And... ABD!

Tomorrow morning my husband and I will pack up our Honda Element, pick up our dogs from a sitter, and hit the open road to live and dissertate in the midwestern United States. The move is a good opportunity for my husband professionally, will offer us more travel mobility, and gives me the chance to teach online and focus on my dissertation writing. All of that, however, does not make leaving a beautiful state, wonderful friends, and an established life in AZ any easier. I've really loved living in Arizona, and I have made some really good friends and great memories during our time here. It will always hold a special place in my heart. Monica Gellar has summed up my bittersweet feelings in the GIF below: 

All of this is possible, though, because... 

I AM ABD

ABD is an acronym for All But Dissertation, signaling that I have finished all of the requirements towards my Ph.D. beside writing my dissertation. As I discussed in my last blog post, I passed my written comprehensive exams with a High Pass. I then met with my committee members Elenore Long and Patricia Boyd on April 20th, 2016 for my dissertation prospectus colloquy. We met for two hours, and after I introduced the impetus and my train of thought for my study, they helped me to further clarify my purpose, frame my study, and plan for completion. My chair then offered feedback to the plan we drafted in the colloquy from Austria. The colloquy and feedback was so helpful and invigorating as I plan to start writing my dissertation in June. 

After completing my comps and colloquy (some of the sources referenced in both pictured on the right), all I had left to do was finish courses! The BEST advice that I was given in graduate school by colleagues and professors was to make everything-- class work, completion work, conferences, publications, etc.-- work together towards my dissertation goal. I was able to follow that advice in the final projects for my two courses this semester. The comments from my professors in those courses then contributes to my dissertation planning and writing work. After struggling a bit with the myriad of responsibilities I placed on myself this semester, I am happy to have received an A and an A- in my final two classes. That brings my graduate school GPA to a final 3.97. The course work this semester was so beneficial to my individual scholarly work, but I am SO glad to be done with courses. 

Other final elements of the semester also wrapped up well. My students in both classes presented well researched and clearly articulated proposal presentations on a variety of topics. I submitted a revised book chapter to Asao Inoue and Mya Poe for their forthcoming edited collection. I am excited about the work that this book will do. I was also honored to receive an award from the ASU English department and attend a graduate reception and award ceremony to receive the award, gifted to the department from a generous donor. In the picture on the left, I am receiving the award from the English department chair, Dr. Mark Lussier. Both my mother and my mother-in-law were able to attend the ceremony with me, as they were both in Arizona to help us pack up our townhouse for the upcoming move. 

In honor of being ABD at ASU and the impending move, I want to include five of my very favorite aspects of our Arizona life. Other than the opportunities afforded by my program and teaching assistantship, the list and photos of my faves can be found below in no particular order: 

1. DELICIOUS FOOD THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY & STATE

2. MOUNTAIN VIEWS & LIVING 

3. TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WESTERN U.S.

 4. FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, VISITORS, & FAMILY 

 5. FRIENDS FOR LIFE ANIMAL SHELTER

To conclude this blog post at the end of this momentous semester with the full knowledge of the changes and work still to come, I rest in the memory of what has been and hope for what is to come. I can say that this chapter of my life has ended much like the final sentence in Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows, quoted below. Thanks, readers. Peace to you. 

"All was well." 

J.K. Rowling; 

New Year, New Post!

Happy New Years! Here's to 2016 as a year of progress, peace & purpose.

The spring 2016 semester starts in two days, but even thought it hasn't started yet, I wanted to post an update with photos about my break, my progress, and my goals:

My parents landed in the desert on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015. That was also the start of my two week, self-designated break from work. It was a really, really nice two weeks off. Refreshing and relaxing. We celebrated Christmas with my parents, took them to some of our favorite spots, visited the mountains in Payson, and watched the Green Bay Packers get creamed by the Arizona Cardinals. It was a nice visit. The photo on the right was taken just before Christmas dinner in our dining room.

The day after my parents left, we hit the road for New Years in Durango, CO. We spent about five days up there with some good friends. We read, played games, and celebrated New Years Eve by watching skiers ski down a mountain holding torchlights under fireworks. Pretty cool! And literally, very cool. We were freezing. Time in the mountains is always so refreshing, and we thoroughly enjoyed our mini-vacation. The photo on the left was taken a few miles from my Grandpa's condo in Durango. We are standing on top of a natural hot spring that has mineralized into the mound you see there. The spring is just off of the main highway, and it is a favorite for visitors and bikers to stop and take photos or baths at, respectively. The water is pretty warm and coppery tasting, though. Not great for a drink. 

During the break, Wade and I binged watched the BBC reality show, The Great British Bake Off. It is truly a lovely show, and we became so invested with the contestants and the show itself. Even when I am breaking from my scholarly work, I am still enthralled by discussions and representations of food. Food brings people together. It speaks to culture, community, and identity in ways that no other medium does. The first challenge of every episode is the "Signature Challenge," where the bakers are instructed to represent a part of themselves in the bakes. I mean, so, so fascinating.

Over the break, I also read my first book of 2016. I read Mindy Kaling's newest memoir, Why Not Me? Again, even when taking a break, I still love to read memoirs. I guess that means my work in women's food memoirs really is what I should be studying. I love these glimpses into people's lives, specifically, strong, smart, accomplished women. Mindy's book is honest, funny, and inspiring. In her final chapter she writes, "work hard, know your shit, show your shit, and then feel entitled" (223). If that's not the mantra that I need to adopt to get me through this semester of conferences, my written exam, my dissertation prospectus, and finishing my class work, then I don't know what is. 

The day in between my parents leaving and us leaving for Colorado, I received an email saying that my two portfolio papers and my compiled bibliography to be used for my comprehensive exam had been approved by my committee! This is a the first of the five steps towards completion of the degree, and I was really happy to receive that email even before the spring semester started. It is but one step towards completion, but it feels good to have it checked off after a year of drafts, revision, and feedback. It also means that I am now able to move forward on the other steps that I need towards degree completion. I am very thankful for my chair and committee that offer this feedback and are willing to help me advance towards my degree. 

Finally, I want to address a personal goal that I have adopted for this new year, but one that will be intricately related to my work. I have been trying to think of a word to focus on in this new year in my prayer and mediation time, but also in my work and everyday life. Yesterday I attended my weekly yoga class with my friends and colleagues Casie and Jess, and the theme of the class was "presence." The instructor said several times that in presence there is choice. There is the choice of focus, attitude, and attention. So, this semester and this year, I intend to focus on the word presence. I want to explore what that means in all areas of my life. 

Thanks for reading! I'll be back with a new post soon as this busy, but hopefully very productive, semester gets underway.