Proud

Yesterday was a really special day.  Philip officially graduated from his one year residency in the AEGD program (Advanced Education in General Dentistry) here at Scott Air Force Base!  The magnitude of the day didn't really strike me as it approached, but now as I reflect on it, I realize how amazing it really is.  You see, with the exception of a period of about 21 months back when he was a lawyer, Philip has basically been a student of some sort for his entire life.  Last summer, we marked a great milestone when he graduated from four years of dental school.  And now, with the completion of this residency, he's truly done with school.  Kind of hard to believe.  (Of course, all bets are off as to whether he will eventually decide to pursue a specialty...)

I know there are some who are just cut out for the life of a student--and Philip probably is one of them, in some ways at least.  But really--most of us can't imagine finding ourselves in our mid-30's (sorry babe, I know you're not technically quite there yet :) having been in school for nearly our whole lives.  I am in awe when I think of all my husband has accomplished.

It was really inspiring to see how the military honors a graduation of this sort.  There were all sorts of patriotic  and official things happening.  Sharp looking uniforms,  a lovely rendition of the Star Spangled Banner (thanks Stuart!), words of encouragement and praise for the graduates.  I was really touched by how the families were honored too.  Here's the part that touched me the most, though:  When Philip walked up to receive his certificate of graduation, do you know what he did?  My introverted, never prone to speaking in public, and especially not on a whim, husband--he asked if he could say a few words, and then he went on to sing my praises.  He spoke of the sacrifices he's asked me to make and how our life looks so different from how I probably thought it would when I married a lawyer over eight years ago.  I will not soon forget this.  It really meant so much to me.

Congratulations Dr. Worthington; we love you and are so proud of you!

And here are a couple little video snippets I managed to take.  My phone was low on storage, so unfortunately I had to cut these pretty short.