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Tuesday, May 17, 2016

One Thousand, Three Hundred and Eighty Days.


One thousand, three hundred and eighty days ago, I was desperately trying to catch a plane from LA to Orlando. I had been in Los Angeles all week as a sponsor on a youth trip, but I was supposed to fly back Sunday morning because Chris' White Coat Ceremony was Monday morning.

What happened instead was something like 3 delayed flights, two canceled flights, twelve hours in an airport, and finally getting on a red-eye. I was so tired and ready to sleep, but I ended up in a middle seat between two obnoxious frat guys (Side note: The second they walked on the plane I just knew they were my seat partners. I have bad luck like that) and when I dozed off at first, I woke up to both of them trying to cuddle with my arms (umm, nope), so I didn't sleep after that. 

We made it to Orlando just in time for me to sprint to the parking lot, hop in Christopher's car, change on the way, and then sprint into the building so he could make it on time for the ceremony. 

Cute hair? Nah. Makeup? What's that? 

I'll be honest: It was a pretty boring ceremony for all those not getting their White Coats. There were so many speeches and questions and answers and it went on and on and on. But it's a day I'll never forget. Because at the end, they rolled out this giant chalkboard that said "Good Doctor" at the top. Then the dean asked everyone what they thought it took to be a good doctor. The answers ranged from compassionate to hard-working to endurance. The dean filled the chalkboard--that has stayed in the lobby of the med-school for the past 1,380 days--with at least a hundred answers. And I thought, Wow, Chris is actually all of these things. 

Up until that point, my poor, naive self had thought of med-school kind of like a Master's program. I didn't yet know all it would entail, didn't know how hard it was, didn't know the gravity of making a choice to be a doctor. That day, seeing all of those answers about what it takes to be a good doctor, and seeing Chris get his first white coat...I think that was the first day I imagined him as an actual doctor. 

I thought, wow, he's going to be a really good doctor. 

One thousand, three hundred and eighty days have passed since then. They've been full. Full of adventure and hard work and tough decisions and sleepless nights and new chapters and happy moments and tears and perseverance. And for him, they've been full of every single one of those answers that got written on that chalkboard. 

In three days, Chris will graduate and become a doctor. He'll get to see his dream become a reality. There will be no more one day, no more eventually. There will be graduation, and there will be Christopher, the love of my life, the doctor. 

The good doctor. 

To say I am excited is a massive understatement. Very rarely in life do we get such big moments that mark hard work and success, but Friday is one of those moments. 

If you need me, I'll be dancing around my apartment surrounded by moving boxes, somewhere between packing and procrastinating and celebrating the fact that sometimes, dreams really do come true. 


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25 comments:

  1. WOOHOO! Congrats to Chris on his graduation! Such an exciting time for you guys! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  2. Congratulations to Chris on his major accomplishment! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  3. I love this post! Enjoy soaking in all of the fun and excitement over the next few days as you celebrate this big accomplishment together :)

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  4. That picture is so great! I think he will be a very good doctor. And so handy to have around too for you guys! My mom always wanted one of us kids to be a doctor...she ended up 0 for 4. ha!

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  5. This was incredible. You could absolutely write a book about being the spouse of a med-school student. I'd be super interested in that!

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  6. Oh man... I'd have slapped those two frat boys and knocked their heads together. Turds!

    But yay yay yay for you and Chris!! What an incredible journey!

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  7. Such AWESOME news! Congrats to him and to you for being the support that he need through all those days and nights. I hope you have a wonderful celebration and enjoy the fruits of all that labor.

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  8. It must be so exciting to see so many years of hard work beginning to pay off in a tangible way. I don't know Chris (obviously) but I have no doubt he is going to make an amazing Doctor.

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  9. Such an exciting time for you guys! Congratulations!

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  10. Ahhh you guys are SO close, and he's worked so hard. Can't wait for the good doctor to be official <3
    Green Fashionista

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  11. Love this! I enjoy reading all about the journey to Chris becoming a doctor, such an incredible accomplishment!!!

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  12. This makes me so so so happy! You deserve all the dancing happiness in the world! Hard work pays off!!

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  13. CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS!! AND CONGRATULATIONS TO CHELSEA & JACK & GATSBY!! There is no way we can know how hard y'all have worked toward this. We will be SO PROUD to call Chris Dr. Christopher Jacobs this Friday. We know this Friday will be filled with all kinds of emotions. Enjoy the day. Enjoy all of the accomplishments. Nana & Papaw love & miss y'all so much!!

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  14. What a cool image and thing to keep them motivated and inspired! I work in a law school and wonder if we could do something like that... probably not. Lawyers don't see themselves as kindly :)

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  15. Congratulations to Chris! So excited for your family on this next step! :) And thanks for the reminder on how fast these days pass. I currently have a countdown on my phone to the end of residency (not including fellowship) that is currently at 1,506 days. It's hard to comprehend that much time, but it will pass before I know it!

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  16. Your pride and support for him are incredible and so sweet. I love it. Congratulations Good Doctor Chris!!!

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  17. You guys, celebrate away!! Congrats!!

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  18. this is just awesome! I hope you just keep celebrating - for a lifetime.

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  19. Happy celebrating! You all deserve it!

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  20. Such an accomplishment!! Congrats to both of you for enduring this season. A good partner and behind every good doctor.

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  21. What an exciting time in you and your husbands life! Congrats :)

    Blessings,
    Edye | Http://gracefulcoffee.wordpress.com

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  22. Congratulations to you both! Such a wonderful time!

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  23. Honestly, I want to be him. Getting through all those years of medical school, and being able to say, "I've finally made it." Now that really is a dream come true.

    -M
    The Life of Little Me

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