My Next 40 Years

August was an amazing personal month for me. Politically, not so much but that’s for another day. I travelled a bunch this month, caught up with one of my favorite people that I haven’t seen in almost a decade, the kids and I went to Niagara Falls, there were brunches and movies dates, and I capped off the month by taking an impromptu trip out to Cobb Island. Additionally, I finished my last certification training goal and received my Certified Professional in Management Training. I’ve got my Resume polished and ready to go and my LinkedIn profile is up to date to todays job market.

The start of the month I was still recovering from my bout of food poising so not much was going on until I flew to Calgary on the 7th. Growing up, I was always told that if you have five people (non-family) you can count on when shit hits the fan, you should count yourself lucky. I do have five people I can count on and my trip was to visit Lies, one of my five. After high school we stayed in touch the best we could – this was before social media so it wasn’t like the instant connectivity of today. I had kiddos and moved around a bit, Lies also got married, had kiddos and settled down. Her kids are young – still no teenagers and mine are grown so I have the luxury of being able to visit her now!

For full details of my trip, check out my blog post here. What stands out to me the most about this trip was the time Lies and I got to spend together, not just getting to know her kids and husband, but the times we got to quietly catch up. It was such a special feeling to know that I was talking to someone who just got me – she’d been there through a lot of different times in my life and besides my sister and Christina (Nina), she’s someone I don’t need to tell the backstory to or worry that she will judge me. That’s a very secure and special feeling and I can only hope to reciprocate that love and security to my friends in the same way.

After tromping all over Alberta and even a smidge into British Columbia, we bid a tearful farewell and I promised to come up again soon – like less than a year soon. Currently, I’m holding off on making any plans until I’ve got my ducks in a row here. The ideal situation for this next trip would be to go up for a month or so in the summer again – bring the kids and rent an Air BnB nearby Lies. Depending on how the political chaos continues to play out in the US, Canada is looking more and more like a viable escape option.

I returned home and jumped into a week long training course with hopes of achieving my Certified Professional in Training Management, (CPTM). After leaving my previous job, I did some long hard thinking about what makes me happy, and it turns out, I love training people! Watching those “a ha!” moments and sharing knowledge gives me immense joy. As does the more mundane aspects of being a Learning & Development leader – I LOVE writing SOP’s. Basically, if I can clarify something and make it better, I love it! So that’s where I’m going to focus the next phase of my career – Learning & Development, and I am so excited to begin! September has been reserved professional growth and I’m excited to see where it takes me (or really where I take myself ). You can learn more about the CPTM certification process here.

Next up was Niagara Falls with Nate and Chris. Full details of that trip can be found here. It was an incredibly fast trip – up and down in less than 48 hours but we had a blast. We walked behind cave, boated into the mist, enjoyed cocktails and unbelievable sights. Honestly, a once in a lifetime trip – more specifically, I am unlikely to visit again in my lifetime but it’s something you don’t want to miss so I’m glad we made the journey.

The last week of August found me just as busy as the first. I ventured downtown (despite the recent occupation of DC) and watched a movie on the pitch with some girlfriends – super fun. Next up was brunch with more friends and an impromptu trip to Cobb Island. Nina and I floated on my paddleboard until dusk, went out for crabs and soaked in the cool fall feeling evening by watching to moon rise over the Potomac. The next morning we built her kiddos a gigantic bunk bed, lounged in the sun and I headed back home late in the afternoon.

Today, the last day of August, I’m having my Dad over to cookout. This was a great weekend that really wrapped the summer up in a nice package. I love September and it’s always felt like more a fresh start than New Years does. In the next year, I’m planning to focus my energy on improving myself and making steps forward in my career. I also am going to prioritize my family, friends and self and plan to travel a great deal more as traveling makes me insanely happy.

Do you “start over” in the fall? Any big plans?