A Personal Note - Across the Finish Line

Many of you know that I've spent the last few years pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. It's been a long journey with many ups and downs, BUT as of December 9th I have officially completed the degree! Three recitals, countless pages of writing, a couple thousand cups of coffee, three comprehensive exams, a dissertation, multiple jobs, many tears, and two kids later we made it to the finish line - and whew does it feel good!

This has most definitely been a team effort though. I could never have gotten to this point if it was not for my partner in crime, Brooke. She was a constant pillar of support, encouragement, and brutal honestly (when needed) throughout the degree. For every sleepless night that I had she had two while she raised our girls and held down the home fort. Each time I wanted to call it quits she would remind me why we had sacrificed so much to be where we were - a reminder that was very needed even if my stubborn self really didn't want to hear it.

I don't know what the future has in store for us, but for now I'm going to focus on my family for a while. I have a couple professional things in the planning stages right now, but I think a couple weeks off will be a good use of time!

Anyway, thank you all for reading and for your support! You can expect to hear more from me (and more consistently too) soon. Until then, I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Talk soon,

JB

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!