August is a Month of Vacation and Surprises
(Skagway, Alaska from the view of a train.)
Steve and I have been travelling a lot recently. At the end of July to the beginning of August, we took our yearly trek to Gen Con to spend time in Indy with friends. Despite the lesser-than-ideal conditions and a rough start to the weekend, including a fire alarm at the hotel and a tornado warning, we enjoyed a fun long weekend.
From August 13-August 22, our in-laws took us on an early 30th anniversary cruise to Seattle, Alaska, Canada, and back to Seattle. Although cruising is hard on the body, it's definitely good for the soul. The four of us had a lovely time visiting new places, cruising on the Pacific Ocean, eating wonderful cuisine, and just getting away. It was just as lovely to return to our fur kids, and the zinnias had bloomed even more since we left.
A couple of good surprises occurred right before we left and during the trip. A dream since I was 18 years old is to teach college full time. This semester, I was offered (and accepted, of course) a Visiting Lecturer's position in the Communication Department. I would be teaching four sections of S121 (The Public Speaking Course), holding official office hours, and attending staff meetings. While I was travelling, another class opened up and needed to be covered, so I accepted that offer. So, yes, I'm teaching five sections of public speaking at Indiana University South Bend, so that's about 125 students.
I just finished holding the first class, and although I'm a little tired, I'm ridiculously happy and so grateful for the opportunity, and hoping that I will continue to help students as a Visiting Lecturer for a long time.
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🩷Shayna