Summer 2017 was unique in a few ways: I didn't even make a summer to-do list (personal or professional, as I usually do--I love lists). I started in my new role at BGSU as Director of the ESOL Program, and Mark and I did more travelling than usual. One of the hardest things about having a job with summers off is seeing them go by so quickly, but taking some time to look back and see all the things I did always helps. So...here's a list of some highlights:
Work
In May, I officially got promoted to Lecturer, and in a totally separate process, became the Director of the ESOL Program. The promotion came with a nice raise that I'll start getting this month, and the Directorship came with a summer contract to work part-time and a whole different type of work to do and responsibility to manage. The summer was a good way to start to figure out what the Director does and how to get that work done, but also allowed me to ease into it a bit. The work is certainly different from teaching, and it was nice to make the extra money over the summer (giving us a head start on our vacation budget for next year). It seemed like I was behind on my to-do list all summer, but everything that had to be done got done, and I managed the issues that popped up (fairly well, I think). I've got a lot to learn, and now that I'm back at work full-time, teaching just one class and spending the rest of my time on administrative duties, I'm continuing to figure out what the role entails and how I can try to do it well.
Friends
The last week of June, my friend Angela (who now lives in Kentucky) came to visit, and we had a great time catching up. We hung out a bit at my place, coordinated a visit with friends to the Swan House, went out for hot pot, spent a day at the pool, and had a game night at Terry's. As always, it was great to see her in person, and I'm so thankful she works so hard to keep up our friendship with regular calls, texts, and visits.
A bit later in the summer, another good friend, Julie, came to visit. It had been a year since I last saw her, so I was thrilled to go out to lunch, then tag along to a small gathering at another mutual friend's house. Got so see some other folks there who I don't see regularly, so that was great, too!
And at the end of July, I hosted my annual summer open house, with a great turnout! Of course, as usual, I forgot to take pictures once people arrived, but you can see the food below. We had bacon-wrapped dates, strawberry white chocolate scones, pistachio cookie bars, caprese salad wonton cups, coconut bread three ways, zucchini rolls, and watermelon. I also served iced tea (brewed my new favorite way: cold, overnight in the fridge!). It was delicious, and I was thankful to spend the afternoon surrounded by friends, including my friend Lucinda, who spent the last academic year teaching in China, and is there again for this year.
Entertainment
Mark and I kept our summer goal of getting to the drive-in, though we only went once this year. We saw Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and Cars 3. Later, in ABQ, Mom took us to see Wonder Woman at the theater, which we all liked.
I also watched some TV and movies at home. My favorite movie of the summer was definitely Hidden Figures, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching another season of the Great British Baking Show, and finished watching Buffy (which I'd started in the spring). We also watched a few movies that were mentioned in our walking tour of downtown LA (LaLa Land, 500 Days of Summer). I didn't care for either movie, really, but it was fun to pick out the scenes shot in places we saw on the tour. Sometime in mid-summer, Mark and I decided to put our Netflix streaming subscription on hold, so since then, I've been using the library even more than usual to check out DVDs. We've also been trying to re-watch stuff we own. Currently, I'm enjoying Community and Burn Notice.
Like I've done in previous summers, I also picked a series to read, along with whatever else caught my eye. This summer's series was the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. It's set in Botswana, and the writing is really fun. I've made it through most of the series (which I think is still ongoing), but I've got a few more to read through the fall. I also enjoyed the Wonder young-adult mini-series.
Metroparks
Since we've decided we like being outdoors and active, we tried to get out and explore a bit in our area this summer. Toledo's metropark system has some really large parks with trails, and we found a few days with good weather to hike around and have a picnic lunch.
Travel
We started the summer with our big trip to Disneyland, LA with Damon, and ABQ for Julie's wedding, which I've already blogged about in detail. For fun, here are a few of my favorite pics from that trip:
In late June, we also made another quick trip to Niagara Falls, which is definitely one of our favorite places within easy driving distance of BG. I've said it before, but the pics really don't do it justice.
At the end of the summer, we had another wedding in the family: Mark's little sister Katie got married in Springfield, MO. It was pretty funny to me that after all these years of never having been a bridesmaid, I was in two weddings this summer--both of my little sisters'! Much like the ABQ wedding in June, Katie's wedding gave us the chance to see lots of family members, including some we hadn't seen in many years. The wedding/reception were so beautiful (and very Katie in style), and it was a pleasure to see Katie and Nick so happy beginning their lives together. Since I didn't manage to write up a separate post about that trip (things were pretty hectic at work for a few weeks right after we got home), here are some pics and notes--they're in order by who took the photo, so the chronology jumps around a bit.
First, my pics...
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| Mark with Buddy and Cody |
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| dinner at a hibachi-style restaurant |
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| bowling |
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| laser tag |
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| Andy's (so delicious) |
There was also a lot of pampering for the girls for the big day...nails, hair, the works!
Mark's pics are next. His mission was to get pictures of the photographer, his cousin Erin.
He also made this awesome animation of Aunt Terri (Dad's sister) and Dad's cousin Rhoda (I think).
Mom & Dad and Katie & Nick took dance lessons to prepare for the reception. Mark, Heidi, and I got to tag along to Mom & Dad's lesson the week of the wedding. I never thought Mark and I would dance together, but at that lesson, we did, and we did well!
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| Mom & Dad dancing at the reception-- they looked sharp! |
And here are some of Damon's pics:
And, finally, a few from Erin, who was an amazing photographer!
As always, summer went by too fast, but it's been a good one! And getting back to work is good, too. I am fortunate to have the job I do, with some great colleagues and students. Maybe an update on how fall is going so far will be next...
1 comment:
That one with Mark playing ping pong is epic.
-DC
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