It's official...Jake gets his JD!

After 3 long years of extremely long hours, hard work, and relentless dedication, yesterday Jake made it official and received his diploma, making him a Juris Doctor! I can't begin to express how proud of him I am! He is amazing! There were a few other people who took their kids across the stage with them, but of course, their kids walked quietly and nicely across. Had Jackson, Sydney and Kate been there, Jackson surely would've been loudly asking questions throughout the ceremony and absolutely would not have tolerated the 3 hour length. He would've had to carry both Kate and Sydney because Sydney gets so shy, leaving Jackson to run amok on the stage. Of course, maybe then Jake's classmates would truly realize how much more Jake had to overcome to do the same job that they did! :) Luckily, Jake's sisters and brother were here to play with the kids and we didn't have to bring them to the graduation...though I'll forever regret not having a picture of them with their dad on such an important day in our family's history.

I'll brag about Jake for a minute. We got in to Brooklyn Law School by the skin of our teeth. It's ranked about 55th in the nation and very competitive. We were wait-listed and prepared to attend Suffolk law school in Boston (a lower-ranked school). Days before we moved, while my mom and family friend were on their way to Boston to find us an apartment, Brooklyn called to admit Jake to the part time evening program. We accepted because this was a better school and after visiting both schools, we liked BLS better. So basically we entered at the bottom of the bottom. In his first year, he earned all A's and B's and was admitted to the full-time day program after his first semester. He took extra courses and worked several internships for school credit to ensure he would graduate in the anticipated time. While at BLS, the school has continued to rank higher and higher, even above a few schools who rejected Jake for admission. Jake graduated with a 3.0 GPA and right in the middle of his class. While this may not seem like something to brag about, Jake showed that he could cut it at this highly competitive school among classmates who graduated from schools like NYU, Columbia, and even Yale. He has clawed his way up the ladder and I'm extremely proud of him. I know he's going to be an amazing lawyer and I can't wait to see where we end up.

Right now he's studying for the California Bar so that we can eventually land there. We will be concentrating our job hunting efforts in the Northern California/Bay Area. Hopefully something will come soon, but in the mean time, his efforts will be focused on passing the bar.

Great job Jake!! I'm so proud of you! The kids and I love you so much! You've cut the path for greatness in our little family.