Weekly Journal Volume 4

Monday September 19

Rode the bike indoors for an hour, first thing. Put in another hour and a half at my desk before getting ready for the day. Stopped at Boyer's for science class supplies - cheese slices to study teeth marks and goldfish crackers to observe the process of chewing and swallowing. You can keep it pretty basic for first graders and they'll still think it's great! One of my observances at school is that the 1st - 4th age group is mostly innocent enough to admire their teacher. Sixth grade reading class is more mentally stimulating but much tougher dealing with pre-teens. Back at home, put in a brief 30 minutes at my desk. My back was hurting so I laid on the couch until Cliff came home from work. Put beef and rice crisp from the freezer in the oven and heated up corn to go with it. Comfort food. The evenings are so short anymore. Supper is over and it's dark. Early to bed for an early alarm.

Tuesday September 20

Today felt like a blur, not sure why. It was an average Tuesday at the office. Gehman Accounting hosted a Business Owners Workship, so saw a few more Amish men than usual. It looked like a perfect day outside, but I didn't really get to enjoy it. The question for bookkeeping meeting was, "Excluding GA, what has been my best job, or the one that has made me come alive, or impacted me the most?" Today was also my 1-on-1. It's a scheduled check-in every month with our manager and operations supervisor. I really appreciate it because it keeps the door open to discuss anything that comes up and is a good place to give and get feedback. Lately they've assigned a spur-of-the-moment question at our 1-on-1 too. This month it was, "What is one topic you could talk about for 15 minutes?" The inequality of pay between men and women doing the same job, along with other related topics, was my answer. When I got home Dad was finishing up the door installation, so the kitchen was dirty again. I'm not going to let it bother me. Cliff met a friend for supper and I headed to bed early. Didn't have any extra gas in the tank to tackle all the things I could've been doing instead.

Wednesday September 21

Happy birthday to my wonderful dad! This was my favorite day of the week (so far). To have a day at home in the middle of the week is a pleasure. Leisurely started my morning, then put in 3 hours at my desk. Went for a walk in the sunny afternoon and had a green smoothie on the deck afterwards. It felt like my summer schedule came back, except for the sun shining at a different angle and the sounds/smells of fall. Puttered around gathering supplies for planting grass seed in science class tomorrow, washing dishes, messaging people, cleaning the new door, making tea for supper and generally rebelling against going back to work. Finally logged in again at 4:30 and worked until 6:30, when I happily left my job behind to go to folks for supper. Mom cooked an award-winning meal of grilled leg & thigh, gourmet potatoes, lettuce salad, rolls, shoo-fly and pear pie with ice cream. Derek made caramel sauce to go on top of the pear pie and a better pie would be hard to find. Of course, any pie mom makes is the best, hands-down. 😁 So blessed to be surrounded by a loving family and good food.

Thursday September 22 • First day of Autumn 🍂 

Was wide awake for awhile during the night, then didn't feel like getting up early to exercise. Worked at my desk for an hour and had enough to do to keep going all day, but it was nice to switch gears and go to school. Cliff was off today, he had an appointment and graciously agreed to do my Walmart and Sam's grocery pickup. I drove the blue pickup to school so he could take the car. No, I did not use the air horn! It was a dark, rainy morning and felt cozy to be inside. Headed home after school to tackle the work still waiting. Cliff was napping in my office when I got home, so I took the opportunity to rest a little too. Needed a bit of a reset before heading to the next job, anyway! Derek came to work on wiring in the addition, so I chased Cliff out of the office and stayed there for the next 2 hours. It has cooled down quite dramatically, and certainly feels like fall tonight!

Friday September 23

Windy and chilly this morning! Got up early but skipped exercise in favor of 2 hours and 40 minutes of work. Had a nagging task I wanted out of the way. Task accomplished, and I'm not logging in anymore this week! Couldn't decide how to dress today. Leggings? Long socks? Boots? Sweater? Nothing seemed to coordinate. Do I need to go shopping? Some of my old faves are getting worn out and I can't find anything I like to replace them. Thought I might have time to work on a bulletin board during school today, but that didn't happen. I've been wanting to get one made for almost 2 weeks now and just can't seem to fit it in. I'll have to make it a priority this weekend. Didn't help that I was extra tired and slow today. Ended up leaving a little earlier than normal - finished the checking and don't have science class on Friday. Stopped at Echo Hill for spices. Decided I could afford to take a nap before the catfish supper tonight. Yes, I've been tired ever since becoming an adult. Prepped a spice rub for pulled pork that's going in the oven tomorrow and now the whole house smells like garlic. Ugh. The annual catfish supper put on by the youth was a success, as always! The menu of fried catfish, jalapeño or sweet corn hush puppies, coleslaw and baked beans seems to be a hit with everyone. Got home and rubbed the pork to flavor overnight. My bed is cold! Time to put the heated mattress pad back on.

Saturday September 24

Woke up early for a Saturday. Got the notion to go to school and start on the bulletin, so headed out at 6:30. I don't like projects hanging over my head. Did what I needed to at school and brought it home to work on this weekend. Started wash, but wasn't really ready to keep going yet, so shopped awhile. Eventually started on the looming to-do list. Put pork in the oven, balance the checkbook, keep the washer going, get houseplants ready to come inside for the winter. Finally had enough crossed off to start working on the bulletin. Later, headed out to take a walk and enjoy the clear fall air. Pleased that I finished 2 books while going about my day! Started reading through the novels of Jane Austen this summer. Finished Northanger Abbey and started Persuasion today before I was ready for something different. Downloaded The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck and finished it right before going to bed. An excellent Saturday read! Cliff helped me this afternoon by cleaning the car in and out and vacuuming the basement. My evening was spent pulling pork, folding and putting away wash, and working again on the bulletin. Dad and Mom stopped by to bring back the mower and Mom brought us a portion of the jambalaya she had made. Then Cliff wanted ice cream so we went to Chill n Grill. I requested a peanut butter banana milkshake and it was delightful! Picked up an order at Kohl's and filled the car with gas. Fresh sheets and my heated mattress pad feel lovely after a full day.

Sunday September 25

Got up to make black beans for lunch. We planned a get together with a few people to be with Daniel & Sharon Kaufmann from Sleepy Creek boys camp. Were hoping to go to a park but there was rain in the forecast so we switched to school. Came home after church to change clothes and grab food. Menu of pulled pork burrito bowls and fresh fruit turned out well! We were around 30 people and had an enjoyable afternoon. It did rain for awhile so we made the right call in switching location. Took a little nap before getting ready for church. Daniel gave a report on camp life. Very interesting! I'd like to learn more about some of the approaches they use to teach responsibility and consequences. The family met at folks after church for nachos, apple pie, and other goodies. Got to bed much too late.

Keeping this journal has been a fun way to start writing again, but I'm going to let it go for the next while. Life has been full and I need to focus on some extra projects now, so it seemed best to put this aside. 

Happy Monday!