05/06/2026
These sweet pictures popped up in my memories today! I don’t often share personal things on this page but this week marks 9 years since I graduated from the Interior Design program. I didn’t walk at my graduation. You might see that tiny baby I’m holding. Yeah, he was only four days old on my graduation day. My husband and kids planned a small surprise party to celebrate and it meant the world to me.
I look at these pictures and remember all the love and support they gave me during that time. My husband Jeff and I got married really young and we had our first baby when I was 21. I was in college at the time but I dropped out to be home with our daughter Lauren. Being a mom was what I always wanted to do-so it was an easy decision.
After my Jeff finished undergrad he went on to medical school and we added two more kids to our crew, McKenna and Callum. During residency in Wisconsin we wanted to grow our family but struggled with infertility. It was during this time when my youngest was going to be heading off to kindergarten soon that I felt the drive to go back to school.
When I would worry about who would help watch the kids or if it would be too hard to go to school and study and be a mom my husband would reassuringly tell me “we’ll do whatever it takes to make it work out.” And he did. Even though he was a busy resident he cooked dinners, put kids to bed, encouraged me to stay late at campus when I had big projects due. We also had great friends who helped out and picked up kids when schedules got hectic.
It was during this time that I began to realize how much burden can be lifted and strength can be given to have someone supporting me whole-heartedly in my goals. It wasn’t a tangible thing I could hold, but it carried me. Knowing I had someone to pick up the slack, and to take care of the little things was a weight off my shoulders.
I never worked while Jeff was in medical school or residency. I just took care of our family and our home and I never realized the gift that I had given him. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate me and my support-I know he did. It was that I didn’t appreciate how much that support means until the roles were reversed.
This short journey taught me more than just interior design. It made me appreciate being a mother more. It made me appreciate Jeff in new ways. It made me appreciate what I brought to our marriage more.
And the first week of my last year of school I found out I was expecting our fourth baby. Henry was kind enough to wait for his entrance into the world until I had finished all my finals.
It has been such a blessing for me to be doing something I love these past nine years, being supported by the people I love. And my goal is to support them in all of their dreams because as I learned through this journey-it really makes all the difference!
