Day in the Life...February 2024

 

Last month I told you about a random Monday in our lives. This month, I thought I’d follow along for a Day in the Life of Shafferland again, but on a Tuesday instead!

A Tuesday in February
Ryan is 44, Bekah is 45, Braeya is 17, Lexi is 2
Weather: Partly sunny with a high of 41. We’ve been enjoying some brighter days lately, and I have welcomed every single one.

MORNING:

            The last several days have been nonstop, so we are tired when the alarms go off. Ryan gets up first and goes to the living room to read his Bible and pray. After a few snoozes, I drag myself out of bed and to my desk to sit with my own devotions, that blissful first cup of coffee, and the first of the giant water tumblers.

            I read today’s offering from Discovering Jesus in the Old Testament by Nancy Guthrie and then read the passage from Mark that our Sunday School class is all collectively reading today. This one is about Jesus’ encounter with the rich, young ruler. I journal some observations from both and spend some time praying for Ryan, too.

            Ryan kisses me good morning, gets Lexi up to have her breakfast, and starts getting ready for work. I pull out some paper to write a love note for Ryan’s lunchbox, and then I pack his lunch. Leftover tacos and cookie bars today! 

            I need to shred some cheese, which absolutely gets Lexi’s attention. She will shadow anyone all day in hopes of a fallen shred of cheese. 

            Ryan unloads the dishwasher that ran overnight, and I get dressed in my work clothes. I haven’t looked at the schedule yet, but I know I have a lot of meetings today. I decide since the last few days have been so busy from start to finish and since tomorrow is a dress up day (Valentine’s Day) I will wear a long-sleeved tee and leggings today for work. Keep it nice and comfy.

            Ryan eats oatmeal for breakfast, and I make my protein shake. 

            I take it with me to the bathroom to do my skin care routine, makeup, and hair. My hair needs washed TODAY, but I’ll wait until tonight since it’s a gym night. I do my best to pull one more day out of it and send Ryan off to work with kisses and hugs when it comes time for him to leave. 

            While I’m getting ready, I listen and respond to Marco Polo messages, and then I settle in at my desk to begin my day. I fill out my day planner list, look over the meetings for today, and then check my email to start the day.

            My inbox is far messier than I like it to be, so it is not easily tamed first thing. Ryan sends a message from work that sounds like his own start to the day is hectic with a lot of phone calls. Maybe our Tuesday really thinks it’s Monday? I refill my coffee and sit down for my first virtual meeting. I only have to listen in on this one, not really participate. I send a couple of messages while I listen.

            The meeting runs over, so when it ends, I take a bathroom break, refill my coffee, get a little snack, check in with Ryan to see how he’s doing, and put some essential oils in the diffuser. Today’s blend is “Evening Repose,” which is made up of a blend of Sigh (from Selah Essential Oils) and Peace and Calming (from Young Living). Sigh is also my favorite smelling oil, so I put some on as perfume while I have it out. Lexi is asleep in her bed beside me, and Braeya seems to have gone back to napping after visiting Lexi’s water bowl for some gentle playing in the water. (Braeya drinks from her own bowl and plays in Lexi’s.)

            After I refill everything, I sit back down to resume tackling the inbox until my next meeting, which is about an hour later. I make good progress and then pause to look over my calendar of meetings for the day. I realize I’m not going to have time for fixing lunch at lunch, so about 10:45 in the morning, I assemble a broccoli/cheddar/egg bake so I can throw it in the oven during one of the meetings. It is a quick assembly, which makes it perfect for a meeting-heavy day. 

            I finish up just in time to join my next meeting, which is a group meeting with my Program Team at work. There are about a half dozen of us in this weekly meeting.

            Lexi is ready for lunch during our meeting, so I give her one of her frozen Kongs to work on while I meet. 

            My meeting ends and Ryan calls to talk to me while he eats lunch. I take a standing/walking break while we chat. He asks for a wedding picture to take to work tomorrow for a Valentine’s Day display, so I round up a few options for him (from my memory box) and put them on the kitchen table so he will remember to take them. My lunch finishes baking and I let it cool just long enough to NOT burn my mouth before serving up my piece and settling in to eat!

AFTERNOON:

            I finish my lunch, refill my water tumbler, and make a cup of coffee to start the next round of work. My next meeting is with a Steering Committee that I have only met with once before. I spend some time reading through their notes and seeing what they have (or haven’t) done since our initial time together. This helps me know what to prepare for in our meeting and how to guide them. From what I can see documented, it doesn’t appear that they are as far along in the process as I hoped, but I have also learned that sometimes committees have done more than they write in the notes. Maybe that will be the case here! Before I go into that meeting, I check to see if a time-sensitive work document I’m waiting for has been returned to me. It hasn’t, so I’ll check again as soon as I’m done with this meeting.

            Lexi curls up next to me to sleep, where I hope she will stay while I’m doing the bulk of the talking. She’s usually pretty good about not barking in meetings…unless she get hungry.

            My meeting lasts almost a full hour but the group is SO much fun, and I am thrilled that they have, indeed, accomplished more than the spreadsheet reflected. I guide them through the next steps of their process, remind them that they have less than 12 hours to purchase a Valentine’s Day gift if they have forgotten, and Lexi wakes up for her snack as I am pressing “end” on the meeting call. I get her the next frozen Kong and check my phone for texts. Ryan has sent one letting me know he signed up for a 10-minute chair massage so he can get bonus wellness points. This is the difference between us. I would have signed up because it’s a 10-minute chair massage, not because I get points. LOL!

            I warm up my now-cold coffee and settle in to make notes over the meeting I just had. We have had some major changes to our system over the last month and everything about our notetaking works differently now. I still feel like it’s my first day, most days, trying to navigate the new rhythms. I work in a flurry, trying to get everything squared away on my inbox before my next meeting. It will only be a half hour long but it is back to back with the next half-hour meeting, so I need to be prepared ahead for both, because I won’t have any breaks between. With about two minutes to spare before the first of the two meetings, I grab a snack bar and eat it so I can be human for the meeting!

            I have to leave the first meeting (an interview) before it’s even really over (always awkward) to make it to the second one (another Steering Committee) on time, and then that one runs ten minutes long. I close out of everything and beeline it to our bedroom to change into my workout clothes, because this is Boot Camp night! I choose a Valentine-themed shirt, since it is the week of love, and grab a ponytail holder for class. I am trying to be careful with my hair because I have to come back to work after the gym, and I can’t look crazy.

            I give Lexi a little extra treat on my way out the door, because she has been SO GOOD in a very meeting-heavy day. She is unable to contain her joy and wiggles while she waits to be released to eat it!

            Ryan isn’t sure he will make it to class in time to teach because of a late work run he had to do. This has never happened before, and I’m terrified I will have to start without him. When I’m the workout teacher, we’re in bad shape. I am beyond relieved to see him pull in at the gym right as I get to the parking lot. PRAISE. THE. LORD.

EVENING:

            Tonight’s workout is four circuits with three moves per circuit. We do five of the first move, ten of the second, and fifteen of the third and then repeat until 6 minutes passes. Then it’s on to the next circuit. I have a lot of ear issues, and they are really bothering me right now. Makes burpees and walk-out push ups really fun. (#sarcasm.) It’s not my best workout, but I’m proud of Ryan for being a great teacher and proud of myself for powering through. We have ten people in class tonight, ranging from junior high boys to senior citizens!

            I’m thrilled to see it’s still very light out when we leave, and we get home in time to see gorgeous colors over the lake. 

Lexi is beside herself with joy to see Ryan when he comes in, and she can’t wait to play! He takes a shower and I eat some dinner. We normally eat together, but I have to go back to work, and I’m shaky from the workout, so food is a priority. It’s a penne and raw veggies kind of night for me.

            While eating, I ponder the message I shared just last week about simplifying life and how today, life feels anything but simple. Not every day is like this one, but there are times I cannot control the amount of day-job work that has to be compiled into a single time frame. Today is one of those days, and I ache for the simplicity I taught about last week.

            After I eat, I put my work clothes back on so I can be properly attired for the meeting ahead. I have prep work to do ahead of the meeting and more emails to answer before I can call it a day. Ryan warms up his dinner (same thing I had for lunch) and we make Lexi’s dinner Kong so she can eat. He watches some TV while they eat together. I fill up my water tumbler for the last time today, make another cup of coffee, and head into the office to work. (When I have to work at night, I go in there so I can shut the door and Ryan and Lexi don’t have to worry about being quiet.)

            I end up with a few minutes after finishing my work notes and emails and before the last meeting, so I decide to write tomorrow’s blog post. I manage to get the text spilled out onto screen just before I have to enter the final meeting of the day. I’ll add it to the blog site later, with pictures, but for now, the body of it is complete. I make sure all my work notes are handy, my coffee is warmed, and my scratch paper is by my side, in case I need to check on answers later. Tonight’s meeting is a Kick Off Meeting – an informational session for a community that hasn’t yet started a LifeWise program. I am the Q&A coach. I’ll be answering whatever questions they throw out, and though most are fairly routine, they do sometimes come up with unique questions I don’t know how to answer. When that happens, I have to take notes and follow up.

            It’s 8 p.m. now and I am so ready to sit down. I close my work tabs and change into my capsule wardrobe outfit for today. (Just a shirt change, really.) Because I was gone most of last night teaching Bible study and had to work late tonight, I feel like I’ve not seen Ryan at all. I look and feel bedraggled and miss my husband!

            I drag myself, my laptop, my snack bar, and my water tumbler to the couch. Before I collapse on it entirely, Ryan takes my picture in my capsule outfit. We give Lexi her final snack Kong for the day and Ryan gets some trail mix for himself. He has a lovely little ambient coffee shop channel playing on our TV with soft jazz music, and I am ready to just sit and enjoy for a minute. I have texts to catch up on and a friend asking if she can call about 9:30. I’m not sure I will be coherent, but she can call!

            I transfer the blog text to the web and add pictures so I can schedule the post. I have a couple of other things that were on my to-do list for today, but they are unlikely to be accomplished at this point. I’m fresh outta brain.

            Ryan and I are participating in a “Not so Newlywed” game at his work for Valentine’s Day, so we spend about an hour practicing on questions we find online. It is the most lovely way to spend this evening after such a busy day. It’s fun to talk, tell stories, reminisce, learn more about each other, and relax. Lexi is bored straight to sleep while we talk.

            My friend calls at 9:30 and we talk for about a half hour. We haven’t caught up since last summer, so it was a good conversation. After we hang up, I go take a shower and wash my hair, so it will be fresh for Valentine’s Day. While I do that, Ryan surfs the web and does his Sunday School study.

            When I am done showering, I find Ryan cleaning up the kitchen and prepping the coffee for tomorrow. I take a minute to refill all Lexi’s food Kongs for tomorrow, and then it’s time to begin the full-tine job of drying my hair. (If you have long, thick, unmanageable hair, you understand the choice to let it go one more day until you literally can’t get one more day out of it…just so you don’t have to dry it.) While I’m in the bathroom, I do my evening skin care routine!

            I wander upstairs to find Ryan cleaning out the fridge and the litter boxes. (To clarify, they are not housed in the same spot.) I really am fortunate to have a cleaning-loving husband. Lexi and Braeya are eyeing each other warily across the room and daring one another to take one step forward. Lexi takes the dare. Braeya hisses and walks away. They are an entertaining duo.

            With everything cleaned up, we put Lexi to bed and call it a day! (Braeya sleeps in our bed, so she hops in as soon as we settle in ourselves!)