I'm in Texas for a conference where the heat index is over 100. The conference rooms, as per usual, are about 62 degrees. I am happy that I had the forethought to bring a pashmina to act as a blanket when I'm inside.

Here's what else was good this week:

• Snack dinner (big hit with the kiddo)
• All my flights were on time
• My hotel room is HUGE (there's a full corner couch!)
• Attending a non-library focused conference
• Metro is running more trains making commuting easy
• Getting to cheer on my colleagues when they get good news
• FaceTime
• Kiddo still adores her little purple hippo stuffy
• Tossed together a veggie pasta dinner with our farm share produce

I love working from home when the weather is glorious. I've got the windows open and this room is a perfect 71 degrees and 52% humidity. Plus, I get to hear the birds sing and the breeze blow through the trees. It is the perfect way to end the work week.

Here's what else made me happy:

• "Hermie! Time to wake up!" - what our kiddo said as she started our robot vacuum
• Audibling dinner and making frozen pizza one night
• Having a good chat with my colleagues while we waited out a fire alarm in our building
• Discovering that hand sanitizer is a really good mosquito bite treatment
• Hot coffee
• Letting the kiddo scooter to the new cookie store in our neighborhood
• Talking to students at an orientation event
• Texting with friends 
• Booking my travel for the Library Marketing and Communications Conference

Normally, I share mostly small things in this post. Today, I want to lead with a big one.

​I just submitted my enormous portfolio to begin the faculty promotion process. It was frustrating, tedious, and a rather large PIA - BUT it showed me how awesome I am. There were 18 pages of narrative plus all the supporting material of all the work I completed in the past 4 years. I'm glad it's over but it was a satisfying thing to do. Plus, the two people who wrote me letters of recommendation made me tear up with happiness.

Here's what else was good this week:

• Hubby picked me up from work so I wouldn't melt in the heat wave
• Seeing some extended family I haven't seen in years
• Dinner out on a school night
• A night of really good, deep sleep
• This playlist
• Commiserating with colleagues
• Kiddo surprised me by sleeping in on Saturday
• Splurging for a hotel room to use their pool during the heat wave
• Had a fun question on the reference desk
• Snack bags of chips

Kiddo and I just got back from her annual well visit. While we had to wait a long time, she was patient and cooperative. That made our visit much easier. Plus, the weather is glorious and the walk to and from the office was a nice break.

Here's what else was good this week:

• Having the flexibility to work from home when I need to
• Seeing all the things I've accomplished while putting my promotion package together
• Opened our windows for the first time in months
• Scored a decent team in our Fantasy Football draft
• Hurricane Idalia ran over my folks place but they only lost power for a few hours
• Upgraded to an exit row seat
• Being able to share our extra juice boxes with fellow daycare parents
• The second kiddo saw her ballet shoes, she wanted to wear them
• When my packages with books arrive
• Launched my Content Prompt newsletter

In a few hours, I'll be getting on a plane to help my husband make the long drive home with our kiddo. I've relished my alone time for the past week, but I'm ready to see them. There's nothing like a preschooler tackle hugging you after you've been apart.

Here's what else was good this week:

• A few almost chilly mornings on my walk to work
• Getting to the grocery store before everyone else
• I saw some butterflies flittering around flowers
• Helped a new neighbor move a table
• First day of school vibes
• Binge watching #BamaRush tok videos
• Receiving videos of the kiddo from family
• Got to see the kiddo actually eat lettuce (and go back for more!) on a FaceTime call
• Knocked several tasks off my needle list
• Painted my toes a sparkly color

Whelp - turns out I was directly exposed to COVID at a work event this week. The interaction was brief (less than 30 seconds) but we were both unmasked and in an enclosed space. So far I feel fine. Fingers crossed it stays that way. I was able to pick up some free tests and masks to help get me through the week. At least I'm home alone and can't transmit it to my family.

Here's what was good this week:

• Being able to rebook a missed flight connection on my phone
• Receiving an adorable video of the kiddo washing our car
• Free lunch at work - twice!
• Knocking out some chores I've wanted to do for awhile
• I got to pet a jellyfish
• Celebrating the kiddo's birthday with family
• Having time for productive mornings before work
• Went to a minor league baseball game and got to see fireworks with the whole family
• Living in a walkable neighborhood
• The energy I get before the start of the semester

I realized that I am on track this year to surpass my usual amount of reading. I've just been on a run of books that make me happy. That has me more excited to read every day. I like it!

Here's what else is making me smile:

• I solved my coding issues and got the new navigation bar posted on our website.
• Finding fun gifs to use in my professional development training
• A perfectly cooked steak 
• Eating freezer leftovers to simplify our upcoming meal plan
• Kiddo was excited to go to school every day
• Making progress on my new newsletter
• Summer in the 90s playlist on Spotify
• Kiddo wanted to wash her own dishes after dinner
• The theme song to season two of the Dungeons & Daddies podcast

A few hours ago, we got a message that a classmate at our kiddo's daycare has lice. School checked all the kids and they didn't say our kiddo also had them... but I'm holding my breath. Fingers crossed she remains itch and nit free. This is one rite of parenting I was hoping to avoid.

Here's what was good in my week:

• Conquered a coding challenge
• Kiddo's huge smile at the pile of Winnie-the-Pooh library books I brought home for her
• Kiddo sitting happily in my lap I as read those Winnie-the-Pooh books to her
• Air conditioning
• Making a greenery arrangement out of the remains of a birthday bouquet
• Enjoying a perfectly ripe nectarine
• Visiting a new museum
• Knocking more work projects than planned off my to do list
• Kiddo brought her dad a family picture to take with him on his next trip
• The fluffiness of our bath mat after I ran it through the laundry
• Making pizza grilled cheese as a WFH lunch

I took the week off of work in honor of my birthday. While the first three days were full of home chores, I did give myself a home spa day on my birthday. I was worried that kiddo might get sick and be home from daycare but, luckily, that did not happen. So, I got to relish a full day of pampering. It was great and now my skin is super soft.

Here's what else made me smile this week:

• When I reminded kiddo that it was my birthday she said, "Mom, you need cake!"
• Hubby sent me chocolate dipped fruit since he could not be here to celebrate
• The lily in our flower arrangement opened
• The productive soreness that comes from giving your home a deep, deep clean
• Found two large bags worth of donations
• Lucked in to a lot spot after our trip to CostCo
• Speaking of CostCo, we were in and out in 15 minutes
• Kiddo laughing with glee while watching Piglet's Big Movie
• Received lots of birthday well wishes
• Rewatching Outlander
• Iced coffee
• Defenestrated a baddie in our D&D session

Only one person showed up for my webinar today. Ah, c'est la vie. At least I know that there will be additional views through the recording. I, myself, am a big fan of signing up for webinars just to get the recording. On the upside, the stats for my personal archiving webinar look great!

Here's what else made me happy this week:

• Submitting answers for my upcoming profile on Super Library Marketing
• Rewatching specials of The Grand Tour
• Kiddo twirling and trying to dance en pointe in her jelly shoes
• Exquisite writing in a memoir
• Taking the kiddo to a Sunday library story time
• Enjoying the aroma of fresh cut grass on my walk to work
• Running the dishwasher instead of hand washing
• Kiddo giving "advice" to her dad as he played the new Zelda game
• Flip-flops
• Feeling well-rested when I woke up one morning