12 min mile

I ran a 12 minute mile this evening (as well as a 14 minute mile and a 17 minute mile). 

A little disappointed

Even though I'm pretty sure I'm not ready to go back to the classroom for another year, I'm bummed that the school I applied to hasn't contacted me yet (it's been a month since I applied).  It's a bit of a blow to my ego.

While they were sleeping

Before Nate and Korra woke up this I ate breakfast (a delicious leftover ham, spinach, and Swiss quiche), went for a 3 mile walk/run (14.5 min/mile pace!), finished an audiobook, cleaned the shower, painted my toenails, took a shower (including shaving and a sugar scrub), and then went grocery shopping.  I think I'll be ready for a nap about the time they wake up. 

Another Yucky Meeting

Yesterday I had another meeting at work that left me feeling really uncomfortable, frustrated, and upset.  Trying to figure out how to handle it.  Should I try to speak up even though I don't think it will change anything (and could actually make things pretty terrible for me)?  Should I just let it go?  Should I pursue those teaching jobs a little harder?  

Ugh, this sucks.

Emotional Support Skillet

Booking a hotel room for a coworker...

Me: Do you want one of the rooms that has a kitchen?

Coworker: Only if I can bring my own cast iron skillet.

Me: I don't think you can bring a cast iron skillet in a carry-on (quick Google search) Nope, cast iron skillets are banned.

Coworker: But what if it's my emotional support skillet?

Sewing Machine Lesson

Today I taught Korra how to use the sewing machine! She did a great job on every part from measuring and cutting the fabric to ironing the final product. She's super proud of the little gift she made (for family friends who are having a baby) and I'm super happy I was able to teach this knowledge/skill that women in my family (and Nate's) have passed down through generations. 

Hard to Be Mad At

Me: I hate that I have to keep asking questions of people who are very busy.

Coworker: I'm sure they understand.  Also, you're the kind of person who is nearly impossible to be mad at.

Me: Tell that to thousands of middle schoolers and their parents.

Work-Related Guilt

Almost everyone at work is super busy and stressed with a big deadline looming.  I am not busy or stressed.  I feel guilty about how little work I have to do.  I've offered to help, but it's not really something that can be delegated so... I'll just not make it obvious that I'm bored.

Bagel Breakfast!

Our April Staff Celebration was breakfast this morning- bagel sandwiches, muffins, and fresh fruit.  Add that to the comradery of sitting in the kitchen with my coworkers, talking and laughing over breakfast, and it was a fantastic start to my day.

DEI Certification

At my annual review, I got approval to take more HR related courses.  I signed up to earn a certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and am genuinely excited about learning more about this topic.  I started the first section of the self-paced course today!

Dino Fest

 

This afternoon/evening we went to Stone Mountain for the “Dino Fest.” The actual exhibits were a bit disappointing (old animatronics and an insane, vaguely dino themed kids’ play area) but we made the most of the beautiful day.  Nate and Korra went all the way to there top of the ropes course, we saw the 4D movie, rode the train, watched a dog tricks show, and (most importantly) saw the dinosaur-themed laser/drone show. 

We haven’t been to the laser show in almost 20 years and they’ve made some impressive improvements (especially the disregard of the Confederate carving). The drones were exceptionally cool. 

Possible Sinus Infection

I took Korra to the pediatrician this morning and they confirmed she does in fact have a mild sinus infection from allergies.  The pediatrician is hopeful it'll clear up, but sent a prescription for antibiotics to the pharmacy in case it gets worse over the weekend.  We were in and out in 20 minutes and Korra was only 15 minutes tardy to school.  

Spreadsheet Kind of Day

I spent 2 solid hours editing and entering data into an elaborate spreadsheet that keeps track of all our employees PTO.  I deserve a cookie and a nap.

Allergies or Sick?

Korra had a runny, stuffy nose while we were camping.  I was pretty sure it was allergies. Now that we're home, she's less congested, but she's been complaining her ear hurts.  She's NEVER had an ear infection and 11 seems late to start those, but then she said her stomach hurt yesterday morning and this morning she threw up (sinus drainage) and her ears still feel clogged/hurt.  She decided she wants to go to school, but I have a feeling I'll be taking her to the doctor today or tomorrow.  

Annual Review

Yesterday I had my second annual review at this job. It was good in the respect that they think I'm doing a great job, I've improved from last year, and I was confident enough to ask for what I wanted. It was frustrating because I'll have to wait until the end of June to find out how much my raise will be. On the one hand, I understand that things like this usually have a process and take time.  On the other hand, I've seen enough behind-the-scenes work to know that if they really wanted to, they could tell me exactly how much they'll up my pay and start it immediately.

81% Eclipse

I came home from work early so Nate and I could watch the partial eclipse together.  We signed a permission slip so Korra could watch it at school.  Not quite as spectacular as the one we got to see in 2017 but still very neat.  I kind of wish we had planned to drive to totality, but also thankful to not be stuck in the traffic that I'm reading about.

The Sign for Home

I just finished the novel, The Sign for Home and I cannot recommend it enough. 

Brunswick

Today we spend most of the day in Brunswick. 

After a late breakfast (we all slept in until close to 10), we drove to the Pinball Palace. Nate and Korra got full day passes while I did just an hour. They played and I took the car to get washed, got ice, and spent some time reading. 

Afterwards we checked out the local Goodwill and a brewery before heading back to Jekyll for dinner at Driftwood Bistro. We finished our last day of vacation with smores around the fire. 

Jekyll Island

Yesterday we stayed on Jekyll all day. I booked a tandem kayak rental for Korra and me for the early afternoon but when we arrived, the guide said it was probably too windy/rough for beginners like us. Instead he pointed us to a beach we hadn't been to before so we picked up Nate and went for a hike to Shark Tooth Beach. Afterwards, we flew the kite for a while and then made campfire nachos for dinner. After playing a board game we biked 3 miles to take a  ghost tour of the island.  It was fun but not amazing. Then we biked the 3 miles back to the campground at 10pm. It was very dark and pretty cold but we saw a lot of deer up close and the clear sky was full of stars. 

St Simons Island

 We spent the majority of the day exploring St Simons Island. I got us breakfast from Dulce Doughnuts which was absolutely delicious and totally worth the 40 minute wait in line (they ran out of doughnuts about 4 people after me). We walked and biked all over the island finding the “spirit trees” (I’ll add more pictures later when I have better service) and has BBQ for lunch a late lunch before driving to Jekyll to set up camp. 

Nate’s Birthday

Today is Nate's birthday and while there have been some good moments, it hasn't been the best day. Nate had to work this morning and then as soon as he got home, we packed up the car to leave for our annual Spring Break camping trip. 6+ hours in the car is not conducive to celebrating. We enjoyed a nice dinner at The Public House in Savannah and then took a lovely walk around the downtown area. That was the highlight of the day.  We just arrived at our hotel on St Simon's Island (at Epworth By the Sea) leaves a lot to be desired, though thankfully it's not the worst hotel we've stayed at. 

Fingers crossed tomorrow is better. 

Solo Climbing

Korra was the only kid to show to for climbing practice this afternoon so she got 90 minutes of climbing instruction from two coaches all to herself! I think it was exactly what she needed and wish she could get more focused attention like that more often. She had a great time, learned a lot, and was totally exhausted. 

Celebrating Nate

We went out with friends to celebrate Nate's birthday this evening. First pizza and homemade chocolate peanut butter pie at Monday Night Garage and then queso, chips, and trivia at Wild Heaven Brewery. 

Trip, Refunded

In an unfortunate turn of events, the AirBnB that the college friends booked for June in Camden, Maine was suddenly cancelled on us.  We've had this house booked for 9 months and just... poof.  Here's your refund.  We spent a couple of days looking at other options, but every house big enough for 9 people for those specific days was booked or out of our price range.  

We voted and it was decided that we'll go closer to home (Highlands, NC), which while lovely looking, is a little bit of a let-down.  I've never been to Maine and was looking forward to it, while I've been all over North Carolina. 

The big challenge for today was getting refunds for my plane tickets.  Unfortunately for me, I was the only one who had already booked my flight.  Spirit, surprisingly, was the easy flight to cancel.  They gave me credit towards future flights, which I know I can use in the fall.  Cape Air on the other hand has a strict "no refund" policy all over their website, which sucks because I need a FULL refund.  They only fly to a dozen places in New England, so a credit would not work.  I found a refund request email address and, with a bit of lying about why I needed to cancel (death of the friend I was going to travel with), was able to get a full refund due to extenuating circumstances.  It's still over 2 months before the date of the flight and I feel certain they will be able to sell that seat again.  

Do I feel bad about lying?  A little.  Would I feel worse if I'd lost $300.  Definitely.  Now I can focus on looking forward to some time with my friends, even if the location is a little disappointing.  

Old and Fat

I had to go to the doctor today to get a referral for a mammogram. The doctor also told me I need to take a multivitamin with calcium (at my age) and that losing some weight would probably help with my reflux. I left feeling like she basically called me old and fat, as if my 40th birthday wasn't already making me feel that way.