Graduation

It's been a looong road, but it finally came to an end last weekend.  Ten years after he first started school at SUU.  Not that he was going ten years straight, but it kind of seemed like it.  He got his Bachelors degree in Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism.  So what now?  That seems to be the question on everyone's mind.  We don't know.  So don't ask.  But, I know he'll figure it out.  He's smart like that. And I'm really proud of him for coming this far.  He's had to overcome a lot of obstacles and it hasn't been easy.

His family told him they couldn't come and then showed up as a surprise at graduation with a huge banner they held up when he came out. We were sitting on the front row, so he couldn't miss them.  He was surprised.  They love surprises.  I don't. I like to know when I'm going to have company.  They know that, and would like to continue to have a relationship with me, so they let me know ahead of time.  His brother and sister and their families both came as well as his parents.  My parents also came, but my dad got sick and they had to leave early.  It was a great few days and we were very appreciative to both our families for making such a special occasion.
So, in the meantime, we'll keep making pizza.  It's been a good job for us and business continues to grow, almost to the point of not being able to keep up.  That's a good thing, but it makes for some long days.  That's why we only work 3 days a week.  Or two, depending on the weather.  And no, even though school is out, we're not adding more days.  The 3 days we're open are 14 or 15 hour days for Jason-all day on his feet in a parking lot.  It takes it's toll.
Below is a video that a friend of Jason's put together for us.  He did a really good job.  It's the story of how we got to graduation.  Without this business, Jason would have never had the time to go school while providing for a family, let alone pay for tuition. Before The Pizza Cart and after a few semesters of using government grants, Jason felt very strongly that he should pay for school on his own.  He left school and .....long story short, started The Pizza Cart.  When he returned to school, we were able to cover tuition on our own for the final few years.