The Warning Track of Summer

In the back of recent Sports Illustrated, I read an article that described August as the warning track of summer. This description was very apt, particularly this year. I started this post during the first week of August. I can't believe that tomorrow August will be over. It has flown by.

After our trip to San Diego, we had a few long lazy summer days left before I headed off to work and Alison went back to school. We spend those last few days going on long summer walks, eating picnic dinners in the park, attending Bees' games with family and friends, and trying to squeeze every ounce of happiness out of what has been one of the best summers we ever had.

Ever since the end of that first week of August life has been a whirlwind. I had half a day of orientation with EY in Salt Lake before they sent me for a few days of training in San Jose. I came back to another week of training and then it was off to the client site for me. It has been a huge adjustment to go to work every day. Sometimes I feel like an old pro after having completed an internship. There are other days I am completely lost and I struggle as I try to keep up and learn new things. To top everything off I got a nasty cold during my first week of work. I have since recovered and things are going well. The toughness of the first few days has worn off and I have had a few days where my work really clicked. I love those days and hope I have many more like them.

Alison got all geared up for school. Last week she went to orientation and this past Tuesday she had her first class. She's really excited about the MBA courses and is already buried in homework.  Her first class was on Teaming, which she's been talking about non-stop.  Teaming is developing dynamic, fluid teams and teaching individuals skills for team-building so they can quickly form and dissolve high-performing teams. She also has an accounting class. It has been fun for me to help her and watch her learn more about accounting. Her brother Jake is also in an accounting class. I get many opportunities to help both of them with their homework.

The real story of our August has been one of adjustment. Our schedules have been turned upside down. We are figuring out how to balance work, school, homework, making dinner, cleaning our apartment, and most importantly spending time together. This adjustment period has brought new challenges and together Alison and I have worked through them. We are adjusting to a new season in our lives and I am excited to see what adventures this part of our journey will bring.