Jerikaye's Firedance at Roxi's PhD Party

Today's video comes from our trip back to the States in May for Roxi's graduation. On May 24, 2009, we had a huge party at Roxi's parents' house in Lafayette, LA to celebrate the achievement. The evening culminated with a fire dance performed by Roxi's friend Jerikaye.

Jet Lagged

I haven't blogged much in the past few weeks for a couple of reasons. Roxi and I made a trip back to Lafayette for the last two weeks in May to attend her PhD commencement ceremony and to attend the wedding of some of our best friends, Charles and Claire. During the two weeks we were in Lafayette, we were busy every day with friends and family but it was great. It was a vacation to a home we had only left four months ago. With the help of our parents, we hosted a spectacularly well attended graduation party for Roxi over Memorial Day weekend. Over those two weeks, I saw more of my friends and family than I have seen over the previous two and a half years of living in Louisiana.

We arrived back in the Netherlands last Tuesday and were both hit hard by a jet lag that I have never experienced before. I've only made three previous trans-Atlantic flights before but have never had trouble adjusting to the time change. Likewise, on my previous trips back to the States, I had no trouble readjusting either. This time though, both Roxi and I were knocked out by the flight. It has taken us the entire week since to readjust to a regular schedule. I'm sure it has not been helped by the ever lengthening days here in the Netherlands (at this point there are only about six hours of darkness each night). It's very discombobulating to see sunlight at 10:00 pm! Anyway, I plan to post more regularly now that I have some semblance of a normal sleep/wake cycle and as we experience more of what the Netherlands has to offer.

Dr. Roxanne Beaugh Benoit Raine

This post is a few days late but we've been pretty busy since we left Enschede last Friday for a two week visit to Lafayette. On Sunday night, all the hard work and time that Roxi has put in to her research and dissertation culminated in her graduation from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Cognitive Science. I am so proud of her accomplishment and decision to stick it out even though it was very, very hard at times. She was one of only nineteen PhDs this semester and the only graduate in Cognitive Science from UL this year. Congratulations Dr. Roxanne Beaugh Benoit Raine!

Dr. Roxanne Beaugh Benoit Raine, Ph.D.

Roxi just completed her dissertation defense with her committee in Louisiana via Skype! She still has to make edits to the paper version of her dissertation and submit to the university editor but on May 17, she will be receiving her diploma in Lafayette!