this guy.

is now Dr. Joel Lane. yea, he's my husband. 

though I wasn't able to watch him defend his dissertation (which was now two weeks ago by the way, I've sucked at blogging), i was able to creep on him from afar while chillin' in his office. and i got to join him in the conference room afterward where his dissertation committee told him that there was absolutely nothing he needed to change about his dissertation, that he did a brilliant job. he astounds me. at our celebratory lunch afterward, i encouraged him to sign the check Dr. Lane (which he says he will never do again unless the waiter deserves it). i am pretty freaking proud of this guy and all of the blood, sweat and tears that went into this insane accomplishment. it took an incredible amount of hard work, sacrifices, challenges, sleep deprivation.. the list could go on and on. seriously, it is mind-blowing, i could definitely never do it. 

i am still in shock that his years of being a student are over. i will admit, it has not been exactly been easy being the wife of a PhD student, we have definitely had our challenges along the way (sidenote: loved this honest post about marriage from Lauren today). but i am so grateful and hopeful for our next season. a grand adventure awaits :)