I remember the day my man came home and informed me that he was switching majors. Two years in to an Accounting degree and he decided that going the CPA route just wasn't for him. He had thought long and hard, and realized that he wanted a life, more freedom, and the time to be able to hang out with his family. So he switched careers and started the long road to becoming a dentist. 

The dental school entrance exam took over our lives for one long spring in to summer and fall. This was followed by dental school applications and interviews across the country. That first year he didn't get accepted to any of the schools he applied too, forcing us to take a year to reexamine where we wanted to go, and try again. Our top choice for school was obviously OHSU since it was right in our backyard, but that second year we also applied to NYU, UNLV, and NSU.

Winter of 2012 brought news that we had been accepted to Nova Dental school down in Florida. Pregnant with our first kid, and headed to four years of dental school thousands of miles away from family. We were terrified, but trusted that if this was what needed to be, then it was going to happen. We were also super relieved to be accepted to any school that year, and weren't taking this for granted. 

As the weeks went on, and plans began forming for how to get down to Nova, where we would live etc. Daniel kept having a persistent thought that we needed to finish setting up and moving back in to our house. We took heed of these promptings and got serious about organizing, unpacking, setting up, and cleaning out our little house. With a late spring interview at OHSU we began to hope that maybe, just maybe, we would get the opportunity of staying in Oregon close to family. May brought news of our acceptance to OHSU, and a huge relief and weight off of our shoulders. I truly know the Lord had his hand in blessing us with staying here in Oregon, and I am grateful everyday that our kids have been able to grow up with their grandparents, uncles, and our friends.  

That first year of Dental school was rough. Daniel spent more time living in the office than any other room in the house. With mad amounts of studying, Ruby and I hardly saw him. However, we knew that he was on the right path, and that this truly was a perfect career choice for him.

Second year brought with it a move for our little family closer to school (a HUGE blessing as Daniel was spending so much time commuting) and another year closer to graduation. It was also a big year as he had his first set of board exams. (Which he passed with flying colors :) We had heard from a lot of people that second year was the hardest, but I think first year was the hardest, and with each year they got steadily easier. I think a lot of that was finding a rhythm, and being closer to school. He also started doing practical hands on work, instead of so much book work, and I think that was a huge relief. 

Third year came, and he started in clinic. I remember the night before his first real patient, he was up for hours reading, watching videos, and studying what he was about to do. I was so excited and proud of him, I don't think either of us slept that night. We finally saw a lot of more of him (which we did little by little after every term, and as each year progressed.) He was having a lot of fun, which was a huge relief for me. I was so terrified that he was going to spend his first day in clinic, come home, and tell me that he hated dentistry. Thankfully that was not the case, and with each procedure his confidence grew, and the peace in his decision to change so long ago increased. End of third year brought his second round of board exams, and a huge milestone as the second to last big round of tests before graduation. 

Fourth year started, and I remember looking at him the night before his first day and just laughing. We had done it. After 10 long years, we were at the end of the road, and on the verge of freedom. This last year though has been stressful and busy, I have watched my man complete projects, go on external rotations, and truly settle in to becoming a dentist. I love listening to him talk about his plans, what he wants to do and why. I also love listening to him talk "dental" because it's a reminder of how smart he is, and how hard he's worked to get here.  

This weekend is his last big round of testing. WREB - basically practicals, where he'll do a procedure and get graded on it, and if he passes, that's it, he's a dentist! And the only thing left is to graduate. I cannot believe we have made it. It seems like we have talked about being here for so long, I never actually thought we'd get here. But here we are. I'm so FREAKING proud of him. This has NOT been an easy road. Career change, a change in his major, DAT exam, interviews, acceptance, studying, classes, late nights, finals, board exams, and now WREB. (Plus two pregnancies, and a move!) He has done such an amazing job at setting an example of hard work for our children, and for me. I am excited and nervous about our future, but after watching him (and I) grow and learn and chase goals I know as a team we can do anything. 

Happy WREB day baby. We did it! Congratulations to all my other dental school mama friends. This is it!  

Cheers! And Happy, HAPPY, Sunday.