At my house - Celebrations! and what I've learned along the way

Today, the very, very last, final result was posted up for Mr Samoa's exams.

He passed!!

So we packed the kids in the car as soon as they woke and headed to the park for ice creams.

We want to celebrate every moment of this victory...savour it, if you will.

It's been an incredibly stretching 5 year journey, spanning most of the length of our marriage. Crazily, we added two kids to the mix during this time

(one kind-of planned, one totally unplanned).

We have struggled, soared, cried and laughed, but most of all, grown stronger in every way. We have learned to draw together and encourage each other, and not let the stress drive a wedge in between us.

We've also learned to accept help, and ask for it sometimes. That was hard. But it became easier along the way.

The lowest moment was when we learned that Mr Samoa's study was not finishing when we were lead to believe it would.

We fought the system, we prayed, we met with those in authority.

It was not to be. The agonising journey was to continue for at least another 6 months. Hard to swallow when that's what you've been holding out for for 4 and a half years.

This last season of the extra study time has been the toughest of the 5 years. No job offer presented itself, like we prayed and believed for.

Doors slammed shut in our face.

And so we learned to trust God like we've never trusted before. Trust that He would look after us, that He would work things out for our good and that this journey was not going to break us!

And a job came Mr Samoa's way, at the right time, in the right place.

Now it's over, I can look back and breathe a sigh of relief.

We waited for this moment for a long time.

Mr Samoa starts work as a qualified teacher in 8 weeks!

As Mr Samoa would say in true Samoan style:

Cheee-hoooo!!!!!!!!!

See what's going on at other houses here