"Congratulations Dr. Stilp" - on becoming a doctor

This June something major happened for our family.  Curt became a doctor.  He graduated right on schedule, in three years, with a 4.00 cumulative GPA.  Highest honors for this scholar and he did this while working a more than full time, demanding job and excelling as a husband and father, and leader in our church.  Can I get an AMEN?

It's like senior portraits for grown ups.

He earned those stripes.

Curt is goal oriented and hard working.  Both of these character traits drew me to him when we were dating and continue to woo me the longer I know this man.  I met Curt when we were twenty and he knew then that he would become a Physician Assistant, work in orthopedics and eventually switch into higher education.  He has chipped away at this plan, one contemplated step after another. 

As Curt worked his way up the ranks of PA education, it became obvious that he would need his doctorate if he wanted to work in high level administration at a university.  We talked about when the best time would be for him to go back to school.  "Never" was the logical answer.  Since there was no good time, we decided to just do it.

He was accepted at Portland State University and started a Doctorate of Education (EdD), specialization in Post-Secondary Education and Education Leadership, in the fall of 2014.  Every other weekend he had class all night Friday and all day Saturday, with 25+ hours of homework assigned each week.  He added this to working at least 50 hours a week and commuting an hour each way to and from work. Doctoral school is NOT for the faint of heart. 

In April of 2014, the incoming class was invited to a  Look What You're Getting Into night for families and students.  Look how tiny our kids were! (I couldn't find the original photo, hence the Instagram scree shot).

But my Man... he just put his head down and did the work.  He stayed up until midnight (or later) most nights and every morning was up at 5 a.m. to read his Bible and start a new day.  Reading is hard for Curt because he's dyslexic, so he created a way to convert his text into an audio file that he could listen to during his commute.  He faithfully made a habit of tucking the kids in each night, listening to them recount their day's activities and praying with them at bedtime.  Then he'd come back down to his "desk" (the dining room table) and get back to work. His drive and determination are so admirable.  

We all made sacrifices to get Curt through school.  Less help around the house.  Less time together.  More carpooling (thank you to our Village that helped me get the kids where they needed to be).  Tough decisions: homework vs. a water polo game.  Homework vs. a basketball game.  Projects that normally would get done immediately, went undone. We had to just let some things go and be okay with imperfection.  Each semester brought different challenges and different adjustments.  It wasn't easy, but through it all, God sustained us.

For three straight years, Dr. Stilp juggled his job, school, marriage, fatherhood and being an elder at our church.  He rarely slept, rarely complained, and never stopped working hard.  He kept his eyes focused on Jesus - gathering strength for each day from his time in the Word - and asking God to fill all the voids.  The passage he meditated on toward the end of our journey was from Deuteronomy.  

"Yet the LORD says, 'During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet'... I did this so that you might know that I am the LORD your God." - Deuteronomy 29:5-6

There is no way that Curt should have been able to keep the pace he kept for so long and not break down.  It was truly God's miraculous provision of strength, clarity of thought, focus and energy that didn't add up given how little he slept and how much of himself and his brain power he gave away each day. 

On May 11th at 2 p.m., Curt defended his dissertation.  I watched with pride as he summarized three years worth of research in a twenty minute PowerPoint presentation then fielded questions from his dissertation committee and members of the audience.  When he was finished they sent us out in the hallway to deliberate, then called us back in.  We nervously took our seats and Curt's dissertation Chairwoman stood to her feet.  Beaming, she declared, "Congratulations Dr. Stilp." It was all I could do to not burst into tears.  Three years of sacrifice to hear those words.  Thank you Jesus!!!

Presenting his dissertation defense.

So Handsome. 

Answering questions.

This June we gathered together to celebrate God's goodness to our family and Curt's incredible achievement. My Mom and her husband flew in from Arizona.  Curt's parents flew in from Minnesota.  We threw a big party and people from Our Village came to celebrate Curt.  They blessed him with words of encouragement and affirmation for a job well done.  I gave him a pair of Birkenstock sandals, to remind him that "his sandals did not wear out."

Curt's finished dissertation and his honor society medal.

Curt with his parents.

Greeting Grandma Ru and Grandpa Terry

I LOVE this man! 

June 18th was the Hooding Ceremony.  My Dad and his wife drove up from Bend and we all met at the Convention Center for the big event.  I had "a moment" in the parking garage.  Curt was standing behind our car methodically donning all his graduation regalia: his robe with the three stripes indicating he is now a doctor,  the tam with his graduation tassel attached, and the special tassels and a medallion from the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society to honor his 4.00 GPA.  These items had been hanging in our guest room for weeks, but as he put them on, it all became real.  THIS was really happening.  

Having a moment in the parking garage.

Ready to graduate.

These kids admire their Dad.

Grant told us after the Grad School Open house, "I'm driving you to your graduation ceremony."  Sounded ridiculous coming from a 7th grader but three years later, Grant drove us to Curt's graduation ceremony.

When the announcer called Curt's name to come on stage to be hooded, our entire cheering section erupted with loud hooping and hollering.  None of us cared if we were breaking protocol.  That was OUR man up there, being celebrated and honored by his peers and fellow scholars for his persistent determination and intellect, and celebrated by his family and friends for these things and the man of God that he is.

Dr. Curt C. Stilp EdD, PA-C

Thank you to our parents and friends for supporting us and loving us through this journey. Thank you God for sustaining us and giving us what we need for each day. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.