July 2008 Recap

I'm not going to lie, I feel kind of negative about the month of July. For some reason I felt down and out most of the month. Maybe it was the majority of the month spent on the road, who knows...

Yays!

1. July 4th weekend - I love when July 4th falls on a Friday! What a treat! This year I went to Alden, MI. Emily's family owns a summer home on Torch Lake - I vowed to relax and act like I was 12 the entire weekend. Mission accomplished. I spent the whole weekend soaking up sun, splashing in the lake, swinging on the hammock, doing cartwheels, playing badminton, roasting marshmallows, and eating Girl Scout Cookies. Those Girl Scouts are little devils. It was a wonderful weekend to spend time with friends, my Urban Family, especially since the 4th is such a big deal for me with my family up at camp.

2. SPUD! We played this for hours in the lake and I laughed and laughed and laughed.

3. Baseball games! I went to 3 games in July - Brewers vs. Rockies, Cubs vs. Reds, & Cards vs. Padres. Saw Sabathia pitch his first game in the NL, Ken Griffey Jr. at Wrigley, & Greg Maddux, future Hall of Famer.

4. The Alcoa Crew - they rolled into town for their annual Wrigley bus trip and luckily, had an extra ticket. I was one of those people I hate - I drank and talked more than I watched the game, but it was great to reconnect with my Monday night Stubbs crew. I really do miss the people from my old job, I miss problem solving with them and making their work environment better. We had a special relationship and I knew that what I was doing, was having an impact on them. But, I didn't know the amount of impact until our reunion. That is a good feeling and makes me realize I need that again in my life. If I left this job today, yeah, I'd keep in touch with my EHS buddies, but other than that, who am I truly having an impact on? Not many.

5. Oak Street Beach - I don't care that it was 95 degrees or that I had to sprint to the water because the sand was so hot... I'm so lucky there is a sandy beach with gorgeous water within biking distance!

6. Church. I took a hiatus from God. I'm ready to let him back into my life.

7. Personal Training - I signed up for a free session, of course I got suckered in to 20 more. But it was a great experience. I realize I can't push myself to the limit on my own. I want a work out buddy, I need someone to hold me accountable, and someone to celebrate my successes and scold me for my failures. Plus we did some goalkeeping drills and I rocked them! I've still got it!

8. My CSP Class - surrounded by safety professionals and I was flying through the problems. It made me feel confident in my knowledge level and again question my career path. I enjoy calculations, design, and problem solving and need that back in my life.

9. Friend Love! How you say I love you to your friends without sounding super weird. I have a lot of friend love.

Nays

1. Stress fracture - my foot had been bothering me for some time, so much so I often had to hold my breath to walk. Not good considering the 60 mile walk is right around the corner. So I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with a stress fracture. Wonderful. No walking, running, jumping. It's been a couple weeks and it still hurts. Keep your fingers crossed.

2. My stubbornness. Why didn't I just go to the doctor initially?

3. Travelling for work. It's taking it's toll. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing parts of the US I never dreamed of seeing, but I'm a homebody. I like my stuff. I like having my friends close by. I like being able to do fun things with them on weeknights if I want. I like my gym. I do not like sitting in a hotel room or at a bar/restaurant on my own. I do not like coming home and feeling like I have so many chores to do. I do not like driving more than 2 hours. It's hit me like a ton of bricks.

4. You're smart? That's what my boss said to me the other day. Um... yeah. You didn't notice?