5 Years?!

Oh my! Has it really been 5 years since my last blog post? Where has the time gone?! Truth be told, it is really difficult to justify writing blog posts when you are supposed to be writing on a dissertation. In fact, it made me feel down right guilty. A lot can happen in 5 years. I did manage to finish up my PhD after 11 years. It was a lot more like a trail ultra than a fast half. There was plenty of walking rather than running. There were some big hills in the way, and at times I wondered if I should just throw in the towel. I kept going, though, and I am so glad I did! I learned a lot, and it was a complete experience rather than an exercise in checking the block. I even managed to get a journal article published which you can read if you would like.  The title is Immersive Rehearsal in a Simulated Environment (IRISE), and the focus is on designing virtual environments to help those with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Wright State also wrote up a nice article on my work as well. If you find yourself up at 3am (like I am while writing this blog post), you can checkout the entire dissertation at OhioLink. 

In even bigger news, Jim and I were blessed with a little one. To say JC has kept me busy is an understatement. Raising a child can definitely be an almost all consuming task, and before I became a mom I had no idea. He is incredible, and I am certainly biased without apologies. There are such huge changes along the path from baby to toddler, and I am constantly on my toes trying to keep up. One minute you are supporting his head because his neck cannot keep it upright and the next he is telling you he wants to do things "all by his own self". Time goes into warp speed after you have a child, and these last three years have just flown by. Without further ado, here is a picture of the 3 of us after my doctorate graduation ceremony.

Of course, there has also been been a bit of a pandemic going on over the last year. You've heard of it, right?  I may have changed jobs 3 times since the last post. Jim has also changed jobs and is now working his dream job. He also happens to be really good at it. But I know what you really want to know.  Did we make any progress on the barn? Or perhaps the cabin? Well, the cabin is a big fat no, but the barn ... oh the barn!  It has come a long way. Did I mention that it is 3 in the morning? I need to get back to sleep. Coming up in the next post, I will post some great pictures of the loft area that Jim built. I played interior designer and had a lot of fun doing it. Stay tuned!  I promise the next post will happen much sooner.