05/18/2026
Gary West has officially graduated Magna Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering from CSU Fresno.
Five years may seem like a long time. To others it seems to fly. For us it felt that it was moving as fast as it was slow. In five years we got married, have had two beautiful children (one more on the way! Surprise!), had several adventures as well trials, and all at the same time he was going to school for a BS in mechanical engineering. For five years, he worked full time to support us as a single income home while enrolled in school full time- the whole time. This weekend we said goodbye to a season that taught us so much, stretched us beyond our comfort, and at times beat us to exhaustion.
Goodbye to the countless evenings where he sat at the desk instead of the dinner table.
Goodbye to the countless days where we had to say no to the people we love because there was homework due that night.
Goodbye to the days and sometimes weeks of what felt like solo parenting.
Goodbye to the need to budget our time to make sure he had enough time at home to study for 16 units of classes after working 40 hours.
Goodbye to the nights of falling asleep alone wondering if I would get to wake up next to him or if he would accidentally sleep on the couch while trying to take a 10 minute break from the computer.
Goodbye to having to tell the kids that daddy would not be able to play when he got home because homework was in the way.
Goodbye to the tears we cried after realizing how much we missed each other because we had accidentally spent days or weeks without really being able to sit together and connect.
Goodbye to a season that welcomed wonder and beauty as well as trial and fatigue.
I don’t know a single person who could do what he did.
I don’t know a single person who WOULD do what he did.
Hello, Gary. I’ve missed you.
