thankful for the gift of education

Springer and I both were given amazing educations thanks to the generosity of our parents.  {I didn't realize how steep private school tuition can be until I became an adult!}  We are so thankful for their sacrifice and encouragement along the way.

Then we both made our way to the greatest college in all the world.  {Not biased at all.}  While we are so over-the-moon thankful for the friends we made, community we felt, experiences we had in Athens, today I want to focus my writing on the education I received at dear old UGA. 

In the fall of 2000 I entered college on a pre-pharmacy track.  I had taken several AP classes in high school, which made space in my schedule that I could take a number of classes that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.  One of my favorites was Art Appreciation.  I enjoyed looking at art before this class, but afterward felt like I could truly appreciate the thinking and creativity behind a piece of art even more.  {And Lindsey was in this class, which meant we had a blast!}

In 2002 I started pharmacy school.  And it was a hard four years, people!  But I'm thankful for the courses that pushed me, the studying that stretched me {and kept me up all night on my 21st birthday... quite the party studying for a biochem test...}, the experiences that instilled in me a greater compassion for my patients.  In particular I am thankful for the instruction, mentoring, and kindness of my professors.  Several of them took an interest in me, and their encouragement meant the world to me. 

My schooling, plus the residency training that God provided, made a way for me to work in really unique practice settings, and for that I am so thankful.  And now that I am home with Matthew most of the time, I am thankful for a career in which I can continue to work some.  I know that's not the case with many careers, so I'm thankful for the flexibility that pharmacy has given me.