Accomplishment, Growth and Appreciation...

So I have done it... Last night I turned in and pitched my final graduate school project.  This time next month I will be handed my shiny new piece of paper that says I have a Masters Degree from Georgetown, unfortunately it will be written in latin so you just have to trust me that is says what I claim.

The past 20 months of life have had their ups and downs-- lots of stress and lots of accomplishment all at the same time.  While school was a constant my world kept changing.  My professional life changed from being a self-employed consultant to having a full-time regular gig.  My family bought a home and moved further into the suburbs.  And, most importantly, we welcomed a new son into our lives this past February.  At the same time my other boys kept growing into the amazing men they will be one day.

I feel like I have truly grown as a person over the past 20 months.  I feel I am a better father, a better professional, someone with a better understanding of the bigger picture in life and, most importantly, a better husband.  While I did not get all of that from Georgetown, the combined experiences of the past 20 months helped me grow as a person and for that I am thankful.

While determination and hard work made much of this possible, they were not the foundation of my accomplishment.  The foundation of any personal, professional or academic success I have had over the past five years has been my lovely bride.  Without her love and support I would not be where I am today.  She truly is the love of my life, my soul mate, my best friend and my rock.  I am blessed to have her in my life and look forward to celebrating our fifth anniversary this Friday.

And thank you to all of you who read the blog and interact with me on Facebook and Twitter.  You guys have helped me a lot through tough class nights, family medical scares and other moments of stress.  You've shared with me the joy of my third sons birth and many other personal moments of the past 20 months.

Blogging will pick back up here now that school is coming to a close.  Stay tuned for some new projects I will be pursuing beyond this blog and my bi-weekly pieces over at The Disney Driven Life.

Randomness...

First, the ADR window is quickly approaching for the Epic October 2011 trip.  I am really fired up about that!  If anyone would like to join in on some of the ADR's my friends and I are planning shoot an e-mail or DM.

With Epic October I have started a new page on the site showing folks who will be attending, their twitter names and what (if any) race they will be running.  I think this will be a good opportunity for people to get an idea of how big this trip is and hopefully allow you to reach out and plan stuff with folks.  As events get announced by various groups I will add them to the page.

Finally, my good friend and co-contributor on DVC over at Disney Driven Life has a posting up about Wilderness Lodge, her home resort.  My family and I are big fans of that resort.  I recommend you head on over and check it out.