Raining, pouring

Last night's sunset...cotton candy skies.
No filter. Because I wouldn't even know how to apply one, and Hawaiian sunsets can be unbelievable.

Life is good.

When it rains, it pours. But in this case, it's a good thing. Because despite the increased workload,  I'm better balanced than I've been in a long time. Working from home the last decade has been an incredible privilege, but I miss working in an air-conditioned office, tooling around in Word/Excel, laughing with others, and passing the communal snack table 47 times a day to nibble on a little sumthin' sumthin'. Though I'm working more than originally anticipated- I enjoy what I do (and the people I work with). I also have the flexibility I need to still accommodate school drop off/pick up, short days, holidays and weekends.

But it also means I'm at work four days a week, sometimes more. I'm also having to do the kinds of things working moms have been doing in their sleep- missing runs here and there, cooking three massive meals on Sunday night for the rest of the week, having to live with the fact that stuff piles up on our counters (this triggers angry Jo-C-D backlash), tackling a half dozen, overflowing laundry baskets every weekend, a hairy garden with lettuce that is taller than most toddlers (eek) and getting less sleep. Still, it's the best balance I've had in a decade, and I'm grateful for it.

I do have a few other irons in the fire that I hope, will come to life as well. Two local businesses have reached out about the possibility of collaborating on a few HR projects down the road. I also have a second round interview for my dream job next week (this one would be a full-time position, in my field...the first since I dropped to part-time a decade ago). And finally, we just made the decision a week ago for Ryan to attend a two-week Japanese language school in Japan this summer (so it's been a flurry of application paperwork, securing tickets/housing, studying his hiragana/katakana, etc). All are far from guarantees, but offer hope. And well, that's something after feeling 'limited' for a decade.

One fun deviation from our new, slightly more tiring norm...we're redecorating Ryan's bedroom! At his request. ;-) He has a very generous budget for a nearly 10-year old, thanks to the entire family chipping in for 'early birthday gifts', and so we've been hitting TJ Maxx, Target and Ross the last two weeks with him in preparation of his birthday next month.

He selected the chair, accent table, 'plant' and lamp for this corner of his bedroom. We've since added a matching ottoman, a rug and a few other things, but you get the idea. Fuzzy, by the way, is in for Ry. In all forms- chairs, ottoman, rug, pillows, etc. You name it. I've tried to suggest limiting the fuzz, but I get shut down. :-D Oh well, one man's haven is another (wo)man's allergy-inducing fuzz fest.

Our lives will either be dramatically different in a month, or not so different at all. Both will be good. But ooooh, I would so love that dream job!