Time for an update...almost Doctor.

Thanks to a prompt from Dana, I am taking a shot at giving an update! The lack of blogging is a cyclical problem... I get busy, forget to blog, then more time and stuff happens, and then I feel so overwhelmed by the thought of trying to update everything that then I don't blog, which (obviously) compounds the problem. But, things are slowing down a bit, so here's a quick run-down of some of the more recent life events.

1. Dissertation Defense went well...possibly even better than I expected. I was prepared. My committee was supportive, asking good but non-threatening questions. Lots of friends from my program showed up to support me (and find out what they were in for at some point in their respective graduate school futures). I made all the changes and have submitted everything to the graduate school. Submitting things to the graduate school is a whole additional story in and of itself. They still live in the ice ages and want two hard/cotton-bond paper copies of everything (all almost 200 pages). But then they have an editor review it and then ask for changes (in which instance you have to print out two more hard/cotton-bond paper copies of every page they want changed). Silly. But as many hoops as one must jump through to get a PhD, I suppose the graduate school hurdle is relatively minor. Sorry the pics aren't the greatest. Ricky took a couple with the cell phone.

2. I picked up my graduation regalia. The gown is "green" both literally and figuratively. I will be "hooded" at the College of Education graduation Ceremony in less than two weeks. It's a crazy feeling. After all this work and anticipation, it seems strange to finally be finishing...almost like a let down even though I accomplished something big. It's hard to describe. In less than two weeks I will officially be Dr. Billie Jo Rodriguez. Here's the story on the "green gowns" if you're interested in knowing more: UO GREEN GOWN STORY.

3. I tried Sushi for the first time a few weeks ago. There's a place near our house that has $1 plate sushi for everything they have out from 6-10 Sun-Thurs. It's been fun to try out with Ricky. I mostly stick to crab, smoked salmon, and shrimp ones...but I did try a spicy tuna, too.

4. Ricky is getting ready to begin on his professional umpiring career. He will be starting his summer adventures (as of now anyway) in the Arizona league. We're still keeping our fingers crossed for a promotion into the NW League.

5. The Portland Farmers market is amazing and more fun than the Eugene Saturday market. We've been able to sneak out a few times and gather some treats. All the local dairy farmers/creameries come with samples, lots of local berries and produce, and many interesting other things like jellies (lots of yummy pepper jellies), fresh fish, pickled foods, sweet treats, fresh breads/pastries, nuts, pesto/sauces, hand-made pasta, etc.

6. Ricky and I recently made a fun weekend trip to Seattle. We solely relied on our feet and public transportation for the entire trip. We walked to the max station, took the max to the train station, the train to Seattle, walked or bussed around Seattle, and then home. We had a good visit and dodged rain showers. We went to a Mariners' game, made it to the space needle, ate at some yummy restaurants (including a new favorite--Ohana), and enjoyed Pike's Place Market. We stayed in a really nice hotel that was very near the market and shopping areas. We enjoyed wandering and spending some time away just us.

And this last photo is from a "civil war" baseball game where the UO Ducks played the OSU Beavers in Portland a couple weeks ago. This is only UO's second year to have a "real" team (they only had a club team prior), and they made it to the post-season...pretty exciting. Check out the pretty rainbow in the distance.

In other news, Chris and Susan are pregnant. We are excited for them!! Laura is booking a trip to come and visit me in June. I can't wait for that much needed girl time with her. My friend Candy in Eugene is expecting a daughter in July. My parents are coming to visit next week for graduation and vacation. Ricky is enjoying his work at OHSU and might actually even miss it some while he's umpiring. The dogs are well, and I'm gearing up to teach my first graduate school class at Portland State University. Busy, fun times.