As I type this, my husband sits in his man cave, complete with huge white board, two monitors, and a folding table as a desk, studying away for his last final on Thursday. This past Saturday, he was at work completing his typical 24 hour shift, studying between calls. On Sunday, he came home and studied, but he managed to make it outside with his notes for a little while. Monday was work, busy as usual with barely time to study as diligently as he would want. Today was a final. He got home around 8:45, studied, went to take the test, completed a few other last minute things on campus before graduation on Saturday, came home and shut himself into his man cave. Tomorrow, he works until 8 AM Thursday. After his shift, he has to book it to school to complete his last final before taking off to Knoxville to complete his super drill weekend. I'll see him Sunday evening.
This has been Randy's life for the past few years. He uses all of his vacation and holiday time to cover his shifts so that he can go to class. He has also worked out many hours of trade time with some very generous and flexible co-workers. Randy has sacrificed time with us so that he could be as successful in his classes as he has been. But during all this time, he hasn't only been messing up the curve for the rest of his classmates, but he has also managed to save lives during his day job and earn coins and medals from his military superiors. As a bonus, he and a fellow WoWer (excuse my ignorance with specific terminology when referring to this hardcore gaming world) managed to defeat a well-known WoWer while he was streaming the battle live to all his loyal followers. Way to go, honey!
Meanwhile, nagging wife here hasn't made life for Randy any easier. I'll admit these times have been tough, and I've even referred to myself as a type of single mother at times. Our daughter's schedule has gotten more complicated and demanding, and many times I neglect other responsibilities just to make sure we survive the day in the most sane and stress-free way. Still yet, Randy manages to do what he can to help, which usually happens when I need the extra support the most (i.e. before a major emotional breakdown). OK, so there have been a few breakdowns. Just a few, though. #sorrynotsorry
Most people know that this past year has been particularly hard for us because of Izzy's cochlear implant candidacy. Last July was our first visit to Vanderbilt, and we have made several trips since then. We've dealt with insurance issues, travel and expenses, enlightening family medical history, diagnostic tests, hours in sound booths and waiting rooms, and a pretty terrifying surgery. Randy has made every trip without a complaint, notes in hand, of course. He has had many discussions about his own coursework with the doctors that come into our exam rooms. Randy even impressed our ENT with questions that were "better than the residents' questions" and with his drawing of the parts of the ear. During our visits, I've been impatient, wordy, confused and straight up lost at times. Randy, on the other hand, has been the calm, level-headed, thoughtful parent, asking just the right questions, clarifying just the right information. My own need to know (ahem, control) everything led us to a conference that was more for speech and hearing professionals than parents, yet Randy was in tow, with homework in hand. He has supported Izzy and me throughout this journey in a way that absolutely no one else could have.
I guess what I'm getting to here is that my husband has worn many hats during these last couple of years. His day job consists of being a firefighter and paramedic, answering medical calls where anything could be wrong with the patients from heart attacks to gunshots. He has helped save lives, he has witnessed lost lives, which is something I cannot begin to fathom. Randy's once a month job is for the Air National Guard where he works in a medical clinic. Just this past year brought him an earned coin for doing a darn good job during a week long deployment training in Memphis and an earned medal, his first from the Air Force. Currently, he is waiting for promotion as well. Then, there is school. His schedule has consisted of classes like Physics, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Bacterial Physiology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Epidemiology, and Psychology. Throw in some electives like tattoo classes and film classes here and there and you have yourself a year --just a year-- of some serious schooling. He has been honored with several awards, scholarships, and medals for his academic performance despite his overwhelming schedule. Hours and hours of coursework, labs, homework, and studying take up most of Randy's time away from us, but he also has that full-time job and a military obligation once a month. So, yeah. Then there is Izzy and me. Randy has been a firefighter and paramedic, med tech for the military, full-time student, and father. Those are the hats Randy has worn for the past two years. How, exactly, has he managed?
I hope one day when Izzy is older, maybe a "woe is me" teenager experiencing true stress and possible disappointment, she can look back at this moment in her father's life and marvel at the sacrifices he made for himself and for his family. I hope she realizes that when someone has a dream, nothing, absolutely nothing, should stand in the way of accomplishing that dream. If Randy can wear all of these heavy hats and continue to reach for his ultimate goal, Izzy can somehow find that same motivation and dedication within herself to do the same. I hope that Izzy knows that just because momma's newsfeed or extensive collection of images doesn't have many mentions or photos of Randy that it wasn't because he didn't want to be there, but because he was chasing after a better life for all of us, especially for her. I might be the parent that is physically present most of the time, but Randy is the parent demonstrating qualities that will be ingrained in Izzy's fiber. She will be successful because she watched her daddy become successful in his pursuit of his passions. As a mom, what more could I want from my husband? Not much. Not much at all.
I'm proud to write this post, rambling as it might be. I'm proud to let the world know that my husband works hard, studies hard, and refuses to be satisfied or complacent. I'm proud that my husband dreams of where he sees us, but also that my husband takes action in making those dreams a reality. For all of this, Randy, I love the man you are.
So, hats off to you, Dandy Randy. You're one step closer.
I asked Randy if I could take his graduation pictures. This is as good as it gets. ;)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This has been Randy's life for the past few years. He uses all of his vacation and holiday time to cover his shifts so that he can go to class. He has also worked out many hours of trade time with some very generous and flexible co-workers. Randy has sacrificed time with us so that he could be as successful in his classes as he has been. But during all this time, he hasn't only been messing up the curve for the rest of his classmates, but he has also managed to save lives during his day job and earn coins and medals from his military superiors. As a bonus, he and a fellow WoWer (excuse my ignorance with specific terminology when referring to this hardcore gaming world) managed to defeat a well-known WoWer while he was streaming the battle live to all his loyal followers. Way to go, honey!
Meanwhile, nagging wife here hasn't made life for Randy any easier. I'll admit these times have been tough, and I've even referred to myself as a type of single mother at times. Our daughter's schedule has gotten more complicated and demanding, and many times I neglect other responsibilities just to make sure we survive the day in the most sane and stress-free way. Still yet, Randy manages to do what he can to help, which usually happens when I need the extra support the most (i.e. before a major emotional breakdown). OK, so there have been a few breakdowns. Just a few, though. #sorrynotsorry
Most people know that this past year has been particularly hard for us because of Izzy's cochlear implant candidacy. Last July was our first visit to Vanderbilt, and we have made several trips since then. We've dealt with insurance issues, travel and expenses, enlightening family medical history, diagnostic tests, hours in sound booths and waiting rooms, and a pretty terrifying surgery. Randy has made every trip without a complaint, notes in hand, of course. He has had many discussions about his own coursework with the doctors that come into our exam rooms. Randy even impressed our ENT with questions that were "better than the residents' questions" and with his drawing of the parts of the ear. During our visits, I've been impatient, wordy, confused and straight up lost at times. Randy, on the other hand, has been the calm, level-headed, thoughtful parent, asking just the right questions, clarifying just the right information. My own need to know (ahem, control) everything led us to a conference that was more for speech and hearing professionals than parents, yet Randy was in tow, with homework in hand. He has supported Izzy and me throughout this journey in a way that absolutely no one else could have.
I guess what I'm getting to here is that my husband has worn many hats during these last couple of years. His day job consists of being a firefighter and paramedic, answering medical calls where anything could be wrong with the patients from heart attacks to gunshots. He has helped save lives, he has witnessed lost lives, which is something I cannot begin to fathom. Randy's once a month job is for the Air National Guard where he works in a medical clinic. Just this past year brought him an earned coin for doing a darn good job during a week long deployment training in Memphis and an earned medal, his first from the Air Force. Currently, he is waiting for promotion as well. Then, there is school. His schedule has consisted of classes like Physics, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Bacterial Physiology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Epidemiology, and Psychology. Throw in some electives like tattoo classes and film classes here and there and you have yourself a year --just a year-- of some serious schooling. He has been honored with several awards, scholarships, and medals for his academic performance despite his overwhelming schedule. Hours and hours of coursework, labs, homework, and studying take up most of Randy's time away from us, but he also has that full-time job and a military obligation once a month. So, yeah. Then there is Izzy and me. Randy has been a firefighter and paramedic, med tech for the military, full-time student, and father. Those are the hats Randy has worn for the past two years. How, exactly, has he managed?
I hope one day when Izzy is older, maybe a "woe is me" teenager experiencing true stress and possible disappointment, she can look back at this moment in her father's life and marvel at the sacrifices he made for himself and for his family. I hope she realizes that when someone has a dream, nothing, absolutely nothing, should stand in the way of accomplishing that dream. If Randy can wear all of these heavy hats and continue to reach for his ultimate goal, Izzy can somehow find that same motivation and dedication within herself to do the same. I hope that Izzy knows that just because momma's newsfeed or extensive collection of images doesn't have many mentions or photos of Randy that it wasn't because he didn't want to be there, but because he was chasing after a better life for all of us, especially for her. I might be the parent that is physically present most of the time, but Randy is the parent demonstrating qualities that will be ingrained in Izzy's fiber. She will be successful because she watched her daddy become successful in his pursuit of his passions. As a mom, what more could I want from my husband? Not much. Not much at all.
I'm proud to write this post, rambling as it might be. I'm proud to let the world know that my husband works hard, studies hard, and refuses to be satisfied or complacent. I'm proud that my husband dreams of where he sees us, but also that my husband takes action in making those dreams a reality. For all of this, Randy, I love the man you are.
So, hats off to you, Dandy Randy. You're one step closer.
I asked Randy if I could take his graduation pictures. This is as good as it gets. ;)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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