Alone

Saying goodbye is always hard. Especially when it's to your best friend! Today my wife left to go back to school. I tried to spend as much time as possible with her this summer before she left (I didn't have much time for posting). She has two semesters left before she graduates with a Bachelor's degree in Public Health, and she's going back to Utah State University to finish it up. Most people think we're crazy (sometimes I even think we're crazy) but to those of you who want to know "why did we do it?" here's the rundown:

• She has a Presidential Scholarship at USU that covers all her tuition and fees
• She only has one year left at USU before she graduates
• UNR (University of Nevada - Reno) is the closest university to us here in Nevada that offers the same program that she is studying. It's an hour away and we only have one car
• UNR will only accept 1/2 of her credits that she has already earned - that turns into a whole extra year of school to make up those credits
• Since we just moved to Nevada and haven't established residency yet, she'd have to pay out-of-state tuition and it is EXPENSIVE!
• The actual cost difference per year between USU and UNR is $16,000

Most people typically think that we made this decision solely based on the money. But honestly, I would gladly pay anything it costs to keep her here. The main reason she is going back to Utah State is because she doesn't want to have to go to school for 2 more years; she just wants to be done!

So she's going back to school and I'm here all alone. It's not all bad though. It isn't like we aren't going to see each other for the next 9 months. We already have a good schedule setup for the Fall semester and we'll see each other almost every month! Here's a preview of what we've managed to plan:

September - Our friend Allison is getting married and I'm flying out to Utah for the wedding

October - I'm headed out the University of Utah and up to Utah State University for a work recruiting trip (my boss specifically chose me so that I could go see her)

November - We're going on a 2-week trip with her family to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt

December - She will spend Christmas break with me at home

We don't have something planned for every month during Spring semester yet, but hopefully I can go on another recruiting trip for work and she'll probably come home for spring break too.

If you are ever in the area please feel free to stop by. Or if you are bored call or text me. I've never been 100% alone before. I've always had a roommate or a companion or something, so it definitely will be an interesting time for me in my life. Wish me luck, and let's all keep our fingers crossed for her to get the grades she needs to graduate next spring to come back home!