We fit in lots of fun fall activities this weekend. Here’s how we filled the weekend.
Friday:
- I went into the office which isn’t typical for a Friday. I sometimes have issues with my VPN connection. It can take a LONG time to save files when I WFH and since I had a long to do list, I figured being in the office was best. Plus I had a client call at 8:30 so I wouldn’t have been able to workout if I had WFH (being able to squeeze in a workout is the main benefit of WFH). One of the items on my list was to write my self-review for 2024. It’s so early to write a self-review but my company keeps moving up the deadline every year it seems. I’ve been tactfully lobbying for a pay increase over the last several months so I wanted a really strong self-review with lots of examples of my contributions. My role has changed dramatically in the last 2 years. For example, I used to rarely travel… this year I will do 20+ trips. Plus I have a direct report that I manage/mentor now. I don’t love comp conversations but I know many of my male colleagues aren’t shy about asking for what they want so I had to go outside my comfort zone and be more direct.
- I also voted early while I was downtown. There was a steady steam of people at the voting site. I really liked the idea of voting on Election Day with Paul since our polling site is next to his school. But I wanted to make sure nothing got in the way of casting my vote!!
Saturday:
- It was a chilly morning with temps in the upper 30s which felt good on my 5 mile run. I needed to wear a vest and LS shirt for this run.
- After I showered Phil headed to get groceries and I took the boys to the fall event at our church’s pumpkin patch. Taco helped me pick out our pumpkin and he picked out 2 small ones for him and Paul while Paul jumped in the bounce house (Taco is terrified of bounce houses - Paul was scared at his age, too). The boys also enjoyed a pumpkin sugar cookie. A woman offered to take a picture of me with the boys so I took her up on that since I am in so few pictures with the boys! I was wishing I had worn make up that day but oh well. This is my weekend mom look.
- After quiet time that afternoon we went to a free tennis clinic that is put on every weekend at a tennis bubble close to Taco’s school. The boys had so much fun!
- Then it was off to a pumpkin carving party at our friend’s house! I worked on making sweet and smoky chili while Phil carved our pumpkin. After dinner the kids all watched a movie together while the adults played cards. It was such a fun night!!
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| We usually carve a cat but this year we went off brand and Phil carved a hand as it was one of the easier stencils in our book of patterns. Our friend’s cat pumpkin was amazing! |
- The boys’ and I went to Sunday school on Sunday morning. I volunteered in Taco’s room which was pretty easy and fun. I helped in the music room and played the piano while 2 of the teachers went to hear their grandson sing in church. I was a little nervous to sight read a piece but the kids are 3-4 so not a very judgmental audience! I took some pics of the boys on the way home from church for our Christmas card which was quite an ordeal…
- In the afternoon Phil golfed with some friends while the boys had swimming lessons and went to the fall festival at Paul’s school. There were bounce houses, food trucks, games, llamas, and more! The boys had a great time.
Could we have fit more into the weekend? I don’t think so!
This afternoon I fly to Detroit for a work trip. I’ll be back around dinner time on Wednesday so it’s a pretty short trip. Then I get a week break from travel thank goodness.
How was your weekend?
17 comments:
Oof I still have VPN PTSD from my last job. The VPN worked fine most of the time except when it didn't. My VP loooooooved massive Excel files, and they took so long to open, to save, and to close. And of course if one session of Excel is taking 15 minutes to save a file, you can't do anything else in Excel while you're waiting so when things were bad I pretty much couldn't do anything except stare at my computer in horror.
Anyway, yay for putting in the extra elbow grease on your self review. I hope the cha-ching will follow.
Llamas! I would have been so excited for llamas. How funny that one matched Paul's shirt! You could not have packed more fun into that weekend.
This was definitely a full weekend! I love all the fall-themed activities. This time of year is so fun with little kids. That photo of Paul with the llama is hilarious (but why are llamas a fall thing? Why are they a Christmas thing??? My Christmas throw pillows have llamas on them.)
I would say you're definitely due for a pay increase! Your travel schedule is intense.
I also remember VPN issues from back in the day. Of course, in those days, it was the early 2000s and we were working out of our hotel and we saved everything on the 3 inch floppies! We did have some massive Excel files but I really don't remember those being an issue, but I do laugh at those days, because I had to buy a thumb drive and I paid about $100 for a 1GB drive! That was the wave of the future at the time!
I love that photo of Paul with the tiny llama! Also your weekend look looks fine to me, but of course, I have not worn make up for nearly a year now, so maybe I am a little bit used to it. However, I think you look great.
My weekend was good! I spent it in Bellingham WA, which is a cute little town on the Puget Sound. I went to the farmer's market, went walking in the park, explored town and avoided getting rained on, even though it rained a lot! That is a win in my book! #atleastitsnotraining is my new theme!
Wow. This was a full fall weekend. I'm so glad someone took a photo of you with the boys. It's really cute picture. You look great - I don't think you need makeup. Good for you for asking for a raise. You deserve it. All that travel alone!
Llamas, tennis and pumpkin???? Amazing!! L is feeling better so we went to the mall to return some stuff to Nordstroms that was too big/small/not right. R sat through the whole episode of Star Wars??? I was impressed. In the "scary" parts he would run out then ask "is it over?" then come back in. It was so cute. But i agree with him- some creatures in Star Wars can be creepy as heck.
the llamas!!! wooo! I want to touch one too. So cute! hope you get a break from all those travels, definitely a bit intense. A run in the 30s? I'm so jealous.
Welcome to Detroit. I hope you have a smooth and easy trip. Your weekend of Halloween festivities sounds fun. I like taking my kids to the pumpkin patch and other Halloween kid things more than I like the actual day of Halloween.
Loving the matching llama pic-- so cute! What a fun weekend :)
Sounds like a great weekend! I never got around to commenting on your DC trip post (I read on my phone and I have issues commenting on Blogger on my phone sometimes...) but that all looked so awesome too! (I know we texted about it all anyway :) ) I love that pic of you and the boys. I think it's a great picture! No makeup needed for you!! Hope your trip goes well this week.
What a busy weekend! I feel like my kids do more in a weekend than I did in a month as a kid? There is just a lot of fun things to do AND it feels like I need to/want to keep them entertained. But...phew. Sometimes I am VERY relieved with Monday morning rolls around.
The pictures are all so cute!! The llama pictures is adorable.
Ugh. Family pictures. They are my nightmare. I've chickened out and we're not doing it this year. I'm just piecing things together with pictures we took on vacation. I know it wouldn't be too hard to get the kids dressed and just take their picture, but I don't feel like. So I'm giving myself a pass :)
What a great weekend!! So fall and festive. Hope you have a great week!
This sounds like a perfect weekend -- productive at work and wonderful family time, too. I like your weekend mom look. And every time I see pix of the boys, they seem older!
What a lovely fall weekend!
I love to vote on Election Day, but I'm considering early voting in case I wake up that morning and break my leg or something. Honestly, I'm feeling so nervous about it.
You always have such fun and full weekends, Lisa! This one was especially cram jammed with good stuff. I LOVE that photo of you and the boys. It is a great picture.
Good work on asking to be compensated for what you are worth! I know it is uncomfortable but you are a huge asset to your company and you should feel satisfied with your compensation package!
OMG VPNs are the bane of my existence! We don't have one anymore THANK GOD but ours would constantly go down all the time!
I dropped off my mail-in ballot on Sunday and saw yesterday that it was counted. Hooray! Now to breathe into a paper bag until the results come in.
That photo of you and the boys is ADORABLE. I love it! I'm glad you guys got to enjoy such a big fall-y weekend!
One year I had a new boss and was asked to do a self review, and you know, I do my job, I do it well, but it's not anything that is customer facing, I don't bring more money into the company if I go above and beyond, that kind of thing. So I said I was good at my job, but I didn't give myself credit for being extraordinary or anything. Guess who didn't get a raise that year? I asked my boss and she said, "I based it on your self review". Guess who always gives herself all 10 out of 10 now? Me. :)
Love the pictures, so cute, and wow, what a busy weekend you had!
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