I sometimes tell my laboring moms who are tired and in between working through long, hard contractions, "There, that's one more contraction done and gone forever, blow all it's pain away - you're that much closer to your baby being in your arms"

Today this applies to grad school for me.  It's a Friday and I've been sitting at the table for the majority of the day, jumping through another hoop for another class.  One more miserable assignment out of the way. I feel like I'm hitting transition - the most intense part of school, the crest of the hill, the agonizing sprint at the end of the race, when you feel you have nothing left, but must finish strong.

The countdown is on though people - I've only got five months left to go!