Announcement

I'm excited to have these in our possession!



Announcements for graduation! We are so glad to have this one behind us.

There are lots of projects on Justin's plate these days...teaching, writing for his doctoral adviser, a research project (or two) at work, and beginning on his tenure package, but it is wonderful to have this accomplishment! Maybe he'll actually have time to take some vacation next summer.

Away

Justin and I took our trip for his defense without the munchkins. My parents kept the kids and his parents paid for our hotel room, as a graduation gift. So instead of staying at a Days Inn or the like, we stayed at the historic Omni. It is kind of like going home--being in Cincinnati, not the Omni. We had intended to put down roots there and we let ourselves get attached to the area. We lived there longer than anywhere else we've lived in our married life.


It was a pretty room,


With a chair Justin deemed as comfortable.


While the bathrooms have obviously been updated since the hotel was built in the 1930's, they put in fixtures that are reminiscent of the ones that were likely there originally.


We walked down to Fountain Square Park on our first night in town, before the storms blew threw.


We took some pictures, in the rain, of Justin in front of Old Chemistry


and inside Old Chemistry in front of a fountain with Alchemical Symbols

After celebratory lunch at the Skyline near campus, we headed to Mount Storm park. Ironically, we went there shortly before we closed on our very first house, back in the days of film, because we had to use up a roll to get it developed to send pictures of the house to our insurance company.


This picture has Crosley Tower over his shoulder--one of the newer chemistry buildings that he worked in.


(Here he is in the same spot in 2002--thanks to my scanner.)

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And I had to include this picture I took on our way up. You know those nifty street view maps you can get on Google now? We saw one of their cars on the interstate. It is pretty funny to see--all the painting on the car and the funny camera ball on top. The fellow had his lap top open, but thankfully he wasn't playing any games, just downloading video.

What's Up Doc?

"Ten years. Ten years, man, ten years! Ten years!!" -name that movie quote

Justin and I started the journey for him to go to graduate school ten years ago. After two years of marriage, and shortly after I finished my undergraduate degree, we packed up our belongings and moved from the hometown where I had lived my entire life. I started a teaching job and he went back to school.

For five years we lived there in town. In that time, September 11th happened, we made many dear friends, we bought our first house, and we had our first baby. At the end of that five years, Justin took a new job, vowing to write his dissertation in the evenings and on weekends. Which he has done faithfully...for five more years!! In that time we've moved some more, had TWO more babies, made and left behind dear friends.

This week though, he defended that huge amount of work. There will be some edits to come, but his research has been accepted. His adviser spoke very highly of him and even gave me a hug. His official graduation date isn't until the fall, but if you happen to run across him, you can call him Doctor. He's earned it!

Justin, in his Master's regalia one last time for this spring's commencement exercises.

Happy Birthday!!

Today is a big day at our house. Actually, it would normally be a big day at our house, but this year is a little odd.

Today is Justin's birthday. While we are so very thankful for the husband and father who fills our lives with lots of wonderful things, we will not be celebrating with a nice dinner or giant cookie (his birthday treat of choice), nor will there be singing or presents.

Why on earth not?

After nearly 10 years and 4 moves (if you don't count the initial one to get us to Cincinnati and the one we will make before his hooding) he is finishing his PhD. The dissertation is due in its nearly final form to his committee today! Normally he would have it ready a day or so early, but his adviser sent him revisions on Monday, with a 'make as many of these changes as you can before sending it out' note, so he will be working late today and we'll celebrate with him tomorrow: his birthday, final grades submitted (those are due tomorrow!), and the nearly completed dissertation.

He will defend the dissertation later this month, at which time his committee will have the option to give him a few more revisions to complete (including those from his adviser he doesn't get finished before sending it off tonight), but at the end of the defense they will confer the title of doctor on him, because who in their right mind would go that far and not make a few revisions?



And today, though we won't get to see him much (or perhaps even at all for the little girls who weren't up yet when he left for the day), we are thankful for the Daddy and husband who works hard, plays tirelessly, and loves us well.

Happy Birthday! Love You!