Stress

Well we're finally in the home stretch of Brad's apprenticeship. He is an apprentice lineman, which most of you already know. His apprenticeship has lasted for 3 1/2 years now and the end is in sight. He will take his journeyman test sometime soon and it's coming right around the corner. It feels kind of weird for him to almost be done with this thing. I mean, we've been waiting for what feels like forever for him to be done, and now that he is (almost), it's like another chapter in our lives is closing. Which, it's been a good chapter, but I'm glad that it is finally closing! After he takes this test he will be a journeyman lineman, he'll get a pay raise, and he can work for whoever/where ever he wants. It's kind of like after I became and RN.

At the beginning of his apprenticeship, it felt like 3 1/2 years would be forever - but looking back (probably because we're at the end of it), it's gone by pretty fast. I guess having 2 kids, moving, and buying a house helps time pass as well. We were living in Oregon before we moved to Salt Lake, and I was happy right where I was. I had a good job, great coworkers, and I did NOT want to move here. I didn't want to leave everything that I had just established and that was where I had my first RN job - so I did NOT want to move (here to be exact). But Brad was pretty unhappy in Oregon. He hated his job, wanted to make something more of his life, and didn't want to move there in the first place - but did so, for me. So I guess it was my turn to follow him here, and the first couple of years, I must admit, were pretty darn rough. I hated living so far away from our families - especially since I found out that I was pregnant with Josh almost right after I moved here. So being a stay-at-home mom for the 1st time, away from family, and not really knowing anyone was harder and lonelier than I thought.

But now, it's not AS bad - I know that I can do this. I've been doing it for 3 1/2 years now. I complain a lot that it's so hard and I don't want to live here anymore (mainly for the fact that we're so far away from family) - but I know that I can do it. I can survive raising two kids without any help from our families, and I guess that's a great feeling. Sure, it would be nice to have our families here to help out from time to time and give Brad and I a break to go on a date. But we can do it. I think we've grown closer as a couple and I know that I can count on him, and he knows that he can count on me.

Back to the subject of this post - the stress. It's going to get more and more stressful for Brad and all of us, I guess, the closer his test gets. But that probably comes with all life changing events, and this IS a life changing event. It tells us what lies ahead for us in the future. So I know I got off topic, but the main reason why I wrote this post is because I am trying to get myself prepared for the more stressful days that lie ahead. But, as the saying goes, this too shall pass.