A Very Big Weekend

This was another weekend where I didn't take nearly enough pictures. We had commencement on Saturday, which went really well. I got to read the names, which was incredibly fun. It was also fun to be sitting on the platform and get to watch the graduates throughout the ceremony.

As soon as that was finished, we had an education department reception, and my department completely surprised me. I knew I would be added to the plaque:

But they also surprised me by giving each of our grads a tote bag filled with school supplies in my honor. The tag asked them to serve their students the way I had served them and the department. I absolutely cried; it was such a perfect send off.

Sunday, we moved Issa out of her dorm! She was mostly packed by the time we got there, so it only took us a couple of hours to get that finished. Then the crew helped me move fully into my new office!

This is the only action shot I got:

Brad was not pleased by the status of my tech, but he got me up and running!

I absolutely love my new office. This is the view from the door:

My desk is super functional and cozy:

And Issa laid out my new bulletin board beautifully:

Evan did more hauling of things than anyone should have to, but I'm so grateful!

Book 16 is the intro to my new office:

It's our theme for next year, and I'm anxious to get started in the new space!

It wasn't exactly a restful Mother's Day, but I did feel very loved, and I can't wait to build my new otter Lego set!


 

Happy Birthday, Evan!

We have had a very fun week celebrating Evan!

We started on Saturday with a trip to Drive Shack. Issa met us, and her gift wrapping was 100% dorm approved:

Aunt Shannon and Nana were able to join, and we had great fun even if we aren't great golfers:

Afterwards, Nana and Aunt Shannon also gave him his gift, which is the biggest Lego set I've ever seen.

Last night, we went to City BBQ and then came home for his gift from us:

He now has new VR toys:

He chose Oreo trifle for dessert, and the look is because Bella was pretty sure she should blow out his candles:

I have a feeling 17 is going to be his best year yet!

 

April Happened

April was an absolute whirlwind! Here is a recap in order of my camera roll...

We were finally able to have the wrestling end of season banquet! It had to be postponed because Coach broke his foot, but it was worth the wait:

Evan earned his varsity letter this year:

The wrestling banquet is just a whole different beast. I could not love these boys more, and the way they celebrate and support each other is really something to witness. They are loud and rowdy and genuinely have the time of their lives. They left the banquet to go bowling together, and the group chat is still going even though preseason won't start for another week.

Book 13 was a dismal failure:

This is the strangest story of a woman who was onboard both the Titanic and the Britannia. It's a not at all scary ghost story that ends either two chapters too late or five chapter too soon. I was reading ahead for book club and saved the rest of the group from this one.

Issa had a huge month! She earned the Outstanding Underclassmen in Psychology Award:

Her name will now forever be in Ledford Hall:

And I'm so grateful for her advisor who has challenged and supported her for the past two years:

The very next day she presented her thesis:

The faculty want her to present at a state conference next fall, which is pretty cool!

I also started a new job! I'm currently wrapping up my role as Department Chair and transitioning into my role as Associate Provost of Academic Affairs. I love the view from my temporary office:

I'm also loving the work. My role is really the helper and fixer for all things academic. The pace is wild, and we have a lot of work to do, but I truly love it. After six years as chair, it was time for a change.

Book 14 was much more interesting:

I heard the author speak at the AACTE conference, and I appreciate his leadership style and approach.

This weekend, Issa danced in her last Dance Works on campus:

It's always so fun to see her on stage, and we managed to get a quick dinner with her before she had to get back for the next show.

This weekend was a much needed recharge. I finished book 15, which is the new book club choice:

I loved it so much a ordered book two and pre-ordered book three. It's a fantasy mystery story that truly surprised me at every turn. I love the two main characters, and I'm excited to see what is next for them!

I also finally planted my herb pots for the season:

It was a perfect afternoon for some porch sitting, and I'm grateful for the rest as we enter the last week of classes!
 

Recharge Weekend

This weekend was a much needed recharge. Saturday morning, I finally did the big spring chop:

I spent a lot of the weekend puttering in my yard and house, and I finished book 12:

I love this series so much, and it is so easy to read.

Work has been a different kind of wild, so I'm especially grateful for the chance to get a little rest.

 

What a Spring Break

I had a fabulous spring break. I ended up doing a little work, but very, very little. 

Issa and I spent the first half of the week getting facials, cleaning closets, and generally just resting a bit. I think we both needed it, and it's always good to have her home.

The second half of the week Brad and I took Evan to Cleveland. The main goal was to tour CWRU:

Brad loved being on his home campus, and Evan loved the campus and the opportunities he would have:

I only cried a little when I realized I could really see him there. They have a great program for his data analytics goals, and the gen ed program is really cool. He was so enthused he actually spent the evening capturing notes:

He says if he gets in he will go!

We spent the rest of the time helping him to get to know the area. We took him to our favorite coffee house, which is right across from the freshman dorms are remarkably unchanged. We also took him to our favorite bakery which was radically different:

Sadly, Presti's no longer does donuts, but it was great food. We stayed in an AirB&B in Little Italy, so we had two great dinners, and we spent all of Friday at the NCAA wrestling tournament:

We saw some incredible wrestling.

I also did a ton of reading, finishing books 9, 10, and 11!

I'm loving the Bridgerton series:

It is different from the show, and unsurprisingly I think the books are better.

The next book was for book club:

I don't think I ever would have picked this up much less finished it if it wasn't for book club. It is a really interesting non-fiction book about the history and future of biomedically engineering.

The last book is one I'm hoping to use with some incoming freshmen:

It is really well-written and comprehensive!

We are all back to reality today, but I'm very grateful for the break and core memories made.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Nick!

We made a whirlwind trip to Atlanta to celebrate Uncle Nick's 80th birthday:

We left early Saturday morning, and we made it just in time for the big surprise:

The party was a bit of a blur of cousins, but we had the best time at Nick and Beth's house that night. We very rarely get a lot of time to just be together, and I think we all laughed until we cried. 

We were home again by dinner last night, and we are all very tired today, but it was absolutely worth it for these family memories.
 

A Weekend of Rest

After a last weekend's conference followed by a very busy work week, we all decided we needed a weekend of just nothing. For the first time in forever we had nothing on the calendar, and I barely moved from the couch Saturday. I did watch the entire season of Bridgerton, which did not disappoint. We also go plenty of snuggles with the pups, one of which is much better about napping than the other:

Sunday, Brad and I did venture out to take an easy hike in the spring air:

The Occaneechee Speedway is an easy hike, and it's still fun to see all of the old cars and remnants from when it was an actual race track. We are really trying to get out every weekend to get ready for our hikes in May!

I also finished book eight:

This one was a tough read for anyone in higher ed right now, but it also had some great strategies that I hope to put into practice in the near future!

To NOLA and Back Again

Thursday, I traveled to New Orleans for a conference with AACTE. Because I am the president of our state organization, I had some extra meetings to attend, but I also got upgraded at the hotel to have this amazing view:

It was an engaging and exhausting four days of connecting with colleagues from across the country, and I spent the vast majority of it in conference rooms. However, the little bit that I was able to get out made me want to spend more time in New Orleans! I even managed to sneak in a fun solo breakfast:

All the airport time also let me finish book seven:

 This is the next book club book, and I loved it. It reminded me a lot of Remarkably Bright Creatures, minus the octopus. The themes were very similar, and it was an easy read. Definitely recommend!

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. It's always a little extra special for us since it is also the anniversary of our first date! This year, we went for a hike:

In December, we said we were going to start hiking very Saturday to get ready for the Old Man of Storr, and this is the first weekend it didn't snow since then! This hike was about the same distance as the Old Man, but only about a quarter of the elevation.

Brad also made us a fabulous steak dinner complete with two sauces.

I also finished a very seasonally appropriate book six this weekend:

 It is just lovely fluff and I thoroughly enjoyed every page!

Book 5

Book 5 was a professional development book:

 Published in 2015, it's a seminal work in the higher ed field. I have read a million things that cite it, so I decided I should probably actually read it.

Here is the problem. It is not ground breaking. I think most people would agree with the arguments and paths forward in it. I'm super annoyed, though. This was published 11 years ago and it still totally applies. Sigh. Onward...

Valentine's Fun

I may work at a college, but the teacher in me runs deep, and sometimes I just need a little of my K-12 days back in my life. Holidays seems to make that desire stronger. Enter some extra time because of snow and ta-da:

 You can't tell in the picture, but each of those hearts has the name of a licensure student. It's been fun to watch students looks for their heart--totally worth the time it took to make them all.

Snow Days and Book 4

I fear Evan may never return to school. He was out all last week because if the ice storm, and Saturday we got another almost five inches of snow:

We very much enjoyed snuggling in with a fire and watching it snow, and Bella is living her best husky life:

I also finished book four:

This is our next book club read. It was an interesting story, but it was not particularly well-written, and I wish it had ended a chapter sooner.