I am a day late again. And I have been really struggling with keeping up with the blog lately. To be truthful, I’ve been struggling with keeping up with everything in my life. I’ve come to realize this week that I have some things I really like to do and things I really need to do for my own sanity, and those often go to the wayside because I get distracted by things I feel OBLIGATED to do. So, during the month of May, I’m really going to focus on doing the things I like to do. I would like to think of it as planning my Friday Favorites! This blog is one of those things. Doing Girl Scout activities and planning is another one of those things. Having a clean, decluttered home is another. Spending time with friends in low-key activities is another. Helping my daughter out with projects and planning for Senior year (!) is another. And planning some fun activities during my Summer trips is yet another. And finally, getting my steps in each day. I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of StepBet so far (finishing up first official week tomorrow) and I like the motivation to get out and walk. So, May will be a month for doing the things I WANT to do, not the things I feel obligated to do!
But, let’s jump in to my favorites from this past week. Some I have photos for and some I do not. But, I’ll share them all!
Golden Gate Bridging and Girl Scout Planning!
If you haven’t seen my post on my older Girl Scout troop bridging on the Golden Gate Bridge last weekend, please do check it out! It was a great experience and it has renewed my interest in making my daughter’s last year of Girl Scouts the best that it can be. We’ve already done some planning for Fall and I got the meetings scheduled today. It was also motivation for my walking! If I could do 7.15 miles and not feel too bad, I knew I wasn’t doing enough of it on the daily.
Grant writing workshop!
No photos from this one, but on Monday I attended a grant writing workshop for a system-wide grant that will be given to multiple projects on multiple campuses in the California State University system. It was a large room with a lot of people from all over campus working on ideas they were excited about and the energy was electric. I love being in spaces where people are excited and truly invested in a future goal, so this was great energy for me.
New Instructor Conversations
I’m in the midst of hiring new instructors for our First-Year Experience course for Fall 2026. We lost three out of four instructors and although I thought about teaching it myself, I decided I would rather not have a new prep in Fall (I’m designing the syllabus and major shared assignments for the class, but it isn’t the same as prepping the whole class). So, I’ve had to hire three instructors. One of them was someone I knew from campus, but the other two are new to FYE and new to in-person teaching at our campus. I got to sit and have a conversation with them to make sure they are a good fit for FYE and that the class would be a good fit for them. And I’m so excited about them as instructors. They both just seem like genuinely kind and student-centered people who will be a joy to work with!
Teaching Evaluation
I had my meeting with my Department Chair to review my teaching evaluation this week and it was a very good teaching evaluation, which is always nice. I also got paid an extra hour for the meeting even though it only took about 15 or 20 minutes! So, win-win!
Weather Warm-up and Graduation
The weather warmed this week, but not soaring. It was so nice to have low 80s and blooms everywhere on campus. And everyone is taking their graduation photos around campus and it is so joyful! It was truly a beautiful week and a beautiful end to an otherwise tough month.
I hope that you have also found some joy and warmth and optimism in your week! Looking forward to reading everyone else’s Friday Favorites!
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