Education

Education is eternal, it is something that I value above many other things in life. Education and academic achievement have always been something that I have defined myself by and that I have respected others for. I will never apologize for my views on this topic, although they may offend some. I have always felt that one can be stripped of a title, fired from a job, spend all their money, and even, heaven forbid, lose family and loved ones, but one's education and knowledge is something that can never be taken away.  It is something that will not only always keep you in a position for success but benefit those around you. In fact, it is my belief, that this is one of the few things that we obtain in this life that we will be able to keep with us in the next life. Hard work and dedication are always the answer and nothing in life that is of great value comes without these two things.

Well, I have put in a lot of hard work and have been more than dedicated over the past two years to medicine. I have tirelessly done my best to balance family life and school life. I have cried countless tears and lost ridiculous amounts of sleep, as I have tried to do "it all". And I can safely say that I have officially done it. I have finished six years of collegiate education and have been bestowed a Master's Degree in Physician Assistant Studies.

The past two years have been some of the hardest of my life. Motherhood has changed everything about me. I went from type A student to an obsessed with my beautiful family mother. I have had to deal with so much guilt for finishing school and having to leave my sweet Ellie Bean at home. In fact, to deal with this guilt, Ellie has gone with me to many a lectures and has been exposed to more medical education than most adults. Her entire life has been PA school, a mommy running around like a crazy woman is all she knows. I am so proud that I can tell her that I finished. I can not say how many times I just wanted to quit and give up because being a mom and a student was just too hard. But for her sake, I am so happy that I can tell her to never give up on her dreams and that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. 

And lets be honest here, Mr. Johnson has made all of this possible. My sweet, sweet husband is the father that all wives dream of. He spent my first year of school at home being Mr. Mom with Ellie and the second year balancing his first year in law school and taking more than his share of the parenting responsibilities. He would literally take Ellie with him to meetings with professors, law school functions, and study groups. I mean this little peanut is practically a student at Harvard Law School herself. He has been so supportive and has given up so much to get me through school. I can't thank him enough. 

And not to mention my other family members. My ridiculously wonderful mother, who has made the six hour drive to Arizona and the six hour flight to Boston more times that should be humanly possible to help me accomplish this. She has been the definition of selfless the past two years and all of the help and support she has given me as I have struggled with finding balance. She has loved my sweet Ellie and treated her like her own. I can never repay her for what she has and I know will continue to do for me. I can only hope to be half the mother she is.

So as far as the ceremony went, you better believe I had little ms Ellie walk with me. She even wore her own cap. When the announcer read my name, Ellie and I walked hand in hand to receive my diploma. The president of the school even got down on his knees to hand it to her. After he handed her my diploma I held her up for the crowd as they went wild for the little one. I mostly wanted them to know that she was the one they should be proud of and she deserved their cheers too. It was well received to say the least. She was a hit haha. 

I was so grateful to have my parents, Kelsie, Jaxon, Kyle, Julie, and Granny there to celebrate the big day with me. 

Now that we are done with that, Leon and I will be resting and relaxing in his little paradise of a hometown...haha. Actually, I wish I was in the position to do either of those things, but I take the boards on Aug 18 and I have got to study my brains out everyday until then. Then I can take time to relax. In fact, we already have a little trip planned to Montreal, Canada to celebrate. I can't wait!

And something else I can't wait for...is the much anticipated move of my sister and her family to the Boston area. My brother in law will be finishing up his LLM at BU in the fall and Holli will be spending ever waking second with me. I can't wait to live next to my best friend. Dinner will never be the same in the Johnson home again! LOL.

We love and miss you all! Love, US