Vacation Already

I know I'm spoiled by my new job, in the sense that I get a vacation already. Honestly, it's a perk for accepting far less monetarily than I'm worth, and I won't be saying that often. I'm home for a wedding, as the maid of honor (best friend from high school is getting married), I wanted to be around for her as moral support. Good news? I can do that, and work from home, and relax a little and regroup. The first days of work went well, and although some whip cracking had to happen, for the most part things are peachy.

Hilary, our executive director, is going to Spain for ten days, so I'm trying to keep up with key things out of office, and we have two staffers there right now. It's going to be a bit hectic, but I'm busy making a list of things (in addition to Hilary's) that I can do from here.

They include: backing up all of last years' chapter records and filing them in hardcopy when I return to the office, continuing to update the new website for when we go live in a few days, make sure chapter swag materials are shipped to students asap, doing an analysis of the feedback we're getting from our hyde park summit in August and writing up a series of recommendations for the national office for the fall, designing google web forms so students can easily request trainings and materials online, solidifying processes for dealing with incoming checks, grant requests, material requests and travel reimbursements, and putting out fires as they (frequently) arise.

So considering I'm working Tues-Thurs and then am out of touch at the wedding this weekend, I'll have plenty to do. I wouldn't have it any other way, but still.

Then on Tuesday, I have an event I've been invited to, and provided I can make it back to DC in time, I'll begin to do all that "networking" and trying to establish myself within the DC progressive network itself. I'm finding when I pitch and discuss the organization these days that I believe in it even more than I used to. Perhaps it's being on the national level, and seeing how interactions with students empower them and make them believe that they have true power and potential. Roosevelt is a great compliment to classroom work, and it certainly was that for me for all those years. I never imagined that what was a student extracurricular that sounded a bit off the wall would result in an opportunity like this - apparently hard work and some faith do go a long way.

Friends are headed back to Midd and started classes today - the fact that I'm not going is weird and slightly unsettling, but on a general level, it was time for me to move on and I know this. That doesn't mean it's easy - but it does mean that I am ready to do this, in most ways.

My mom and I hosted our annual labor day picnic for all the farms' employees and their spouses and some alumni as well. We ate delicious food, grilled, picked blueberries from our patch and played hours of badmitton. It was so relaxing and wonderful to catch up with individuals who are really part of our greater family. I'm very lucky.