Good Luck, John!

On Monday John started his 27 weeks at the California Highway Patrol Academy.
This is a big career change and is one that was several years in the making. I am so proud of him... and equally excited for him.
Since we met (12 years ago) John has spoken of a career in this field. For various reasons, the timing wasn't right and once Gracie was born, many plans changed. We did what made the most sense for our family - - John worked part-time (to keep his fabulous union health benefits) and I worked full-time to financially support our family. It worked really well for us on many levels, and while we were always grateful for the great insurance he had and the flexibility of his employer (and mine!), John was never satisfied professionally. During the last few years, he looked into other careers that seemed interesting and appeared to be an easier transition for our family, but he always came back to law enforcement - - specifically, the CHP.
Timing is everything and interestingly enough, several things happened at once to align John's stars - - the biggest of which were that Gracie was approaching the maximum dollar amount through John's policy and he was approaching the maximum age to apply for the CHP. If Gracie's insurance was running out, then there was nothing really holding him back from making the change... so he went for it. The interview process (just to be offered a spot at the Academy) is rigorous and takes many months. It was, obviously, a big decision for our family - - one that was carefully thought out. The Academy is a 27 week, live-in, military based program. He gets "liberty" on the weekends and Wednesday evenings (not all). Luckily, the only academy training center in the state is in West Sacramento, so he's close enough to come home during those liberties (provided he doesn't have too much studying to do). Two and a half years of curriculum are squeezed into that time. It's intense to say the least. But, after all things were considered, the right decision for John and our family was for him to pursue his dreams. It's his turn... his time... and he deserves it.
So, I have stopped working full-time and my "PIC" (Partner in "Crime", Partner in Children, Partner in Chores, etc.) is GONE! I do have help... my mom and Jim are always a phone-call away (as they've always been) and Judy, Gracie's nurse, is here during the day (until she moves away in July).
And, quite fitting... as John dove in to the rigors of Academy life on Monday morning, I dove in to life without my "PIC" by driving down to Stanford to take Gracie to a GI appointment. Nana came with us and Papa stayed home to look after Preston... thank goodness for both of them!
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The photo was taken as he rushed out the door Monday.
I will be keeping a little journal of photos of John during this time... as with the intense physical training they do, I am sure that he will be morphing back into a "twenty-something" - ha!