It was the Summer of '22

It's been a minute.

Well, it's been a (school) year, if I'm being honest. When veteran principals say that it was their hardest year ever, I realized I am very fortunate to feel like I do after 2021-2022. I truly am grateful to be where I'm at... and I was even more grateful for the summer break, as it was very much needed.

To say the Summer of 2022 will likely go down in (my) history as one of the best I've had (aside from the whole trying to hire during a teacher shortage, you know) is an accurate statement. I've traveled to places that have long been on my bucket list, listened to plenty of live music, caught up with friends, and got to spend time with my family. Each activity or trip could easily have its own post, but I'll keep it short, maybe expanding later on... (I wasn't on my game this summer - everything passed too fast!)

HERE. WE. GO - A WHIRLWIND RECAP:

1. Spain/France Trip Chaperone with Middle School Students: (As a highlight, I was so proud of how they behaved overall. What troopers!)

How it started (flight into Madrid)

Holy Toledo!

Montmartre (France)

Paris sights!

Normandy = incredible

Yes, we kayaked. The kids didn't enjoy working that hard :)

How it ended - south of France in Nice!

2. Live Music & Cultural Experiences...Including Ravinia Concerts and Elton John!

Always a pleasant place to hear music :)

I could have danced all night...

Cezanne exhibit at the Art Institute

What's the buzz? Tell me what's a happening...

The man himself - what a performer!

3. Annual National Parks Road Trip - Acadia (ME) and Shenandoah (VA) with many a stop in between...

First pit stop = Niagara Falls

Only took 3 years to actually get here ;)

They called it Maine Survivor. I called it delicious!

No filter (sunset coming down from Cadillac Mountain)

LobsTAH

Sunrise - Cadillac Mountain

ACE roomies reunited

Chicago friend

Shenandoah sunset

Loved seeing familiar faces across the USA :)

4. Family and Friend Visits

Memorial Day Weekend / Tricia's Retirement Party

Visiting long-time family friends in MI

Meeting ACE housemate's new baby girl

Baby shower celebration for ACE classmate

Reunited and it feels so good!

5. ACE Principal Academy @ Notre Dame

The Grotto = my favorite place to pray and be

Bl Basil Moreau <3

Some of my fellow cohort members - we braved the rain!

Show me your joy!

Fr. Hesburgh's office

No trip to ND complete without Ritters!

Have courage - go towards the storm!

And now summer is quickly coming to a close. (Actually, it's been closed for me since I got back from Notre Dame.) Teachers come back on Friday (for an outside PD), and then we are hitting the ground running. Please keep us in your prayers. 

Cheers to 2022-2023!!

Grace in a time of COVID-19

Aside from seeing my roommate (who is leaving to go to her parents' place for a few days), I have not been in normal contact or conversation with anyone outside of virtual chats, Zoom calls, or FaceTime.

One thing I have done regularly, though, is go outside for either a run or a walk (or two) every day. And on these excursions, without fail to this point, I have encountered a friend - one from ACE, one from my church Sunday night prayer group, and one parent from my previous school. And let me tell you - those short encounters have been true moments of grace from God.

Each interaction was brief.
No hugs were given.
But real conversation happened; we were present in that moment.
And it was wonderful.

In this time of uncertainty and isolation, I find consolation in these moments.
And I find grace in a time of COVID-19.

A little extra time these days...

Why, hello there. It's been awhile. But, you know, with this whole social distancing thing, I'm suddenly finding more time on my hands (while also realizing why I like to keep somewhat to moderately busy during the week)...

How are you?

There's a lot to take in - from the news, from texts from family and friends, from social media. I find it all quite overwhelming, especially as we strive to support our students, families, and teachers in this e-learning experience. It's a big learning curve, I assure you, and I know everyone is adjusting and doing the best they can.

And, can I just say, thank goodness for modern technology?! I just got off a Zoom room call with about 10 of my 7th grade religion students, and it was SO good for the soul to see their faces, hear their voices, and have a conversation (even when they tried to talk over one another). On a side note, I also had a virtual happy hour the other night with my sister and several friends - what a lifesaver!

In reflection this past week, I've come to realize that it's amazing how much I take for granted. And I sincerely hope that once our world has recovered from this pandemic that I make a conscious effort not to do that again. My students & school families, my colleagues, my family (who I now won't be seeing for Easter 😢), my friends (near and far), my prayer groups, my gym, and, perhaps most of all, church - these are people and things I sincerely miss, and I know others are missing their respective people, places, and activities as well.

As this gets worse before it gets better, let's take a moment to pray for and remember the healthcare workers and those who are still reporting to their jobs so that we can work from the comfort of our homes. So many people are making sacrifices and so many people are without any human contact. This is truly a hard time for everyone.

I hope you are healthy and well. Be safe everyone.

Running for (and with) others

Less than one week out from my marathon, I can't help but reflect with gratitude on the people who have helped support me along the way (and those who will be with me on race day). This post is for them...

*Mission OLA - This place and its wonderful people (the religious men and women who serve there as well as those whom they serve through their ministry) are the reason I am running this race and the reason I reached out to family and friends to help me fundraise over $1000. Their presence/ministry in the Humboldt Park neighborhood is a true gift from God, and I am fortunate to be a part of their efforts in a small way on a somewhat regular ongoing basis too.

*My fellow runners - Whether it was a quick text, email, or phone call/conversation to check in and see how the training was going, it meant a lot and it kept me going. It's such a blessing to know that others are cheering along the journey and praying for me and a strong race. Knowing that someone is a long-distance runner forms an automatic bond for me with that person - they just get it. And for that I am grateful.

*My sister - Believe it or not, this is the first marathon that my sister is not running with me. (Well, Disney still counts because we were in the same race - she was just 20 minutes faster so we weren't technically running together.) Therefore, it's going to be different - I'll have to be the one to push myself, especially when I get to the end and always want to wimp out; I'll have to imagine her there telling me to keep going and that I can rest when it's over. (She also got me a goody bag full of important things like chocolate, throwaway gloves, and a portable roller for sore muscles after the race. That was pretty great.)

*My parents - They have always been my biggest cheerleaders. My dad even wrote me a short (inspirational) poem when I sent him the runner tracking information. :) They've been to several of our marathons (Disney, Chicago, Detroit, & Cincinnati), jumping around at different points of the course to take photos and watch us run by. They won't be at this race, but I know they'll be praying and tracking from afar.

*My race weekend buddies - Ok, so they're running the 5K, but they are still giving up their weekend to come support and cheer me on. They will be subjected to my early morning race day hours (so I can get my coffee in ahead of time), pre-race meal dietary restrictions, and random agitation of crowds/inefficiency at the expo. But it will be great. And we will get to celebrate the rest of the weekend.



Running is something that has always been a part of my family's lifestyle, even if it was just holiday 5Ks (Turkey Trot & Jingle Bell Run) growing up, and it is something that truly became part of my identity in college. Our running group ("Bull Run") was filled with awesome people who helped me go from barely being able to run 3 miles to running a marathon in under 4 hours. I still think of them in my training and racing to this day and try to take their advice to heart.

Even when I thought I'd have to hang up my long-distance running shoes when I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, my physical therapist and doctor helped me get back on my feet (literally) and build my running stamina back up to what it once was, with my first marathon back at it being a PR by over 5 minutes.

God is so good, and He has blessed me with this opportunity to race next Saturday with the support of my family and friends. If you think of it, please say an extra prayer for me (and for all those running) on Saturday. It's going to be a chilly one, but I hope it will be precipitation- and wind-free! Let's go!!

"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

End of summer, beginning of year 12

Nothing says "end of summer" like Labor Day weekend.

Indeed.

School is now in full force for students, even though teachers have been back since mid-August (and the rest of us since before that). 

Don't worry - Marisa and I totally did our back to school ice cream tradition the weekend before (my) school started.

And you can rest assured I spent my time in church leading up to school's beginning on my knees offering prayers for my teacher & admin friends as well as for my own school. Not only did it make sense to do so, I don't think I would have made it through the week without prayer & Mass...

And fresh flowers, of course...

While it took nearly the whole morning for me to get my act together, I did manage to snap a first day of school picture. (And our business manager also took a real one the week before for our website.)

Only one week in now, but school is certainly keeping me busy. And that is probably more so than last year, as I have a class to plan for and teach: 7th grade Religion. Exciting though it is, I imagine it will take its toll on me when the admin side of things starts piling up, but for now things are good. And, technically, I'm on the Jr High team...

Aside from school, there have been plenty of other goings-on to keep me busy, including but not limited to Shakespeare in the Park, early morning marathon training runs along the lakefront, a Cubs baseball game, reading, a play (or perhaps a few), and other random things, including visits with friends (and even a few dates(!) - but, sadly, there turned out to be nothing promising). Busy, busy...

I've also (clearly) been working on maintaining my girlish figure... 😂

Kidding.

Food is totally worth the splurge.


I hope you are doing well and that wherever you're at in life or in work/school that you're right where you're meant to be. (I also hope you were able to follow the crazy jumping around of this blogpost. My brain is fried...)

Have a wonderful week!