Bridal Shower

A couple of weekends ago, the Albuquerque "Aunties" hosted a beautiful bridal shower for me. The Aunties (Shirley, Susan, Laura, Jean Ann, Ellin, and Kate) are Amy's good friends and have know Ian most of his life. The shower was so lovely, they planned an amazing and delicious French lunch that they cooked themselves (so good!), gorgeous flower arrangements, a yummy cocktail named "The Elizabeth", and so many pretty touches. The weather was perfect and we were able to eat outdoors and enjoy the sunshine and the garden. The Aunties are a fun group of women and I'm so glad I've gotten the opportunity to get to know them. Thank you for the shower and for making me feel so welcomed and special!


Ellin serving lunch. The Aunties had aprons made that listed all other couples who have been married out of their group of children.


The beautiful flower arrangements


Another picture of the flowers and pretty table decorations


My mom, Amy, and I with the Aunties

Dr. Parkman

After five years of hard work, Ian has earned his Ph.D.! On Thursday Ian successfully defended his dissertation, “Two Essays Examining Design Briefs as Knowledge-Based Assets: Contents and Cross-Functional Collaboration”. I was able to attend his defense and he did a great job. I was so proud! Overall, Ian has made the process of getting a Ph.D. look easy. Besides earning the degree, Ian has also had a journal article accepted for publication, spoken at several conferences, and received a teaching award. However, these last few weeks before he turned in the dissertation and leading up to the defense were pretty stressful and Ian had quite a few long days (and nights) trying to get everything finished up. But I know that the hard work has been worth it and that Ian truly enjoyed the process and experience of being a Ph.D. candidate. Now we can look forward to graduation and to Ian’s new job as a faculty member at Loyola University Maryland.


Ian at the defense



Our cat, Lola, giving Ian some emotional support as he works on his dissertation