summer

Summer Update from RandiLand (in pictures)

Here’s a quick run down of what’s been going on in RandiLand this summer:

#MBALife

A bunch of students graduated in May!!!

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…but not me – classes are still rolling on.

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#WorkLife

In the OCIO, we’re handing out helpful brochures at orientation…

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…and the employee spotlight articles are going strong!

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#LifeBalance

I’m also gearing up for a camping trip this month…

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…and trying to make more time for my pup and the pool!

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Oh, and there’s a fantastic dance show in the rehearsal stage right now!

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…but more on that later. 🙂

#UpNext

My classes will continue through July, as will orientation. This August, the OCIO will make an appearance at the annual involvement fair and hopefully be able to give out some cool prizes (mobile power banks, an iPad, who knows!).

Goals for the new fiscal year should be formulated by the end of the summer as well.

Oh, and of course football season is just around the corner!

Exciting stuff!

Leaving Harlan Alive

I haven’t blogged in a while, but I’ve also been recovering from my vacation to Kentucky! (The song above will give you an idea of where I was…)

I travelled to Harlan County with two dozen high school kids and other adult volunteers to complete service projects for the residents there. St Paul’s Church in Westerville hosts this trip called Gospel Road every year, and I’ve had the pleasure of attending twice now.

This year, the kids learned so much about what life is like in the holler, and I got to teach them how to roll paint like a pro! We worked for families suffering from the loss of loved ones, individuals who were too sick to do household chores and others whose hearts were full of pride in their home, but their pockets were too empty to keep up with maintenance.

My team of painters and the wonderfully welcoming family we worked for the first few days in Kentucky

My team of painters and the wonderfully welcoming family we worked for the first few days in Kentucky

It was truly a blessing to be able to visit with these people and learn their stories—you never know what you might learn about yourself in the process. Me, I have a much greater appreciation for the things I went without for a week…air conditioning, a comfortable bed, a clean house, cell phone service, the Internet, and showers. Oh how I love showers. (Part of the fun of this trip is bathing in the lake. “Bring shampoo that floats” is always on our packing list!)

Another wonderful blessing showed up at our second work site and literally jumped in my lap! Meet Rax, the Jack Russel/Yorkie/Other terrier mix that came home with me from Kentucky!

Rax the small terrier is enjoying sitting in my lap on the patio - yay for suburb life!

Rax, the small terrier, is enjoying sitting on my lap on the patio – yay for suburb life!

His owners were no longer able to take care of him. They let him roam the neighborhood, play in the streets and the woods, sleep on the neighbor’s porch, acquire food on his own… This poor guy was looking for someone to take him in, and his owners wanted a better home for him as well. They handed him over to my care and it is just fantastic how quickly he has grown to love me and my air-conditioned lifestyle! Such a happy pup! And I was happy to get him out of Harlan alive!

So I’m back from Kentucky, getting Rax adjusted to Ohio, finishing up the summer semester at Fisher AND my team is getting ready to release a brand new service catalog! Stay tuned for that, folks! It’s so shiny! 😀