Waiting...

 I'm sitting at my desk at home watching the wind and rain. We are waiting for Ian to pass through. He will likely just be a tropical storm by the time he gets here, but campus is closed, the kids have remote learning, and all of our plans for this evening are cancelled.

Last night, Issa and I brought in the porch décor. I did all the laundry. We are stocked with just in case food and ingredients for cozy warm meals. That level of preparation will likely mean we see nothing.

While my heart breaks to see the destruction in Florida and we are holding our breath for South Carolina, I'm not minding a cozy day at home with my people. 

That View

I don't love teaching evening classes. I do my best thinking in the morning, and by 8pm I'm pretty much toast. However:

 It's not a bad view from the office.

A Different Kind of Tired

 Yesterday I got to spend a whole day in a school coaching. I spent the vast majority of my day in kindergarten. I got to work with teachers and kids all day. It was lovely.

And I'm a whole different kind of tired. I doubled my daily steps. It's a whole different kind of thinking and decision making. I crashed hard last night.

I'm also reenergized more than I have been in a long time. I love being in schools, and it gives me energy and perspective. And I get to go back on Friday!

I Made It

Last week will go down as one of the most insane in my recent work life. We had our accreditation Monday through Wednesday and then I co-chaired a state conference Wednesday through Friday. I was leaving the house by 7am and getting home between 8 and 9--not having eaten dinner yet. I was back on campus Saturday for a recruitment event. 

It all went well, but it was a lot. I'm exhausted, and I needed yesterday. Mom, Issa and I went to the first ballet of the season:

 It was such a fun afternoon of dance, and we met the boys for dinner afterwards. We ended the evening and Mom's hanging some paintings for her, and then I came home and collapsed.

Thankfully, this is an easier week. I get to be in schools for two whole days, which always fills my tank, and I don't have any more major events for the foreseeable future!

The Kindness of Strangers

 To say this is a crazy week is an understatement. We have our on-campus national accreditation visit for our education program yesterday through Wednesday and I am co-chairing a state conference Wednesday-Friday. Everything is going very well, but it's a lot!

Yesterday, I had to pick my accreditation team up from the airport. As we were leaving, my driver's side window wouldn't go down, so I had to open the door to insert the paid parking ticket so we could leave. What I didn't realize at the time is that my wallet fell out of the door pocket when I did that.

When we got to their hotel, I realized what had happened. I called airport security and left a message, and then called Brad. He was incredibly kind considering he has told me a million times not to put my wallet there. We made a plan to start calling and cancelling everything.

No sooner had we hung up than Issa called me. The car behind me had seen what happened, picked up my wallet, and DROVE IT TO MY HOUSE! I like to think I am very kind; I would have returned the wallet to security. I can't imagine taking the time to drive it to the owner. I am so incredibly grateful, and it was a wonderful reminder of all the good that is still in the world.

Good Snuggles

We had a lovely weekend. Issa had a lot of dance. Brad went on a hike. I went to see Frozen with my mom and sister. Evan played a new game I will never understand. We pulled out the fall decorations and caught up on yardwork. The highlight, though, was the snuggles:

I love when the temperatures start to cool down and we make more time for movie snuggles as a family--all piled on the couch. Even the cats got the message this weekend:

Now if the temperatures would just drop a few more degrees....
 

Back to Normal!

 We have finally kicked covid to the curb!

Issa can unmask again, and she made it through a full night of dance for the first time last night. Although she was asymptomatic, she realized her body was still fighting the virus. She was getting tired pretty easily, so she is glad to be over that hurdle!

I deep cleaned the last bathroom this morning! Issa and I had been sharing ours to contain any germs, and now that she is through her window we are all moving back to our normal bathrooms and routines.

I'm still trying to get my voice fully back, but I am very, very happy to be closing this chapter!

The Mask in the Room

 You may have noticed Issa was wearing a mask in some of her birthday pictures. After avoiding it for over two years, Issa and I managed to get Covid last week. The Saturday we went to AR Workshop for her birthday, I woke up with a bit of a scratchy throat, which I blamed on allergies. By the time we got home, I was tired and took a nap. Brad woke me up for dinner, but I went back to sleep. When I woke up on Sunday, I felt like I had been hit by a truck and tested positive. I isolated in our room and bathroom, and Brad brought trays of food to the door. I had a really sore throat (which led to a bit of a cough) and was exhausted, but thankfully that was the extent of it.

Tuesday morning, I got an isolation buddy:

Issa had zero symptoms, but she tested positive. It was much more fun to have a buddy. She was able to keep up with her school work, and we did a lot of binge watching. She also cleaned out my drawers, closet, and jewelry box! 

I could go into the out Friday, so I took over some of the meal running. Issa could come out Sunday. Today is the first day I don't have to mask at home, and Issa will be all the way clear on Friday! Thankfully, both boys avoided it.

Issa and I are still recovering. My throat and voice are still not 100%, and we both get tired pretty easily. 

Covid is a funny thing. We have no idea where we picked it up. Everyone I talked to has had a slightly different experience, and we are feeling very lucky that our cases were as mild as they were. We are so ready to get back to normal!

A Very Happy Birthday!

 We had a great time celebrating Issa last night! She made this mama's heart very happy when she asked for books from Brad and I:

She gave us a whole list, and then we picked from there:

She used a gift card to add a few more to her collection last night, too! She is just like me: she loves the smell and feel of real books.

Nana and Aunt Shannon came over for dinner, and Issa was very thrilled with Aunt Shannon's gift of Doc Martins:

The rest of the outfit was part of her birthday from Nana! 

We ended the night by filling out all of her tax forms and direct deposit for her first job! I can't think of anything more grown up!

Happy Sweet Sixteen!

Our girl is officially sixteen today! We actually started celebrating last Saturday with a trip to AR Workshop--just Issa, her best friend, and I. We had a blast making larger projects:

These two are so fun:

And we were thrilled with the final result:

Yesterday, Mom, Shannon, and I took her shopping, and this morning she woke up to decorations:

She will open gifts tonight, and we will keep celebrating all week!

Happy sweet sixteen, baby girl! We love you!