I’ve had horrible writer’s block recently. Although I have had many of ideas of what to write about, I never seem to be able to express myself.  So tonight, I am going to write about my husband. While I don’t often write about him (I try to respect his privacy since this is my project), an event happened almost 2 weeks ago that I feel merits acknowledgement: My husband finally received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Why is this a big enough deal that I am writing about it? Well, it has been about 13 years and many schools in the making.  Life has thrown a lot at my husband, and he stuck to a major goal.  He has trained in five states (we have moved a lot), and many schools, all while having other obligations.  Despite having a full schedule, he has stayed with BJJ, unwilling to give up his goals.  He stuck to training while working full time, actively participating in the care his daughter’s medical needs, being a normal dad his daughter, and being my partner.  While I have given you all a run down of my “typical day” in the past, let me give you a run down of his typical Tuesday (he trains Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday):

• 6 am: WAKE UP!
• • Mark gets Lyra’s feeding bag and pump from her room and brings it down to the kitchen for me.
  • He then goes back upstairs to wake up Lyra, change her, and bring her down for her water feed.
  • He sets her up in her chair, turns on Sesame Street, and administers her medication.
  • THEN he gets ready for work.
• 7-8 am: Drives to work
• 8 am – 5 pm: Does work things
• 6 pm: Gets home, kisses Lyra goodnight, grabs his gear and leaves by 6:15 pm
• BJJ
• 8:30 ish…. sometimes 9 pm: Gets home, showers, makes dinner (we fend for ourselves on Tuesdays), and cleans Lyra’s supplies from that day.  He also does other household chores that I may need help with.

He normally doesn’t get to bed until about 11pm, and it starts over again at 6am the next day.

He is also 100% my partner. While I do almost all of the cooking, he always does the dishes.  He takes care of laundry, maintains the kitchen, and helps with whatever chores need to get done.  He attends to his daughter’s medical needs, and also just does the normal daddy stuff.  She loves her daddy.  He is her favorite person to play with. Just as I have, he has slept in hospital chairs, stood by her bedside, spent sleepless nights in emergency rooms, and sleepless nights cleaning up vomit at home.

While managing all of this, and a full time job, he never let go of his goal.

So yes, I am proud enough to write about it.  Yes, I do think it is import enough to be here.  And, yes, I do think there is a lesson to be learned from it.  Good job Mark, we are so proud of you.