Passed!

Yesterday I passed my dissertation defense!

Already it feels like a distant blurry memory. It was great having so many friends there, and my parents were able to drive in from Peoria (although when Dad raised his hand to ask a question, I wondered for a second why I’d invited them!). This was the last major milestone. I’ll be making revisions and dealing with the mountain of paperwork for a little while longer, but soon I’ll be Dr. Bietz. (Which, as dad reminded me, has a much better ring to it than “Master Bietz.”)