As I mentioned last week, Emily's final defense was this past Friday morning. It went very well! She still has another MAJOR due date tomorrow [Friday] so I don't believe she has been able to come out of hiding very much just yet. So, for those of ya'll dying to know how it went, I thought I would give you a little update.
Like I said, it went very well. I think the only glitch was the fact that we made it to school with only my phone for a camera. How does this happen?! Well, we did get there at 8:27 [33 minutes early I must point out] and all 3 siblings were vertical, dressed [thank goodness], and talking in almost complete sentences. AND we made it out of the house in time to stop by and pick up 2 dozen donuts and some extra goodies for Andrew.
***Sidenote: When Andrew got back to the car with the baked goods I noticed an extra little white paper bag that he smugly kept to himself. 'What's in THAT bag?' I asked. 'MY breakfast,' he responded, '2 kolaches and a donut.' Now, if you know Andrew, like really know Andrew, you know 2 things about him: 1) he does not like sweets [tragic, I know] and 2) he does not consume a whole lot of food. 'So, you didn't think 2 dozen donuts was enough for your huge appetite?' I asked. That's when he hit me with the truth: 'Well, when it comes to food and events like this, it's the family that always takes the hit. I just bought insurance that I would get some breakfast this morning.' Point taken.
Anyways....back to the task at hand. We pulled up to the building and Andrew, our Chauffeur, kindly dropped us off at the Suicide Steps [Appropriately named for their steep nature however I'm not sure if this was the best place for us to enter the building on this particular morning.] So, Emily, the donuts, the Warhol [that was yet to be matted and hung], ice chest containing milk & OJ, and myself delicately made it up said Suicide Steps. [Successfully I might add!]
One of the cool things about Emily's final defense was that it was held in the exact same room/gallery that mine was in. [She was there for mine as well!]
***I would like to thank Glen Vigus and his Canon for coming to the rescue. As I said, we only had my phone as a camera and while it does take decent outdoor pictures, most indoor ones leave much to be desired. So, any pictures in the post that appear clear, crisp, and professional are without a doubt Glen's. Any that are blurry, flat, and somewhat colorless are shots taken by Yours Truly :)
Moments before she presented. While she wears an obvious look of nervousness and desperation I am smiling and trying to hide my feeling of 'Haha, it's YOUR turn now!' |
Stephen!!! This is one of the professors that I was a T.A. for and now Emily has gotten to T.A. for him, too. We love Stephen! |
Thursday night before her review, I went to get both Emily and I a glass of water. When I opened the cabinet I was startled to see one of her camera lenses shelved away on the top shelf. I was immediately worried for Emily's safety, sanity, and security. 'Um, Emily...do you know that you have one of your camera lenses in the cabinet?!' Grinning, she told me to pick it up. It was a cup! How cool is that?! So, I secretly stuck it in the 'To Go' pile of stuff and surprised her Friday morning by filling it with water and setting it by the podium.
Emily & Jake. Jake made it to the room before us and helped keep us all calm in the minutes leading up to the presentation. |
After she presented and we completed the Q&A portion of the review, Emily met privately with her committee. Overall they were pleased with her work and efforts but gave her a few things that she needed to work on before turning in the final draft of her paper and project to the Office of Graduate Students. Oh, and by the way, she only had 1 WEEK to complete this lest she have to stay another semester. She has made it very clear that she is NOT staying a day past December's graduation ceremony so it goes without saying that she is extremely motivated and has continued to work hard.
She has 28 hours left.
Apparently I have been harassing her too much this week and I got this email in my inbox last night:
Ellen i love you but youre going to have to wait on the pics from lauras wedding. my paper is due in less than 48 hours and i still have to a lot to do. Please know im saying this with a smile. :) i did put pics on fb from the defense if you want to grab those. I will get them to you i promise. Your email is starred. I wont forget!
Don't you feel the love? lol. In my defense, up until yesterday I thought she had 2 WEEKS from the date of her presentation to complete the project. Sigh, what are sisters for?!
So, if you are waiting to hear from her or haven't seen her at her local posts of Blue Baker or salsa night, please bear with her 28 more hours at which point she will be a [somewhat] free woman. I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers and messages of encouragement.
Now get to work, Emily! I even hesitated posting this today because I know that you will stop what you're doing and read it. I will not be the reason that you did not complete your work in time :) Seriously.
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