Milestones

I won't embarrass him with a long, public tribute, but I did want to acknowledge that today is my daddy's 60th birthday! I am so proud to be his daughter. He's had a huge impact on the person I've become and is truly a hero of mine. Last week, Kevin was teasing me about the fact that I was unfamiliar with a TV show that was popular when we were kids. Jokingly he said, "What, did you have a dad who stayed home with you and played with you all the time or something?" I realized that was exactly the case! (Obviously I am not implying that if you did watch afternoon television as a kid, it means you had a lousy, neglectful dad.) All the time I've become more thankful for the carefree and imaginative childhood I was blessed with, thanks largely to my loving, attentive parents. Including a daddy who walked me to and from elementary school each day and instinctively understood my make-believe worlds (or at least pretended to!). Happy birthday, Daddy!


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I also realized the other day that it's been exactly a year since we moved to St. Louis. A year! That's hard to believe. Undoubtedly, it's been a great move for us. I'm not just talking about school, either; clearly, my PhD program has been a good thing in our lives. But, beyond that, St. Louis has been a more comfortable fit than Berkeley, California, by far. There are things I miss about California as a whole (especially my in-laws), but our rent is much lower here, the lifestyle is less frantic, and we've found the Midwest culture to be friendlier and more down-to-earth than the San Francisco Bay Area. Our church has been a big part of the adjustment as well. We love the worship and community there, and it reminds us weekly that our life isn't all about our academic careers.

With that, I need to get back to French homework and the start of another week. I hope to post an entry in the next couple of days explaining why I'm pursuing a PhD in the first place. I'm sure you won't want to miss that! ;)