A Balancing Act

Happy Labor Day Weekend, I know I need it. It has been a big month and I've reached the halfway marker (I hope) of my traveling. On the whole I'm feeling good and confident about my travels and work life. However, it has thrown my life balance off. I knew going into this that it wold be a challenging start to the school year, and so far it's holding true. It's just a lot of work for one person to do. So, it's my Fall goal to put those two worlds in harmony once more. 

How will I do that?! Well, I've top-loaded my year with traveling specifically to get it out of the way in one go. I'm killing several birds by hosting conferences rather than visiting each individual school and doing my best to set up a network of collaboration, thereby spreading a little of the responsibility to others. It's a start.

So what's on the Fall Fun Family agenda? Lots! The Annual Art Prize brunch, hooray! A trip with Jon to NYC for a long weeding weekend, awesome! Picking apples at Klackle, yum. Plenty of Michigan football games, go blue! Coffee dates with friends, love me some coffee. Watching HP play in a YMCA sport-sampler league of 3-5 year-olds, hehe. Putting on my favorite boots. Pumpkin spice lattes and crispy evening walks. Delicious.

HP saw his first movie in the theater :)

A Roadtrip, solo

Hello from Indianapolis, IN! I'm parked right in the heart of the city about to go into a New Directors meeting. This is State number 3 that I've visited this week. I look forward to rounding the corner to my own little house tonight.

Last year, my first in my current role, I hopped sporadically from school to school and state to state. This year I'm holding Regional Conferences for my schools, and so far its been successful! Now with NC and OH down I'm heading into 3 regional meetings across Michigan. It should be both awesome and rough. But yes, a whole lot better than travelling here and there like last year.

Some takeaways- I really do like Dayton, OH. If you haven't been it really is worth a drive through :) Indy's downtown mall has to be one of my favorites. And NC provided some actual Summer heat (much needed). But nobody likes the drive from Indy to Grand Rapids. Long, flat and boring. Blerg.

On the home front Jon was awarded an employee of the month-type award! Yay! I know he deserves it. And especially with me being gone so often these next 2 months I'm sure he'll win the best parent award too :)

HP actually sat through his first big boy haircut with Jon! I would have loved to see that :) Over these past years he has always gotten haircuts from his babysitter, Cindy, and myself. Cindy does it way better than me. Of course there was the time Jon tried his hand at it to.....best not to mention.

Also on the HP-front, he is participating in his very first field trip with his class today! I kick myself for not being able to chaperon :( I wish I could see him play with his buddies and enjoy a picnic lunch at the park. Sweet boy :)

Sum Sum Summertime

I would like to state that not seeing me writing and updating the blog shows I had a productive, busy Summer :) And now that I'm updating....well, that means that work is kicking into high gear again.

I know its only the early part of August but around here it definitely feels like we've turned that corner into Fall. I could have really used some more uncomfortably hot days. Come on, whats a Michigan summer without your legs sticking to every chair you sit down on?

Speaking of sitting down, I sat (or perched rather) on my bicycle for an entire (or at least the better part of) a day. Why? Because I finally accomplished a goal that has been on my list of things, I rode a century. 100 miles. In a day. ....without any real training....and without tuning my bike up.  I'm way less proud of those last two bits of information. But anyway. Check it off. Whew. Truly the only reason I did this massive ride was because I was shamed by my father :) More or less. Well, truly he is the only reason I actually finished that beast of a ride. And he drove us home while I was pretty much dead to the world. And he finished out the day running after my 3 year old while I lay like a slug on the couch. Yes, it broke me.

But I finished :) And that, in the end, is what counts!

My padre, cool as a cucumber

Quite possibly the Red Lantern of the Holland 100 :)

btw- celebrated 5 years married to this guy :)

 A few hot days at the beach 

family tattoos at the air show

Big fan :)

Cousins reunited! 

General silliness 

Plenty of snacking

And blueberry picking! 

That's my kind of summer :)