All in a Day's Work

I am ready for this week to be over, and it's only (barely) Wednesday. The big conference I do each year for my job is next week. That makes this week one of the most busy and usually most stressful . Some of the headaches are to be anticipated, and while I gripe about them, they can be taken in stride- last minute requests, last minute changes, etc. Some can be expected, but I don't have to like them, like hold ups waiting on other people to get their stuff together. This year, I am more than a little annoyed with my co-coordinator, who has left some pretty big things to the last minute, meaning that where we should be confirming details with the facility, the caterer and the trade show vendor, we are still trying to iron out a work plan. I am not happy about this, and the fact that I know it needs resolved, and there is nothing we can do until later today, when I was already going to be crazy busy, is keeping me awake. The other headache is caused by one of our out of town speakers, whose travel schedule is weird, to say the least. To make it more complicated, we contracted her through a speakers bureau. What this means is that rather than just being able to call her and work out details, I have to work through a representative. This means everything takes three times longer to resolve. For example, we got an official response to a question yesterday that we had already dismissed and moved on from due to lack of reply. Fortunately, the reply confirmed what we had already decided to do, or I might be lying awake wondering how to fix that too. Today is our work day, where we prep the packets and organize delivery of materials. That itself is not stressful, provided the printer has done everything correctly. It's just that I had set aside this morning to get ready for that, and now it looks like I will be spending my morning troubleshooting 99 other things instead.

And, because the rest of my life does not stop just because work is busy, I still have to get through this week on the home front. It's not any busier than most weeks, but trying to fit it all in while also getting ready to be out of town for three days is not simple. Monday we went to visit my father in law, who had to stay overnight in the hospital after a surgical procedure. Last night and tomorrow night we have soccer practice. Tonight we are going to a church activity and to see my in-laws again. Saturday, we have early soccer and will take the kids to stay at grandparents' house while I am gone. Sometime in between all that I need to pick up snacks for soccer, do laundry and pack suitcases, and oh yeah, prepare a lesson for Sunday. All while trying to keep work at work, be the best mom I can be for kids with homework, meals, time and attention, etc., and trying to maintain my sanity around B.

Remember him? He's 13 and driving me absolutely nuts. I know that what he most needs right now is consistency and patience and time and positive attention and all that parenting mumbo jumbo, but he makes it so difficult to even want to be around him that I know I am being a terrible parent right now. Of course I love him, but sometimes I have to try very hard to make it sound more sincere than sarcastic when I say it. Right now I am just hoping that he will behave himself while I am gone, because his grandparents are doing me a huge favor by watching them while I am gone, and they do not need his attitude to deal with right now.

On a side note, I have received several compliments about my lessons on Sunday. This is nice to hear, partly because it's nice to hear :) and partly because I was worried that I would not be a good teacher of adults, not having done that in awhile. I won't go so far as to say that I am having fun yet, but it's nice to know that others are getting something from it. I think I will too, in time.

And in the background of all this, I am still planning to leave my job for another opportunity. My official end date is the 27th, but I will come back a few times to wrap up the conference as necessary. I am very much looking forward to the new job, but still trying to do right by my current one. Truthfully, my boss is just grateful that I agreed to stick around until after the event, but I am not content to just get through it. It has been my baby for so long, and something I am known for and proud of. I don't have to go out with a bang, but it will bother me if I don't execute the best event possible.

So I will wear myself out this week, just to make those three days look like a perfect piece of cake.