our pursuit of HAPPYNESS...

It's funny how we think we have life all figured out...

and then things change.

And all the sudden all our plans are gone,

and we realize the only plan we have is that everything will work out because Heavenly Father is in charge of our plan.

His plan is our plan and we're okay with that.

Our plans to go to medical school and live here in our pretty little house for four years?

Nope.

Dan resigned from medical school on Friday...

and we're moving.

on our way out from VCOM... for the last time!

He realized it wasn't for him or for us as a family. He realized that it wasn't best for our eternal family and that money and position really don't matter. The sacrifice of being $200,000 in debt and being "indentured servants" for the rest of our lives is not worth it. And for what? For Dan to work long hours in a job where he is controlled by the government and not enjoying what he does? It all culminated last Wednesday with Obama's victory. Dan told me he had not really been enjoying school at all and just hadn't said anything to me about it.

stopped by the park afterwards... what!? time?! what do we do with it?!

eyes closed in pictures... so in right now. 

It was stressfulcrazyscary few days but we are feeling better, really good even. We know, without the slightest doubt, that we doing what is best for our family. We are thankful for this lesson we are learning, even if it took our life savings to learn it. It was worth it. Because now we'll never look back. Dan has (re)realized Optometry really is what he wants to do with his life day in and day out. It just suits him. Remember that talk in conference two times ago? I forget who it was by but he shared a story about a father and son driving home late one night. They came to a crossroads and didn't know which way to. They both felt like they needed to go right. So they went right. Before long, they came to a dead end and realized right was wrong. The son asked his father why they both had a feeling that they should go right when it was the wrong way? His father told him that now they can confidently go the other way and know it is right. Heavenly Father doesn't always answer their prayers in the way we think. This is us. We were supposed to move to Boiling Springs for a few months and do medical school for a few months and if we could take it back and go straight to Optometry school we wouldn't. We know we have learned lessons through all this that we have needed to learn. We can move forward confidently (humbly confident) in this direction and we know it is right for us.

so excited, jude's legs started kicking and he "ooo oooo!!"'ed when he noticed them :)

QUACK QUACK

We are excited for what the future brings. We have been humbled and are thankful for it!

"White Coat Cafe"

The night of Dan's ceremony, we celebrated at the White Coat Cafe! We had reservations, had the whole place to ourselves, and it was invitation only... pretty exclusive. Dr. Dan was the guest of honor. I couldn't get it all ready in time so we had the dinner over a few days. We like to draw out celebrations as long as possible. :)

"Dr Dan"

THE WHITE COAT

We celebrated Dan's beginning of career in medicine at the

WHITE COAT CEREMONY!

He has worked so hard already. It was only fitting to celebrate his achievements and the "beginning of his career as an osteopathic physician." The ceremony was held at Converse College, an all women's college in the beautiful Twitchell Hall, which was constructed in 1899. Jude and I dropped Dan off and hiked up our two flights of stairs to get to the balcony, where we had a great view and lots of wiggle room. Jude spent the majority of the ceremony climbing up stairs for the first time (concrete ones), crawl running away from me (anywhere and everywhere), yelling and trying to talk to the people across the auditorium, popping his lips together and kicking his legs as he sat on the little ledge and i held on tight, and squirming around as I tried to have him sit on my lap. It was no easy business watchin' that boy.

The medical students processed in with their white coats properly draped on the arms. My eyes welled up with tears when Dan walked out. I was just so proud and happy and thankful for that boy. He took his seat and there were a few speakers. Then the cloaking of the white coats began. I was as prepared as possible for Dan to take his turn. I recruited Stranger #1 to hold Jude and Stranger #2 to videotape. I was in charge of the camera. I flipped it on just as Dan was getting called and #$%&*(*^#WHAT??!?!?!!??!!?#$^(*%^(*#% WHAT>!?!?!?#%*($%*$ j"Aperature priority not blahde blah djfu4587484" is what my camera said and it was frozen and would not let me take a single picture of my hubby being CLOAKED. And since I was so frazzled trying to fix the camera I didn't soak the cloaking as much as I'd like. Thankfully, the school took a picture for me that I need to get. And I have it on video so I can watch it as many times as I'd like. Whenever the black students were called there were the loudest cheers and hoots and hollers. I knew I wanted MY MAN to have the pride hollars so I screamed for him when he got called. But I was so frazzled with the camera I didn't hoot as much as I would have liked to. The Osteopathic Association of South Carolina gave each of the students their own engraved stethoscope, too! (But it's not as nice or as cool as the one Mom gave him :))After the cloakings, they took their seats again and recited the Osteopathic Oath. When it was done we met Dan down on the grass, mingled, and took some pictures. Jude crawled around in the grass and got "awwed" at. :)

We then headed over to VCOM for some hors d'oeuvres, desserts, and drinks. They do everything first class at that school! It was really nice. It was fun to be able to meet some of Dan's friends and teachers. It was a really special day. Jude stole all the students thunder and was the belle of the ball. So many people commented about "the baby in the bow tie" and random people were snapping pictures of (and with) him! It was so much fun. But it was a lot of work keeping him contained at a fancy function in heels... even with two of us!

I am so proud of my husband and how hard he works. It's remarkable to watch him grow and learn. He amazes me with his dedication and I think he amazes himself, too! He continues to have a positive attitude even when it is hard (understatement).

I asked Dan to tell me about the day from his point of view. I asked him after over twelve hours of studying and he was verrry tired... He humored me. :)

"I felt excited and nervous and excited. I was excited because it was one small step for Danny and one large step for my future patients. I was kind of tired." 

(I interjected... "Come on baby, work with me here...")

"I was excited when I got there and saw my friends and everyone else was excited. I was excited when I walked in and saw my beautiful wife and little boy on the upper balcony waving at me and I felt proud and I kept looking back and them and smiling. I felt like, for the first time, I was realizing that my dreams were coming true. It almost felt like graduation, but I realized I was just starting. I was nervous when I got up there. I didn't want to do something stupid and not be able to get my arm in the sleeve or something so I kept looking up at you and I saw some stranger holding Jude. I kept hearing Jude throughout the thing, coughing and stuff. I would say "That's my boy!" and my friends would ask "Is that your son?!" When I was shaking hands with the big wig guy he leaned in and said "Somebody sure loves you" and I said "That's my wife" and he said "Oh, congratulations, that's wonderful, she should be proud." I felt proud. The person who cloaked me was the dean, Dixie Tooke-Rawlins."

Let the pictures begin...

Add caption

Thank you, Allison, for getting these pictures!

The moment.

Luckily we found carpeted steps because he was first learning on cement steps... not good. He was rockin them.

Reading the Osteopathic Oath

Dan, Matt, and Scott

Matt's dad was the sweetest. Jude might not have thought so...

Family picture attempt #1

Allison, Scott, and Scott's grandpa Pops

He was sick of pictures and ready for the hors d'oeuvres

Roxy and Dan

VCOM! Gotta love that.

Dan's artistic stylings...

It truly was a memorable and special day. 

SO PROUD OF YOU 

STUDENT DOCTOR MULDER!!!