absolutely no sense at all.

Watching Phillip graduate made me think of all that we have gone through. Our relationship has always prided itself in allowing each other to pursue our dreams with no limitations or regrets. The biggest obstacle (yet biggest contributing factor)  in our relationship has ended – college. We did it!

When others said relationships couldn’t stand the test of time – we proved them wrong. When others said distance would be the death of us – we proved them wrong. When others said being a married student would end in failure – we proved them wrong. We proved them wrong every time and we still are.

But with our biggest challenge out of the way, we are now embarking on a relaxing time in our marriage – one focused on each other and our careers. Gone are the big challenges, and left are the small day-to-day challenges that strengthen our resolve and transition us into a stronger love. It’s kind of exciting.

Time for me to head off to bed. I swear, my mind is racing these days with so many thoughts and ideas. It’s hard to sleep at night. But until next time…