Big Changes

I just realized that I completely forgot to mention something really, really big that's going to be happening in our lives very soon. I didn't say anything because, honestly, we weren't 100% sure until very recently. We had been talking about it since the boys were born, decided for and then against it several times, told our families about a month ago and I think we've finally decided to go through with it.

Brandon's going to law school!

He starts tomorrow night, so I guess we're past the point of no return now. He will be going to school part-time at George Mason University and still working part-time as well. We're very fortunate that his job is so flexible because they'll allow him to adjust his schedule as needed with the demands of class and family. The goal (which I'm pretty adamant about) is for him to take summer classes or eventually switch to full-time law school so that he can still finish in 3 years.

Like deciding to stay here on the East Coast for the first year of the boys' lives, this was an extremely hard decision for us and for me especially. There aren't many things in the world I want more than to move back home, but for now I've accepted that this is where God has us and where it makes the most sense to live for the time being. (Of course, I plan on subtly encouraging Brandon to transfer to UW, as unlikely as that may be ;-) ). We've discussed this a lot over the past few months and I really believe that this is what's best for our family. If that changes at all in either of our minds, then we'll re-evaluate law school. That makes the decision much easier to cope with, knowing that Brandon wants to do what's best for our entire family and not just himself. We both need each other to be fully on-board with the decision the whole time. It just wouldn't work if we didn't both support it.

There's no denying that the next few years will be pretty hard. I can't imagine there are a lot of law students out there with jobs and a family of four to support. Brandon has a lot on his plate as he'll be juggling 3 huge roles at the same time. I don't envy him at all, but I'll do my best to support him and encourage him. If it ever gets too hard for either of us, then he'll simply quit, regardless of debt. We'll try to avoid that obviously, but it's not worth destroying our family for. As difficult as it may be, I can support this decision because I know we're on the same page and that we love each other and will support each other through this. Please pray for us, though, it certainly won't be easy!