It’s my favorite time of the year – the end of Daylight Savings Time!!!! Not only that but it is the first weekend in almost three months that we have nothing on the calendar. It may be the only weekend for the rest of the year where this happens, but I’m not ready to think about that. Instead, we are all about relaxing and getting ready for the colder weather, now that we have gotten our first taste of it.
Connor ended the cross-country season with his best race ever, about which we were all extremely happy – he most of all. It had been a rough season to that point, so to end on such a high note quelled his demons and gave him an incentive to continue training through the winter.
Marching band season also came to an end two weeks ago. His band this year was very young – more than a third of it were freshmen – and Connor was very worried about how well they would perform during the season. It started roughly but they ended up having their best season yet. They even went so far as to win one of the competitions. I know he is going to miss marching band, but I am looking forward to watching his performances in warmer conditions. Some of those performances and football games got downright chilly!
We have also reached the end of the first quarter of school. Connor remains convinced homework is stupid, so we still struggle nightly with him. We are hoping that the lack of activities will help him focus on academics now. Then again, now we switch to yearbook and pep band. Also in the picture is Connor’s very first girlfriend. Jim and I had our first “meet the parents” experience on Halloween and are still wondering how this all snuck up on us. She is a lovely girl, and it is a blast watching Connor worry about his appearance for the first time ever. He has to look good for his girl after all!
Holly made it through the first quarter with flying colors. Next week starts her very first competition team practice, so we trade one weekend activity (cross-country) for another. She continues to love school, has a blast hanging out with her friends, and still manages to be a tremendous help around the house. At her annual check-up this year, the doctor informed me that age 10 is a great age, the calm before the storm in essence. Jim and I certainly are enjoying her more than ever.
Speaking of Holly, did you see her new feature? Designed by her, written by her, named by her, she’s very excited about it. Please give her a shout-out so she knows how great she did!
Jim and I continue to keep plugging on with our jobs. There are days we both are so exhausted that we are in bed by 9 PM. We are both entering our busiest seasons as the year winds down, so we are both trying to maximize any down time we might have. Jim has a BIG birthday on Wednesday, about which he is not too thrilled. It is not as if he is trying to deny he is turning 40, but he is not necessarily happy about it. I’m holding a big party for him on Saturday with almost all of his coworkers. He is excited about that, which is good. Anything to ease the bite of this particular milestone.
I’m doing well. I have a new manager and see progress towards implementing some of the changes I proposed in my interviews. We even filled one other empty position within the department. Perhaps it is the fact that the few of us who were left couldn’t change anything, but the office has been a lot of fun lately. We banter, we work well together, and the days are infinitely more enjoyable than they were at this point in time last year. I never thought that losing more than half of our workforce would be such a positive experience, but it definitely has. The next step is keeping this vibe as we grow and add to the department.
That’s about everything that has been happening in the Shannon household for the last few weeks. I think we are all ready for the quieter days and nights of winter. Considering we saw our first snowfall the day before Halloween, I don’t think we have all that long to wait for winter to make its annual appearance. I hope everyone is safe and snug at home or with their loved ones, enjoying this lovely Sunday. Have a great day and an even better week!
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