Graduation

Three years. It didn't seem daunting in the beginning. Our excitement that Mike was going to be a part of Northwestern's part-time MBA program masked the reality of the hard work and craziness that we had just willingly signed up for. I suppose it was for the best that we didn't understand how massive a change we were in store for. Late night classes and weekends spent separately, each existing in our own little worlds. Three years of never feeling like we had enough time together to reconnect, relax or just not work all the time.

Please don't get me wrong, I do not regret Kellogg. Not for a second. Mike had an amazing experience. The courses, lectures and projects challenged him in a huge way. He made some of the best friends of his life. So have I, actually. I can't blame Kellogg entirely for the frenzy that has been our past three years. The problem wasn't so much Kellogg as it was the fact that life went on in addition to the MBA chaos.

When Mike started Kellogg, we were happily living in our dream Chicago apartment, a family of four with our two little cats. I was working in advertising and had a fun photography hobby. Then Charlie got sick and passed away and life as we knew it was wrecked. Mike rebounded and started an amazing new job. My photography hobby grew into a passion and then into the business I'd always dreamed of having. We bought our first place and moved to a different neighborhood to "start fresh." Then Oz got sick and suddenly passed away. Devastated once again, we adopted our dog, Dorey. She transformed our new house into a home and we started to settle in. Just in time for yet another plot twist: I quit my advertising career and went full time with JSP. So for those of you keeping tabs, it was some very good, some very bad and a whole lot of life packed into the three short years it took Mike to complete his Kellogg MBA.

Today, we celebrate yet another life change. Mike's graduation. The end of Kellogg and the start of the next phase of our lives. And, with hope, a little taste of normalcy. Our very own special version of it, anyway.

Gold Stars this week go to:

*Celebrating: Now that classes are finished, we've been able to enjoy some seriously fun times with Mike's classmates. This week was a game at Wrigley Field and our friends Kevin and Neda's first Cubs experience. It's safe to say we had a blast.

*Purple: I picked up Mike's cap and gown on Wednesday and, oh...that's a lot of purple. When Mike tried on, he was instantly transformed into the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. Becky and I are going to have a field day taking pictures this afternoon.

*The Graduate: You did it, Mike. You managed to juggle Kellogg's massive workload, crazy amounts of stress, a demanding full time job, your relationships with friends and family and everyday life with your unpredictable (yet incredibly charming) wife. I'm wildly impressed and embarrassingly proud of you.