DONE . . . with the first and the worst!

BEFORE: In front of the law school at the beginning of the year with 6-week-old Eliot. Boy did we not know what we were in for!


AFTER: In front of the law school at the end of the year. We're all a little older, Eliot's much bigger, Grant's much wiser, Monica's much more tired, and we're all much more grateful!!

I love the feeling of accomplishment. I'm one of those nerds that actually misses school, even and especially the feeling of successfully finishing a big test after long, hard hours of study. I take great satisfaction at the end of laundry day when all of the loads have been washed, folded, and put away. One of the things I love most about running is how I feel when I'm done when my lungs are burning and those endorphines are pumping. I have enjoyed a few priceless moments of true accomplishment in my life, as well. The most rewarding moments of my life include graduating with my Bachelor's degree from BYU (after 6 long years of indecision!), returning from my full-time mission to Spain to be greeted by friends and family (and even my then future husband!), and undoubtedly being sealed to Grant in the temple, after living clean and worthy of that eternal blessing. And what could top the feeling of accomplishment of giving birth to a new life after nine eager months of waiting, nurturing and housing that precious little soul?

Now we have a new accomplishment to add to our list. We survived Grant's first year of law school. And I say "we" because it was 100 percent a team effort. Grant, Eliot, and I, along with a host of supporters -- the friends and family who encouraged and cheered from the sidelines -- all had to pull together like never before to make this last year happen.

In truth, the greatest success is Grant's, since he is the one who is busting his tail for this degree. It's his endless hours of study, his agonizing over papers, his making sense of senseless legal terminology, his pushing through the stress and anxiety of the horrendous final exams that will ultimately earn him his Juris Doctorate. But as his wife, I can't help but share in his accomplishment. Because I'm the one who saw him at the end of the day, weary, anxious, tired, and yet you'd hardly know it by the smile he gave when he walked through the door and the ever-upbeat attitude he was able to maintain. I was the one who knew the sacrifice of his decision not to study on Sundays, knowing full well that his classmates had the "advantage" of an entire day's extra study time. I was the one who stayed up late at night in bed talking with him and wondering if we were really going to make it. I'm the one who files away the statements for the daunting, accruing loan balances that will amount to the equivalent of a mortgage by the time we're done and wonder when (or if!) we'll ever actually get to have a real mortgage payment for a home of our own. I'm the one who got to see before anyone else the wave of relief that came over Grant each time finals were over, and the one who gets to see him now come home thrilled and excited about the field he gets to work in. As Grant's wife, I get to have a front-row seat in watching him fulfill his life-long dream of becoming an attorney.

I am so proud of you, Grant. The first and the worst is over, or as my mom would say, you've swallowed your first big bite of the elephant! We did it, hon. Together.