Master of the House

You might not think that this guy....

...would be the type of guy to put aside silliness and buckle down to earn a masters degree.

But you would be WRONG!!

For the past 19 months Josh has been working hard on his Masters of Education Administration degree.  He has put in hours upon hours for classes and homework and while balancing family life, church callings and two jobs as well as coaching girls soccer at the high school.  Yeah, he's been crazy busy the last couple years.

It has been rough on all of us.  Dad has not been available for every single event that crept into the children's lives, but through it all this amazing man made sure that our family came first.  When we needed him, he dropped everything and came to our rescue.  That doesn't mean we had him nearly as much as we wanted -- the rest of us had to sacrifice as well and we attended many family, school and church events without our father in tow so that he could have time (and quiet) to finish writing papers or doing research.

However, this temporary bother should be a great benefit to all of us in the long run and I am grateful that our family is important enough to Josh that he would put himself through struggles and trials just so that we have a chance at a better way of life.  I really do adore this guy.

I am thankful for all of the mentors and teachers and administrators who helped Josh along the way.  He had support coming out his ears and I am intensely grateful for all of the people who cheered him on and helped him through the process.  This is not the kind of thing you do on your own.

But most of all I am thankful for a husband who adores me and our children.  He would do anything and everything to make our life better and is -- very honestly -- one of the most selfless people I know.  Some people think he is arrogant, and he can come across that way sometimes.  But he has one of the purest hearts I have ever encountered.  He has a deep love of people and a strong desire to serve and bless the lives of everyone around him.  Becoming a teacher was a perfect fit for this man.  His whole soul is soaked in a need to help his students find success and he is willing to go to great lengths to make that happen.

Anyway, the point is, I am super proud of this guy.  And soon he will have a paper that labels him a "master" but to me he is already much much more than that.  I am thankful that I get to spend my life with this guy as my partner, my lover, my best friend, the brunt of my practical jokes, my biggest support and my favorite person to be around.  I hope I can give him even a small measure of the joy in life that he gives me.

Congratulations, Joshua Kerr.  I am really really proud of you!

Josh, a little less silly.