Congratulations to Julia, who has completed all of her coursework, aced both the written and oral examinations, and is officially a PhD candidate! This means that she will now be solely focused on fieldwork and her dissertation. Amid difficult times for the family, we are proud of Julia for being able to get it done and to do so well.
July is full of special birthdays. We convened at Wildfire in Tysons to celebrate Tony, Lisa, Julia, and me, as well as to remember Dad. It was nice to be together and the food was delicious. Julia also celebrated at the office; dad bought her lunch and pies to share. The CFO bought her an ice cream cake. At home, we had an ice cream cake, too. Julia celebrated with Jessie at Dumplings & Beyond. Kathryn came over to see the cat. My dearest colleague, Magda, bought me a beautiful orchid and I managed to escape the office July birthday party.
This past weekend, Julia spent another fabulous weekend at the lake with the Sarrges, mom, and Chad. It is hard to believe that it is August and only 17 days before Julia goes back to Columbus.
