Over the last two and a half months I have felt like the Energizer Bunny -- I just keep going and going andgoing and going. Every evening I would go to bed thinking there is no way I still have fuel in my tank, yet every morning I would wake up (typically around 5:00 a.m.) and my battery light was fully charged. Since the start of the fall semester in early September, I have been consistently working 15-16 hour days non-stop. From September 1st through the end of October I had one day off and I slept 20 out of 24 hours. Hence the title of this post ... WHEW!
I write this not as a complaint or to ask for sympathy, but rather as a confirmation of my prediction of a few blogs ago when I wrote that September and October would be the busiest months of my professional career. As I finally have a chance to reflect, I can honestly say that though I constantly had that running on empty feeling, I also remained completely and utterly passionate about my profession. Though I hope I never have to put myself through two such months again, I can say in retrospect it was worth it ... for the most part.
What was the biggest struggle during this time you ask? Simple answer: not being with my best friend Soze (yes my dog) as he was on vacation with my family in Florida. Soze and I have been inseparable for the last 8 years, so to be without him for more than two months was difficult. We re-connected a couple of weeks ago, and well let's just say we are back to our old routine (such as, he snores louder than me and takes up most of the bed).
As my busy schedule commenced I was ambitious in thinking that I would maintain an active journal and get to blog frequently. However, when each day ended and it was time to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, my mouth opened wide into a huge yawn and my eyelids slowly closed. I learned quickly that I had to set priorities, to survive the workload and travel, and unfortunately the blog suffered in the end.
However, one thing that I did regularly was snap pictures. So as a re-cap of the last few months I share this collection of pretty random photos. Enjoy.
Make sure to check back Friday for the return of Friday Favorites and then early next week for the start of a series of application-related entries.
A SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER TO REMEMBER
Early September: Move-in and Orientation for the Class of 2013. Pictures are of actual move-in day to start the week and of the Job and Student Activities fair that end Orientation week.
One of my favorite events during Orientation week is the Class Photo. It takes a while to get everyone in place, but in the end the result is awesome.
Don't forget to check out our Orientation re-cap Video Blog entrytoo.
Mid-September: Got to enjoy a special weekend on the Homewood Campus celebrating the installation of Ron Daniels as Hopkins President. There was the special Fun Run, the installation ceremony, and then the reception afterward where I got to be with friends (Jameel and Sarah) and check out an amazing cake. Yum!
End of September: NACAC Conference invades Baltimore. It was one amazing week of events both on-campus and at the Convention Center in downtown Baltimore. As you can see, Crab hats and designs were the cool thing. Thanks to Jessica, Josh, Lauren, and Mandy for representing Hopkins Interactive so well during our educational session on blogging, and making me look good (well despite the hat).
Early October: My fall travel begins in New England. I picked up an awesome rental car (Chevy Traverse) and made sure to add the JHU sticker so I remembered what car I was driving. What a way to start my travels, at St. George's in Newport, Rhode Island -- an amazing view. I also had to take a picture of the most important thing to an admissions counselor on the road ... where is the visitor parking lot???
October: When on the road for two and a half weeks straight your home/office becomes a hotel room and the back of your car ... a view of that madness.
Mid-October: The aftermath of travel ... tons of work to catch-up on and you keep finding hotel room keys everywhere you look for a few days.
October 15th: Not the best picture, but this is of snow falling in Connecticut ... on October 15th. What the heck!!! Mother Nature's cruel sense of humor?
End of October: Once I returned from travel I was able to take a few days off and head down to Florida to see my family. The highlight was spending Halloween with my niece Lilly and nephew Cooper.
The End: My two favorite pictures of the last couple of months -- Jameel and I acting as Baltimore Police Detectives (we watch The Wire too much) & members of the JHU Admissions Counseling staff partying at the NACAC Conference social.
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