It's been awhile...

Well, what can I say? It's been quite awhile since I last posted and I don't think many are reading, but I thought that I would update anyone reading this with the last 6 months of so of our lives.

In August 2010, I successfully defended my dissertation. Yay! Matt and my parents attended the defense and so afterward, we went to lunch at my favorite burger place, Grindhouse Burger in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Matt had to head back to work and so mom, dad, and I went to one of Atlanta's oldest pubs, Manuel's Tavern, for a celebratory drink.

Soon after, we traveled to Southern California for Labor Day weekend to visit Matt's family. Since we didn't go on a vacation that summer, we took a mini vacation and drove to Del Mar and stayed for one night at a fabulous hotel on the beach. The next day, we drove to San Diego and enjoyed some yummy tacos and a baseball game. Back in Orange County, it was great to see family.

Even though I was sort of 'finished,' I still had some edits to make from my committee members and several applications for awards, so the next couple months were very busy with this and with the many new demands of my job....But, finally, at the end of October, I turned in the final and official version of my dissertation and prepared for graduation. In November, I presented at a conference in Fort Worth, TX. Finally, on December 12th, I graduated, with many of my family members (including both of my grandmothers) present. My Grandma from Ohio made the trip down and stayed with us, and we had a great weekend showing her our house and visiting with her.

As we do every year, we headed to Park City, Utah for our annual K family ski trip around Christmas with the family and enjoyed the skiing and time with family. Shortly after we came home, Matt's Grandpa, who turned 99 in December, passed away. We are heading to CA later this month for his memorial service and look forward to celebrating his life with the family. I know that I didn't know him for very long, but in the time I did have, he was sweet and kind and I feel lucky for that time.

Matt and I both lost grandfathers this year, and I think for me, this has just reminded me to live each day to the fullest and to continue to show love and gratitude for the awesome family and friends I have.

I promise to share more about this year as it continues....For now, here are some photos....