The Doctor Will See You Now

Presenting Dr. Nicholas Johnson

This one is still working on his under-undergraduate.

Land of Hope and Glory

On May 13, the St. Louis University School of Medicine held their graduation. Nick's mom, my mom and dad, and my aunt Toots came to town for the event. I was surprised how emotional of an experience it was for me to see the graduates enter the stadium in their robes. These four years have just flown by. This is Nick walking off stage after being clothed in his doctoral robe (the green cape.)

Presenting for the first time, Dr Brad, Dr Brigham, Dr Dan, and Dr Nick.

Wait! These guys are doctors now?? Remember, nobody get sick in July when the interns start. They don't know what they are doing.
(This picture isn't really fair to Nick. He's standing downhill from Dan, and Dan is REALLY tall. Dan could have gone to med school or played on the Jazz's developmental team: obviously he chose med school.)

Nick with his very proud mother, Debbie.

How is it that Debbie's hair is totally unaffected by the wind? It's obviously doing a number on mine and Henry's. Nick is protected by his very heavy-duty mortar board.

It was such a bittersweet event, so excited for Nick's accomplishment, but sad to see our friends scattered from coast to coast. Not all of our family could come to St. Louis, but we're grateful to all of them for their support and encouragement over the years.

Congratulations, Dr Nick!


*The title is a rather obscure reference, which perhaps one person in my music history class might remember. The name of the section of Elgar's Op 39 No 1, which is commonly referred to as the graduation march, is "Land of Hope and Glory."

He Just Doesn't Get It

He thinks he can fit through the gate.

He was wrong.

He Can Dance If He Wants To

Tim's New Assistant

He knows Word and Xcel. Takes a half-hour lunch break and two hour naps.

New Playground

We're packing up our stuff in preparation of our move to Chicago. Bookshelves and cupboards are bare, creating a new and exciting playground for Henry. At least it keeps him from trying to "help" us while we're packing boxes. He's really more into unpacking than packing.

Special Visitors

For graduation, we've had some VIP's come to St. Louis. Debbie (Nick's mom), Jo Ellen (my aunt), and Doug and Linette (my parents) were in town for the monumental event. It rained most of the time they were here, but we still managed to have a good time. Highlights included the St. Louis Museum of Art, The Blue Owl Restaurant, Pappy's Barbecue, and Ted Drewe's.

Jo Ellen was the only one who hadn't been to the Botanical Garden before. Just the two of us went, and I made her get the mandatory "sheep" picture. It was the kind of weather where you need an umbrella and sunglasses at the same time.

The funniest part of the visit was the 1992 Honda with one working door. We had too many people for our 4-door car, so my dad and Nick would follow behind in the Honda. Nick has worked on the passenger door, but still can't get it to open. Everywhere we went, including graduation, Nick rolled down the window and climbed in or out of the car. My mom drove Nick to pick up take-out, and when he rolled down the window and climbed out, patio diners were staring. My mom yelled at them, "He's a Doctor!"

Nick would like it on the permanent record, that when he left his medical school graduation, he did so in an eighteen-year-old car through the passenger door window. That way when our teenagers complain about driving a used car, we can say, "Back in my day . . . "