Jan 6, 2016: 99,130 words

On Saturday, I submitted my hopefully final draft of my PhD dissertation to my adviser. It has a total of 99, 130 words which can be included in the word count to meet the requirement of 100,000 words (+/- 10%). There are also 44 pages of appendices. (My blog has a total of only 97,737 prior to this post, which were all from 2015. Quite a prolific year!)

Anya helped by proofing my paper (with pay incentive).
Anya helped by proofing my paper (with pay incentive).

The push at the end was hard-won. It isn’t perfect, as it would never be perfect, but it was fine to send to my adviser. I still have work to do this week while he reads it and compiles a list of edits and recommended changes. I’ll be working more on citation checks.

After I finally submit, there will be some preparations for the defense, including reading quite a bit of the works of the defense committee members. However, my focus will turn to learning Swedish for teaching this fall in Sweden. I’ll also get out my Christmas cards, which were delayed from dissertation crunch preparations.

It’s been a while since my last post. Yes, I’ve been a bit busy. So, here are some of the breaks I took from writing.

The Bellevue Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights with Anya and her friend, Annaliese.
The Bellevue Botanical Gardens Christmas Lights with Anya and her friend, Annaliese.
The night included the Snowflake Lane festivities in downtown Bellevue with friends Peter and Kristi (though we saw mostly the back of the crowd).
The night included the Snowflake Lane festivities in downtown Bellevue with friends Peter and Kristi (though we saw mostly the back of the crowd).
Walks on the beach at Pajaro Dunes in the Monterrey Bay, Calif., at my in-laws' beach condo over Christmas. (Too much writing, not enough walking!)
Walks on the beach at Pajaro Dunes in the Monterrey Bay, Calif., at my in-laws’ beach condo over Christmas. (Too much writing, not enough walking!)

Other noteworthy events, especially because they revolve around Anya!

Anya's first loaf of bread machine bread.
Anya’s first loaf of bread machine bread.
Annaliese and Anya tubing on the snow in Snoqualmie Pass with the church youth group
Annaliese and Anya went tubing on the snow in Snoqualmie Pass with the church youth group.

(I stayed home and took a nap and savored the gift of the Sabbath.)

Blessings for 2016,

Beth