G & J visit Durham, part 1

Two weeks in Durham for Jul and Gemma - what an amazing visit we had! Fall weather was just beginning, so we had a mix of warm days, chilly days, and rainy days. But through it all we made it to Oval Park every day, of course. Or twice a day. It was terribly spoiling (spoilsome?) to be able to walk out the front door and be at the park two minutes later. (Since when has Oval Park become the hot spot in Durham? Well, it is, and that's just fine with me.)

Mom/Jaja got Gemma hooked on to wind chimes. (and bran muffins, and a nice, dark basement with loud fan going - nice to have some later sleep-in times in the morning!)

A couple of shots of Gemma and Grandpa at the park.

Cousin Asher! Six months older, so he was able to show Gemma some new tricks - like bubbles at bath-time and learning to share toys. The two of them were hilarious together, at times mimicking each other and at other times pushing each other to get at toys (the Winnie the Pooh bus being a favorite).

The first Sunday afternoon we had tea time and a stroll through Duke Gardens (with some folks we knew when they were Blacknall folk back in the early 80s). What a perfect day for the gardens.

Asher is very well read. He is already working on being a good engineer like his Dad. Gemma prefers shoes.

Gemma is fun

Gemma's 1st Birthday!

Gemma turned one (already?!) on Thursday, September 1. To celebrate we invited IU and NSSE friends to join us at Bruster's Ice Cream, a local Bloomington ice cream parlor. And the fact that her birthday fell on a Thursday worked well, since on Thursdays Bruster's offers 1/2 price banana splits for those who bring their own bananas. It was a fun evening!

Jim's Birthday Lunch

Every year, Jul and I enjoy stretching our birthday celebrations out as long as possible. Some of you know of our dinner birthday tradition (wherein the non-birthday person creates an entire meal, from appetizer to dessert, using all new recipes). We have also, over time, added other events to extend the fun - such as lunch out and a special breakfast (no requirement for new recipes here).
For my birthday this year, Julianna drove us to the small village of Beanblossom, to the Farmhouse Cafe. Quaint surroundings (they also have nursery and gardening center) and yummy food.

A Visit to Wheaton

My Aunt Marge, a remarkable person and an incredible, caring woman who loved us within the Gieser family and so many others, too, passed away in August. What can be said, really? This was very difficult for all of us, and yet also a celebration.
The occasion also meant that her memorial service became a Gieser gathering for the weekend. It was great to be with everyone - to process Marge's death together, and just to be with everyone for a few days. Here are a few pictures of the weekend...



One night we enjoyed dinner from Augustino's Deli (see Noah's Italian beef/Italian sausage combo and Katie's pizza below).





Gemma's first visit to Wheaton's front campus.


Steve Ivester, Director of Student Activities at Wheaton, stood in our wedding 10 years ago. Now he's holding our first child!


Gemma with her favorite Gieser Granddaddy.

Another school year begins

To mark the beginning of another year at Indiana University - my third! - we went for a walk across campus. I completed my coursework this summer and also recently finished comprehensive exams. I don't know the outcome yet, but I feel good about what I wrote and will just have to wait and see. My focus for the fall semester, trusting that I passed exams, will be writing the dissertation proposal.
I also continue my assistantship with the National Survey of Student Engagement (www.nsse.iub.edu) at the Center for Postsecondary Research. As a research project associate, I assist with the update and revision process for the survey, a process that becomes necessary simply with the passage of time since it was developed a decade ago and the many changes to higher education in the US since then. It is fun to be involved in this project and I'm learning much. I work with great people, which is also a wonderful blessing.

Gemma comes face-to-face with the bronze statue of Herman Wells, chancellor at IU, 1938-1962. He is a mythic figure here, revered for his leadership and vision, his love for students, and his ability to get things done. That said, many pose beside his statue for a photo. Gemma seems a tad uncertain about the man, however...

1st Birthday for Gemma!

September 1st - Gemma Taylor's 1st birthday, and a Golden Birthday at that! The big event of the day so far was installing her new forward-facing car seat. Wow, what a difference. She was grinning on her first trip of the day (so was I). We will celebrate tonight with banana ice cream splits, joined by a few friends/colleagues of Jim's.

The collage shows one photo of Gemma for every month of her life so far. I think she almost has as much hair now as when she was born, so she is officially our fuzz-head once again. (She quickly shed the dark hair she was born with and is now growing a lighter brown hair.) What a happy, goofy little girl!

(Click on photo for a bigger version & higher resolution. I don't know why it is so fuzzy in the post...anyone know how to fix that?)