week in review

It's been a Big Week here! How big, you ask? Read on!

On the home front:

The fence is done! There are a few tweaks still to make, but the important thing is that the yard is now secure for the dogs to run freely. Yes, those were our huge sighs of relief that you heard last night that you might have confused as thunder rumbling in the distance. Our sighs came from that deep within! This has been a very long time coming, and we are sooooooo thrilled to have this task completed. Did I mention how glad we are to have the fence done? Here's a brief photo retrospective. Amazingly I did not document any of yesterday's activity that nudged us over this finish line. I just wanted to revel in the experience. Photos will come!

Family:

We were absolutely tickled to enjoy a visit with the Hamiltons last weekend. We met up with them in Murfreesboro Saturday morning where the kids participated in the local "Small Fri Tri" event, and it was too cute! They ran, biked, and then took on the sprinklers to cross the finish line and take their trophies. Rock on, boys! Tuesday Ken was able to spend the day with them, but they came to the 'boro to join me for lunch, then we all met again for dinner. We bade farewell to them at breakfast the next morning at their hotel. Fortunately Jude has a Significant Birthday coming up in July, so we will see them again soon!

On the table:
We enjoyed a great chicken on the grill last night (again, no photos, but here's something from earlier in the year, just so you can feast your eyes on our mixed grill of steak and kielbasa with roasted onions and peppers!). It was a slow roast, marinated in a garlic and herb dressing with a splash of pear wine made by a friend. Add corn on the cob and Ken's favorite "cabbage salad" (a vinegar-based cole-slaw) and we were in heaven!

At work:

In anticipation of my area's relocation to a new student union building in August, we are busy purging files. The Center for which I am serving as interim director will lose the physical portion of what makes us who we are (the center for women and nontraditional students), and that translates to the loss of space and storage. The strategy behind the new configuration of offices is best left to another post, but  for now our challenge is to downsize. The process is tedious and time-consuming, although some of the things unearthed in the process are illuminating! On a brighter note, I oversee a specific pot of $50,000 in scholarship money, and the recipients of those funds were determined earlier this week. I love the part of my job where I can give away money!

On a personal note:

The process of hiring the permanent director for the above-mentioned position is underway and coming to a close. I have applied (as previously noted in other posts). I have a good shot at keeping my job. I am still anxious about what happens if someone else is selected. There's been way too much uncertainty in my life in recent years related to work, and I would really like not to be on the short end of that stick for a while. Thoughts, prayers, vibes, etc., are appreciated as the process moves forward. I will probably know something within the next two weeks.

And as a bonus...

Did I mention that we finished the fence? Have a great week!