Books 18 and 19

Book 18 was our book club pick:

I didn't love it, but I'm going to finish the trilogy. This book very much establishes character and world, and I've heard the final two books are incredible. There were about six very different plotlines that very minimally overlapped, but I'm curious to see where they go.

Book 19 was another book we are reading as a campus:

This book talks a lot about the overparenting and social media use of Gen Z. I think Haidt overstates his case in multiple places, but I don't disagree with some of his findings. It makes me very grateful that Brad and I let our kids climb trees and use adult tools. 
 

And Now He's Off!

Tuesday, I moved Evan into his dorm room at NC State for their wrestling camp. He is there with a good chunk of his team, and he says he is learning a ton!

They have dual meets every day, and the first day her went 2-0:

Yesterday he went 4-2:

He said one of his losses was to a guy who placed at state and he can see why! 

With both kids away this week, Brad and I are actually enjoying our little preview of empty nest. We certainly miss them and love getting their updates, but we also are loving the time together and the ability to be a bit more spontaneous. 
 

She's Off!

Issa is officially living her best Italian life! She was supposed to fly out Saturday, but her flight was cancelled. They were rebooked Sunday on better flights, and she was off:

On the long flight, she had the whole exit row to herself, and when she landed, she immediately fell in love with the countryside--especially the trees. She is learning the two and the culture, and she is able to eat so easily and so well.

I am so proud of how she is launching herself into new experiences, and I can't  wait to keep hearing about her adventures.
 

A Quick Trip North

We made a very quick trip to Wisconsin last week. The primary purpose of our visit was to see Papa Don and Grandma Nancy:


It was the first time we had seen them since they moved up there, and we are so grateful for the time together. We also fell in love with their little corner of Wisconsin.

One of the things on Brad's bucket list was to visit the House on the Rock, which features prominently in one of his favorite books. We had no idea it was fifteen minutes from their house! We stayed at the House on the Rock Resort, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his team. It has been beautifully maintained, and we loved sitting on our balconies and watching the deer in the evening.

The House itself was built by one of the most eccentric men in history, and pictures will never do it justice. It was the perfect way to celebrate 23 years, though:

The house itself was build room by room, the last one being this infinity room that looks out over the valley:

The wobble was too much for me at the end, but it was beautiful.

The rest of the complex is his series of collections. Issa loved capturing us in the cool mirrors:

He is most known for his music boxes, which are actually whole orchestras that he has automated:

And this carousel is the largest in the world and the feature of the book:

Everything was quirky and you never knew what the next room would hold, but we loved it:

The next day we explored Cave of the Mounds, which was breathtaking:

It's hard to believe it was accidentally discovered when they were blasting for gravel:

It also features a restored prairie we loved exploring:

And no trip to Wisconsin is complete without a stop at the cheese factory:

Our final day took us to the Henry Villa Zoo in Madison, where we got to see a sloth up close:

And become friends with a rhino who has a log wubby he carries with him:

It was a fast and full four days, but I'm so very, very grateful for some family time, laughter, and rest in the middle of this wild summer.

 

Book 17

I ended up reading another professional development book recommended by our new provost:

 It was fascinating to read about the key characteristics of each generation and how they impact each other. Working on a college campus, I can see some of those interactions so clearly now, and it was helpful to think about how the world is changing as Gen Z becomes adults. I highly recommend for anyone in leadership in any organization.

Books 15 and 16

I recently finished two more books!

The first was our latest book club selection; I loved it and actually made it to book club:

Somehow this author never hit my radar, but I love him. It's a fantasy world that speaks directly to our current one, and I appreciated the discussion about religion versus faith.

The second book was a major goal of mine:

I really wanted to read a popular book in Italian. I picked this one up at the co-op in Sansepolcro, and it was just a fun read. The title translates to I Hate You But I Love You More, and it was just a fun rom com read. I'm sure proud I could do it--and enjoy it!
 

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 45 on Monday, and while this is one of the busiest work weeks of the summer for me, my family has made sure we have taken time to celebrate.

Sunday night, Brad made me an angel food cake. Gram used to make me one every year, and I don't think I've had a homemade one since she passed. I was missing it, and Brad killed it. Like. I cried it was so good.

Monday night, Mom joined us for dinner at Nomad. It really is one of our favorite places, and it was lovely to just relax after a very long day on campus.

Last night, we went to McKay's, which is our new favorite book store/media store/game store. It's all used, and it is huge but incredibly well-organized. We have been talking about getting a record player for a while, and last night we did it:

We picked up a stack of vinyl, including most of Taylor Swift's albums, Billy Joel, Bon Jovi, and Harry Chapin. It was so fun to listen to them last night, and even Evan said he is enjoying having music downstairs again.

Saturday we are spending the day doing nothing as the final celebration, which I am so very, very excited about!
 

Best Part of My Job

One of the very best aspects of my job is leading study abroad. I have spent all spring semester getting to know this group of students, and we just spent the last two weeks in Italy studying schools and the culture in general:

I did a horrible job taking pictures. The one above is outside my favorite school--the Liceo Artistico. It's a high school for students who want to become professional artists: jewelers, fabric designers, fashion designers, graphic artists, and architects. It's amazing to see what these students create, and it's so good for my students to see all that teenagers can do when given the tools. That is actually a huge thread throughout all schools. Students are given earlier and more access to tools and responsibility.

We also went to see my friend Laida and her olive orchard. We learned how to make pizza and pasta:

We also went back to the archives to see and touch books from the 1200s:

Schools do this tour to learn more about the history of the community, and my students took back so many ideas about how to partner and utilize the community as classroom.

One of my students also captured this:

I'm so grateful. I love sharing places and spaces I love, and I love that they wanted to learn. This group was intensely curious, and they spent far more time in each place than any other group I have taken.

The most meaningful moment for me, though, was at St. Peter's. This is a Jubilee year, which means the Holy Door is open for the first time in 25 years. The morning we were there, the Pope started a new pilgrim's walk from the edge of the square through the door. Every 40 or so people, a monk carrying a cross lead a group in responsive prayer. We had prayer books, and it was an invitation and a call to unity across denominations. It truly was a Holy walk.

We put our feet in the sea, ate a ton of amazing food, and laughed so much. I have written a 45 page journal about the experience, and I can't wait to go back again.

 

Celebrations

We have a lot to celebrate around our house!

Saturday, we moved Issa home for the summer. She had done so much packing and bringing home that we were completely finished moving her out in less than an hour. We still have a lot of unpacking and sorting to do at home, but it's good to have her home. 

Sunday we also started celebrating Evan's big sixteenth birthday. Mom and Shannon came over for steaks and Brad's new layered oreo dessert. This year, he rounded out the usual clothes and video games with some of his favorite snacks:

He is so easy to celebrate:

 The big news and biggest reason for his smile is our new family member:

Evan has been stalking the animal shelter websites for a few months. We lost Neela almost 10 months ago, and he has been more than ready to add a puppy to the family. We realized this is kind of the sweet spot when we would all be home, so we went just to look on Saturday. Issa was all too happy to push move out to the afternoon for the chance of a puppy.

We went to see a pup that had actually already been adopted, but we fell in love with Bella. She is only four months old, so we couldn't do a dog meet at the shelter, so we were banking on Buddy's positive reaction to her scent on us as a good omen. We also had hoped to bring her home after a couple of days to prep, but they are so crowded they are only doing same day adoptions, so Bella came home Saturday. Thankfully, she and Buddy and fast friends:

And she has definitely claimed Evan:

It has been fun watching Buddy teach her how to be a dog:

And she is incredibly smart. She has come and sit down, and she is getting the whole house training incredibly quickly. She even sleeps through the night! She also got her first bath last night when she discovered our frog pond. We are all trying to find new routines, but I'm so glad she joined our family!

Book 14

I think this is the last workish book I am reading for a while:

 My new provost recommended this one, and it is really good. We are about to launch a new strategic plan, and I have a gut feeling this will be the guide book. While I really enjoy learning, I'm ready for a little fiction again.

Back on Stage

We spent Saturday on campus watching Issa take the stage again:

She has spent this semester in the cast of two different dance pieces, and they were each in a show this weekend. I loved seeing her back on stage--especially without a knee brace! 

I have also loved listening to her talk about the process. She has made great friends, and she has enjoyed dancing for new choreographers. There was not one single bit of nerves--just pure joy--which made this Mama very happy.
 

Book 13

I finished book 13 this morning:

One of our presenters at HERS recommended this book, and considering her strategies have helped me negotiate two pretty sweet deals at work lately, I decided I should probably read it! It really just elaborated on all that she said, but it definitely helped me get a better understanding of my negotiation style and how I can improve my process. I have a feeling it's one I will refer to often moving forward.

A Giant Catch Up

I can't believe it's been a month since I have blogged, but it's because I've been so busy living this one great life. It has been a whirlwind, and I kept waiting for time to write individual posts. Since that clearly is not happening, I thought I would do one big catch up.

At the end of March I went to my final weekend of HERS. I'm still so incredibly grateful for this opportunity. Over the course of that weekend, I learned so much. I had an amazing one-on-one session with an executive coach, had the opportunity to present my leadership project and get feedback before I presented it on campus, and I had the biggest fan girl moment of my adult life:

Maria Salazar presented about humanizing leadership. Maria is a phenomenal teacher educator and scholar; I use her work in my classes. She is also just a lovely human.

I'm still basking in the friendships I've created through HERS. Our GroupMe app still bings daily, and I have no doubt that will continue. I'm especially grateful for this little trio:

Zora and Karen have become confidants, cheerleaders, and accountability buddies. 

Yesterday, I pitched my leadership project to our new provost, and she loved my ideas. We are already planning how to move it forward. I can see doors in the future that would not have been there if it were not for this program.

The weekend after HERS, Issa and attended Tea for Two:

It's a Meredith sophomore tradition, and it was a fun brunch:

Later that week, I was also able to attend her induction into Psi Chi, the psychology honorary:

She is still loving her major, and I'm loving watching her thrive on campus:

We also had some family time celebrating Easter:

We opted not to do an egg hunt this year, but we still decorated:

I made a little butterfly garden egg:

Brad made a sculpture commenting on the fragility of life:

Issa made a flower:

Evan played with the shrink wraps:

And in the midst of all of this I finished books 11 and 12.

11 is a prequel to the Daindreth series:

It's the first in a five book arc, and I really need the author to write faster!

Book 12 was a random used bookstore find:

It was hands down the spiciest book I have ever read, but it kept me guessing until the very end, and I loved the way the relationships developed. I'm a little sad it is a stand alone book.

In the midst of all of that we have been doing April! It's always a whirlwind at work, and we are gearing up for an equally busy May. I'm just grateful for the experiences and the time with the ones I love.