Feels Like Fall

We had a lovely weekend doing as very little as possible. Issa came home for the holiday weekend, and we did one last round of burgers on the grill to celebrate the end of summer.

I spent a lot of time in the backyard with Bella and my book:

 The weather finally feels like fall is coming, and Bella is loving being outside. I put the pumpkin on the front door and did my first fall manicure. It's time.

I think Evan and I will take the pool down this weekend, and I think that will quickly be followed by a fire in the fire bowl and full dive into fall.

Book 22 and a Weekend with my Boy

Issa is all settled in at school, and Brad went to a meditation workshop this weekend, so it was just Evan and I. Our whole weekend revolved around eating. Friday night we went to the Nickel for wings, Saturday we went to a local pizza place that only has gluteny pizza, and last night we got his favorite Taco Bell. My stomach may never recover, but it was so fun to just hang out with him all weekend. A lot of it was spent outside with this girl:

Bella will play fetch all day, and I think we just about did. She also crushed her training class this week, which was really nice. We are seeing so much growth!

I also finished book 22, a book club pick:

This was a Hallmark movie with a cover, and I loved every page of it. It was a nice break and fluff after a few heavy reads!

Book 21

Book 21 was a hard read:

This book captures of the 44 laws of capturing or holding power. It is a really insightful book that gives examples and counterexamples from across the world and time. I want to be angry about it, but it is so very true.

Given the context of our world, it explains a lot, and it certainly is a handbook for playing the game. I'm just trying to think about how to play it for the greater good.

 

It Explains So Much

Bella has been with us for three months, and she just keeps getting bigger and better:

She is so smart, and she loves to play. She is also incredibly stubborn and vocal. We have been incredibly curious about her breed, so we finally did the DNA test, which explains everything:

 Evan got his Husky. The energy and the sass come straight from that section of the breakdown. Now we just have to figure out how to channel it all!

He's Off!

Evan is having a very big month. Although school doesn't start for another two weeks, he sent me this first day of class picture:

He is doing two college classes at Durham Tech this semester, and he started Monday. He is loving the flexibility of a college schedule, and so far the homework is minimal. We are super proud of him for taking this leap, and we hope pre-calc and Java go well this semester!
 

She's In!

We moved Issa in last Friday! Year two was so much easier emotionally but a bit more complicated in the packing department. So many things were in nice flat boxes last year, and now we were moving built furniture and stuff to outfit a whole room since she has a single, but we managed to do it in just two cars!

Since Issa is an RA this year, she got to move in early and was the only one on her floor doing so! We had the elevator to ourselves, and we could load everything into the other half of the suite and then unpack slowly in her room. It made for a very happy move:

Her room is so cute, and I know she is going to be a great RA:

She brought back fabric from Italy to decorate the room, and she's divided her room into zones. This is her sleeping bed:

And this is her lofted couch bed for relaxing or studying:

She has her own bathroom, which is incredible:

And she set up her little kitchen again:

She has one desk for studying and another for beverage preperation:

It was nice to be able to get her fully settled complete with everything on the walls:

Even if it was a bit much at times:

We did learn we needed the good tape; tacky tuff just didn't cut it:

It only took us one Staples run to finish, and we were able to have a nice long lunch at Postino's halfway through.

It really is a great room, and it feels so much like her. I just know this is going to be a great year!
 

A Boy and His Car

When Issa got her license, Nana was ready for a new car and passed her old one on to Issa, which was still a really nice car that Issa still loves. When Evan got his license, Nana wasn't ready for a new car but she still wanted to help Evan out with his first car. So...he has been shopping. Saturday, Brad and I took him to CarMax and he bought his very first car:

The lighting is terrible, but CarMax even put a bow on his Civic for him.

He absolutely loves this carL

And his first solo drive in it was to show Nana:

Yesterday he picked up a friend and went to lunch, and last night he drove us all to McKay's and ice cream. He is so excited for this new chapter, and we are so grateful he has a safe car for it.
 

Street Legal

It was a big week for Evan! He passed the driving test and is now street legal:

 His first solo drive was to Bojangles. He is so excited to be able to go where he wants when he wants, and he really is a good driver. We start car shopping this weekend now that he can test drive, so fingers crossed!

She's Home!

Issa came home from study abroad Saturday!

 She had the best experience! She aced her classes, but more importantly she learned how to be a traveler. She truly immersed herself in the culture. She met people and explored non-touristy sites. I was so proud of how she navigated every little bump. I have loved listening to her stories, and I'm so grateful that she truly took advantage of the opportunities presented to her.

The biggest bump is her luggage got lost on the way home. Thankfully all of her most important things were in her carry on. Delta was awesome. We spoke with an agent every day, and they found her bag in Paris and delivered it to our house yesterday! Now we can start unpacking and doing laundry so we can repack before she moves back to campus next week!

Book 20

I finished book 20 this morning!

I have read everything that Glennon has written. I started following her blog years ago, and I really appreciate her honesty and heart.

This book was very different. It is more a collection of thoughts from many, many people about 20 big life questions. Once I grieved the lack of her narrative, I really enjoyed this one. There were some interesting nuggets, and it was nice to read so many of us are going through so many of the hard things together.
 

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.