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.

 

Book 10

Yesterday, I finished book 10:

 When I started HERS, I never imagined they would ask us to read Marcus Aurelius, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It truly is his meditations on just life and being. It also sounded so much like Granddaddy it made me wonder if he read it.

First Meredith Celebration

The boys and I headed to campus last night to celebrate Issa's induction into Alpha Lambda Delta:

ALD recognizes outstanding academic performance in the first semester, and we were very proud of to celebrate ours:

It's highly convenient that she can her roommate are side by side alphabetically, too:

We went to her favorite pizza place afterwards, and it's always so good to have a family dinner. 

We didn't get home until well after my bedtime, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
 

Yes Trip Weekend

It was finally time for Evan's Fifteenth Year Yes Trip this weekend. Friday morning, he and Brad hit the road for Philadelphia and the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships:

The whole weekend was wrestling and eating. They got a later start than planned thanks to a screw in a tire (thankfully discovered in our driveway), so by the time they got there is was time to Grub Hub dinner and watch the second round on TV. Evan was delighted by his burritos the size of his head:

There hotel was very close to Reading Terminal Market, so the rest of the weekend they ate there. Aside from the melon, it was basically all carbs, meat, and cheese. There were so many gluten free options, including funnel cake, which was a huge winner. It was a huge topic of conversation when they got home that they needed to get online and order some of the mix. Right before bed, they realized they probably could have just brought some home, and then today I discovered this picture in the photo folder:

Bless. They enjoyed every bite so much they forgot how to shop.

Saturday was the main event:

By all accounts, they saw two once in a lifetime moments. They saw Starocci gets his fifth national championship thanks to his extra year of COVID eligibility:

They also saw the biggest upset in wrestling history:

Hendrickson pinned Gable:

It was so fun to hear all of their stories last night, and Evan thought it was absolutely the best weekend ever. They had a great hotel room to eat and watch live coverage until they went themselves, and they had great seats!

Meanwhile, I had a weekend all alone. I met up with friends a couple or times. I also went to the pottery studio and made my first lidded vessel:

And I actually went to book club:

I'm famous for reading the book but not actually going. 

Mostly, I spent the weekend tackling projects. I got the whole front yard spring cleaned, did the pruning in the back, and mowed for the first time of the season. I also cleaned all of the pantries:

And I packed up St. Patrick's Day and got out Easter. Buddy and I also found time for some front porch sitting:

I am so grateful for some time to cross things off my list, but I'm even more grateful that Evan had the Yes Trip of his dreams.