He (We) Did It!

Matthew graduated from the Fire Academy a couple weeks ago! My super talented photographer friend took some pictures of the ceremony and afterwards for us (if you are friends with me on facebook or follow me at NewlyWife, then I apologize for the repetitiveness)!

Getting that diploma

Can you see him (second from left in the back)

With his parents and grandpa, I love the laughs!

These two helped out get through the Academy. They are amazing!

Woo hoo! I'm jumping for joy!

Major congratulations to my man for sticking it out. This was a long 12 (16) weeks, but you did it! Now the application and waiting process begins! If you want to see his speech (shout out to me in the last minute), I posted it on YouTube.

Fire Academy Family Night

The boys from Class 25 of the MVC Fire Academy invited their families over for a little night of fire fun. We were able to eat dinner with the cadets and then watch them do evolutions (I learned that term that night -- it's basically whatever exercise they are practicing). It was a fun night with my parents and his parents, including a few martinis afterwards!! I thought I would share some pictures from the night -- if you follow NewlyWife, then you've seen them already.

With my man before dinner.

Matt was on flag duty. He folded the California flag.
The school is para-military, so everything is by the book!

Waiting for the evolutions with my Momma.

Uniform inspections by their instructors.

I believe Matt was first on the nozzle on this one.

That reflective 21 means it is my man!

Matt is behind me -- waiting for his next turn

Right after he came off of the drill grounds

Kisses!

Went out for drinks with my parents and Matt's parents afterwards.
It was lots of fun!

Family & Fire

Matt is almost done with the Academy. We are totally in the home stretch now, and that is so exciting! It's been a long (but actually really short) road, but I am so glad we are on it. I have a few pictures of his gear to share...

I tried his gear on for size -- and gave him a little compressed air!

This is the background on my phone. Swoon. ;)

Also, Matt's sisters were both home in January, so we had to get some family pics. So glad to finally post these (but hey -- at least I'm not waiting until next year!)

The whole fam...

The girls. Picture taken from above, because apparently you look better / thinner that way.

Proud of my Man

Today is a very important day. Matt starts his Fire Academy full time. We have been prepping for this and praying about it for a very long time, so it is hard to believe that it is here. I got up early (5:35!!)and surprised him by being awake and taking pictures and helping see him off. That sentence doesn't really flow, but I just don't care. Today is a fabulous day for us, and nothing can squash my joy! My life as a full fledged Academy wife has begun and I will be cooking a lot, cleaning often, and putting some of my things on the back burner.

  
We have been organizing our home so that everything will run smoothly in the mornings. That bin is full of everything that he will need in the day, so he can easily get it into his car, and into the car of the guy he carpools with (who also has a bin, so they can easily choose which car). Tonight I get to hear all about his first full day of class and what we can expect for the next 12 weeks. I also get to clean out his cooler and prep it for tomorrow.

I wore red for solidarity. hehe. I can think of so many epic things to say, like "this is the first day of the rest of our life" and "this new adventure is the journey of a lifetime." However, I will leave it at this. God is good and he has provided abundantly. We're trusting him with everything right now, and know that He will continue to provide (and I just may have to skip coffee dates for awhile). I am so very proud of my man.