September Who?

I have always dreaded the coming of September every year.  It meant the end of summer, the start back to school, and the end of freedom.  Summer is magic, and September marked it's death.  Even though Texas heat doesn't really follow suit in the same way, there is still a tangible feeling of mourning in me.

This year was no different, but instead, September waltzed in the door, made itself comfortable and turned our lives into complete chaos.  I don't even know where the month went, it just flew right by, buried in crazy work schedules and other nonsense whose specifics escape me at the moment.

And there you have it.

The most rambling excuse of all time.

The sad part is, that it is becoming inherently obvious that unless I am able to do technology-requiring-things like "blog" from my phone, it will without fail not be completed in any sort of timely manner.  Work has anything remotely entertaining blocked, so the lunch hour is off limits.  I pretty much despise the idea of opening my laptop at home after staring at a computer all day at work.  So the original blog, the one you are currently, surprisingly reading, has to be turned into a phone friendly blog.  The dependency on that little collection of scrap metal God-knows-what has become ridiculous.

I had leadership training at work this week.  Three-and-a-half full-to-the-brim days of intense, completely-immersed crash course in the functions and changing culture of my company.  It felt like I'd been sucked into a black hole for a week.  I walked around in a daze for the 24 hours following my release, unable to string together a coherent sentence.

That being said, it was a positive experience, one that I am greatful to have been given the opportunity to take part in.  Even if there was a whole lot of metaphorical Kool-aid drinking thrown in for good measure.  I do think the company is starting to go in a better direction, and am curious to see how this new vision and strategy unfolds.

A week ago, we had a photographer (Jane!) come in to take family photos of us at our house.  I am excited/dreading seeing how they turned out.  I know this is silly, but as life has aged me, I have become less and less comfortable being in front of the camera, and perfer to hide behind it.  I'm sure there will be several cute photos of the family, minus myself as I was smiling in a way that looks like a partially constipated Yoda.

There was some random accolades on our house in the past month, but I'll write about it properly here.  My first appearance in the NY Times was, let's say, less than dressy.  But at a distance, I'm almost not terribly embarrassed.  Almost.  We've been tyring to accomplish little project around the house, at a snails pace, but it's progress.  Andrew received an early birthday gift of a television, which, by boy standards is the equivalent of REALLY moving in.  I'm pretty sure he didn't feel like this was all the way our home until there was a television in the living room which allowed him to watch football from the street four blocks away.  There is something about dudes and their tv's.  It's like their version of nesting.

I have been feeling very Mom-Frump lately, so when I went in for my quarterly hair cut last week, I threw in a little 'tude with the usual "cover the grey and trim it up."  I had bright! red highlights put in the underside of my hair, so that the flash of color is almost undetectable when my hair is down, but stripey and crazy when it's in a ponytail.  This was the compromise for being work-appropriate but throwing a little personality into the mix.  It's my very own color-version of the mullet: business in the front [top], party in the back [bottom].

There are approximately 3 trillion new developments in Lilly over the past two months, so I will have to leak that out slowly (by phone) here.  But let's summarize by saying that while I was in leadership training, she managed to become a regular potty-pooper (close, but not similar to a party-pooper) and learned how to say her full name.  Holy McJunior, where did that come from?  She also likes to sing spanish songs about little fishies, and can now count to ten in four languages.  I may as well pack up and go home, she's passed me up in the smarts department at age two.  While I was at training, my business unit president was talking about negotiations and said "two year olds are the world's best negotiators.  1) they are relentless and 2) they aren't afraid to ask for anything."  That little comment made me miss her even more.  My ruthless negotiator got extra hugs and kisses on Wednesday night.

So long September, it's time to begin the roll into the holidays.  And October, if you could maintain/bring nice weather, I will be your BFFAEAE.