If you’ll excuse me this Thursday Doors while I spend some time going down memory lane, I’d sure be appreciative. You see, the photos I’m sharing this week are a little over 21 years old. And they connect some dots for one young lady who I’m extremely proud of today. This journey began back when my grandmother, Inez, began her job as a one-room school house teacher in Iowa. New Hope School was pretty lucky to have her as a teacher. Not just because she’s my grandmother, but because you will never meet such a kind, patient human. She didn’t know then that she would be an inspiration as an educated woman to her great granddaughter who was to come into this world 82 years later. (I sure wish they would have met.) And today, we mark another milestone for her…..Rachel has just obtained her Ph.D at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
The photos I have for you are of a family trip we took in 2000 to Winterset, Iowa–some doors included. It had been mentioned to me that my grandmother was driven over Rosemann Bridge by her dad on her way to teach. I know I took time to seek out this bridge. The school is gone now and so many other landmarks, but we have the memories of this little vacation that I had no idea was such a big deal in our future. Rachel dedicated her dissertation today to her great grandma. Yes, tears alert. Anyway, I hope you will take a peek at today’s trip down some old dirt roads in Madison County, Iowa.
Thanks to Dan over at No Facilities for letting me enter this ‘door’ connecting the past and present on this momentous occasion. Please visit his place for more wonderful doors from around the world.
Wow – you covered it all this week. Grandma, doors, covered bridges, family vacation, AND an amazing young woman earning her Ph.D. Applause for all the hard work that went into that process. Jayhawk for life! 🙂
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Thanks so much Judy! You always drop lovely comments our way 🙂 Rockchalk for sure!! (Even from this Mid Mo gal) 🙂
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This is a wonderful story. I love the way people influence us as we are growing up, and they may not even know they’re doing it. They are just living the life they always lived. Thank you so much for sharing this story as part of Thursday Doors. Congratulations to Rachael, that is quite an accomplishment, and a wonderful tribute to dedicate her dissertation to her great grandmother.
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Thank you very much! That is so true. I keep thinking how amazed grandma would have been to even imagine a woman could hold a doctorate. Gets ya in the feels.
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A trip down memory lane for me too. I used to live in Dallas county Iowa, which was the county just north. I am planning a trip home in the next year and look forward to seeing the covered bridges and quilt museum in Winterset!
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Thanks for dropping in! I’ve got the museum on my todo list as well 😊
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Congratulations to her and you and your grandmother. 🙂 A fine line! And you got to see the Bridge of Madison County as well!
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Thank you! And glad you’re familiar with these bridges 😊
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Only from the film. 🙂 In it Meryl Streep looks so much like my grandmother.
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She must’ve been gorgeous 😊
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congrats on the diss being completed – now I hope she has fun putting all that training to wrk!
and also wonderful memory lane post
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Thank you very much! I’ll relay the congrats and we are now celebrating her apartment find. Such a journey it’s been 😊
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🙂
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Hello Katy, congrats to Rachel – a doctorate is a great accomplishment and milestone! What was the subject of her study? And this beautiful covered bridge is a lovely background for a capture:) Have a new url now.
https://livingbetweentrorealms.wordpress.com. Am happy to continue blogging! jeshie
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I will be checking out your new place tomorrow. End of the day for me here. Thank you for the congrats and I’ll be happy to pass these on 😊 she has her degree in Political Science and is now professor at Bethany College. We are sure proud parents!
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I must have missed this Thursday Doors. I love the family photo on the bridge. Congratulations to your daughter and what an inspiration she had in her great grandma. I didn’t know John Wayne was born there, I met him in my teens when he came to Dublin. He was so tall and I got to kiss him on the cheek.
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That is an awesome memory! I heard from my hubby just this evening that a gun he used in True Grit sold for over $500,000! Still a legend💕 and we kinda think grandma was too ☺️
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I went with my best friend to see John Wayne as she was such a big fan of his. True Grit was the movie she went to see in the cinema to celebrate her Confirmation (religious ceremony).
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That’s really pretty wonderful!
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