Four Years

The past four years Jake has been a lineman apprentice... I can't even begin to explain what he has been through, but I'll try. He has lead the apprentices on regular and overtime hours worked since year 1. This means working long days turned to nights and back to days again (and sometimes longer) with little to no sleep. Somehow he managed to excel on the lesson books followed by tests with no time to study. There have been countless hours away from his family. Holidays and celebrations have been almost nonexistent. Sore muscles have pretty much been a constant thing. Have I heard him complain? A little but not even a fraction of what he was entitled to and it was mostly because he was missing Ryker and me. When he started this journey we knew that it was going to be full of tests. It tested the strength of our marriage, our strength as parents and definitely our patients. We didn't realize the rewards through the journey were going to be so amazing though. I've always believed in this old saying "The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get". Now more than ever this saying seems so true! Jake has worked so hard and we have been so lucky! We have an amazing family, awesome friends, an incredible little boy who means the world to us and a love for each other that even the hardest of times can't break.

Jake took the Journeyman Lineman test on March 20, 2011... He passed with flying colors! I am so proud of him! We're not quite out of the woods yet though. Jake has to bid on jobs and there are a bunch of different situations we could be put in. Will we be moving, will Jake have to work weeks somewhere living in a trailer and come home on weekends, or will we stay right where we are? Who knows what will happen, but we're more than capable to handle any trials that might come our way. BRING IT ON!

I wish I had pictures of real on the job stuff, but I don't. These pictures of the 2010 Lineman Rodeo will just have to do...