Surreal

Jason's thesis defense was yesterday.  And he passed.  And, with just a few revisions, he's done.  It's very had to believe that this day has finally come.  And gone.

He did SUCH a great job in his hour-long presentation.  Given the constant head-nodding, note scribbling, and focused attention of the audience members around me, I'd say the results Jason presented were rather significant.

I tried my best to stay interested, but mostly I spent the hour thinking about all that we've been through to get to this point.  How we met.  Our first dates.  The semester we were engaged, when Jason did so horribly in his classes that he was placed on academic probation.  My graduation.  His first graduation.  The conversation we had on the lawn of the Brown Apartments when he told me he didn't want to be a dentist after all.  The summer he spent repairing sprinklers (I loved how he used to come home so tired and dirty, with pockets full of cash) and knew he wanted to stay in school.  The decision to stay at BYU so he could pursue a Masters degree in Genetics- he studied quinoa back then- a far less controversial crop than the corn he is an expert on now.  I thought about the time we've spent at Indiana and how great it's been for our family to have this adventure.  I thought about where we're headed next and all that is in store for us now that he's done.

Done!

His thesis is titled "Genomic Approaches For Improving Grain Yield In Maize Using Formerly Plant Variety Protected Germplasm".  It's 200 pages long, and the kids refer to it as 'Daddy's corn book'.  The dedication reads, "To my wife, Melanie, who has walked side-by-side with me through the struggles and successes of life.  She has been my rock when I have faced trials and uncertainty.  I could not have succeeded without her."

I certainly know I couldn't be where I am today without my best friend by my side.  I am so proud of Jason and all the hard work he has put into getting to this day.

For as many times as we've seen friends reach this fantastic goal, I really couldn't appreciate the work, the sacrifice, and the sheer energy that has gone into it right up to the end.  Some days it was more of a mind game than anything- getting the work done was no small task for Jason, and supporting him in it for months was an effort for our whole family.  And we did it!  We made through together.  One day while Jason was in the thick of writing his thesis he confided in me that he felt this was the closest he'd ever come to understanding being pregnant- there is only one way out and he was the only one that could do it!  Another day he shared a story of total and complete writer's block that was overcome as soon as he knelt down in his office and prayed for help to keep writing.  This entire experience has been an amazing one for all of us.

My meager contribution to the day was refreshments- 15 dozen cookies and juice.

Once the defense was over, Jason's advisor took the entire lab out to dinner at our favorite local pizza place.  Jason has been doing happy little jigs and letting out satisfied sighs of relief ever since.  He got right back work today, but the real celebration starts this weekend- we are taking a 5-day home-finding trip to Iowa without the kids.  Hopefully we'll have another success story to tell soon!