There's a professional in this house!

I know I mentioned Cody's professional achievement in a previous post but he just got his certificate in the mail!!! It arrived on Saturday morning when he was out of town and it took everything in me not to rip it open.  Since I am the good wife that I am, I waited until he got home to open it himself.

Cody's busy schedule presented some challenges in our marriage over the last year.  The first 9 months was the demanding project he was working on. This project required him to work on site.  The project job site was in Hillsboro which is quite a commute from Oregon City.  Therefore, not only was he working long days (really long days!) Monday - Saturday but he also had a nearly 3 hour round trip daily commute.  An absent husband left me responsible for taking care of everything around the house which included: cleaning, laundry, cooking dinner (which I ate alone and saved left overs for him), grocery shopping, taking care of Roxy and Maxi, and the list goes on. Basically all the responsibilities around the house laid on my shoulders while I kept a busy schedule at work as well. During this time, I often felt alone. Sometimes telling Cody I felt "distant" from him (That is the "D" word in our house). This distance I felt came from him being gone so much (off to work before I got up and home from work after I had already went to bed). The moments he was home, he was so mentally and physically exhausted that I didn't even feel like he was really "there". It was hard on both of us but we were supportive of each other during this time.

As this project started to wind down, we made sure to slip in a relaxing vacation for just the two of us! It was perfect and just what we needed.  When we got home from vacation, he was still making the commute but working more "normal" hours.

The holidays passed and he was back to his desk job in the main office. This is when the studying began.  He had 3 months to prepare for his professional exam.  Which meant once again an absent husband.  This time was a little different because he was home but just not "available". He was up at 5 am studying, took his books to work with, and was home by 5:30pm to hit the books again.  I cooked and cleaned while he studied and he only took a break to eat dinner. He studied until bedtime. Thats how life was for us for us until test day.

He took the test the weekend that I was in Houston.  I knew how much time and effort he put into preparing for the biggest test of his career so I wasn't even nervous for him.  I knew he would do great and he did.  He walked into the test room, kicked butt and took names.  I couldn't be more proud of him!!!!!!

Way to go Cody Olson P.E.!!!!!! You are truly an amazing man, someone Hanley can look up to.

So here it is folks, his official certificate...