Work

I've been avoiding posting because I'm honestly not sure of the best approach to share something I'm so conflicted about: I'm a full-time working Mama! I had intended to work part time after we moved, partly just to get back into the swing of the work thing and partly because the Boulder area is not a cheap place to live. Thanks to this lovely economy (ugh), that's changed. Back in the spring, we started to get some indicators that Andy's job might not last survive the recession, so I focused my search on something that would pay decently (more than just the money needed for that many hours of child care) and have some health benefits. There were some substantial part-time jobs around, but I couldn't seem to land any of those, so I accepted a full-time teaching job in a nearby town. It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made and involved a lot of tears and soul searching.

So - I'm now the music teacher at Longmont Estates Elementary School in Longmont, which is about a 30 minute drive north of here. It's a great school - not nearly as racially diverse as the other places where I've worked, but there's some economic diversity, which is more than a lot of schools around here have. The commute is a gorgeous drive through farms with a non-stop view of the Front Range, and I've even got a co-worker who lives close by to carpool with - and she doesn't mind doing the preschool stop! She's also a fellow runner, so we're planning on running a half marathon together in a few weeks.

The really great news is that Andy managed to land a new job - and in this area! He's the new Director of Strategic Planning for Ultimate Electronics, which is based in far north Denver. For those who aren't familiar (they're not in TX, I know), it's a higher-end Best Buy kind of place. He's really excited about having the opportunity to learn how a business like this runs and to work with some really smart and creative people who are running the company.

Hannah seems to be adjusting pretty well to being a full-time preschool/day care kid. She goes to a really great preschool Monday through Wednesday, then I take her up with me to a home day care near my school Thursday and Friday. Gives us a little more time together and means she's in a home a bit during the week, which seems like a good thing after being mostly at home so far.

As for me - I'm doing better than I thought. I do wish that I had more time with Hannah and to take care of house things, but I'm enjoying working more than I thought I would. I think one of the hardest things is feeling like we're constantly on the move. That's a lot of why it took me so long to post this - I feel like there's no free time in our days right now, and I'm physically and emotionally exhausted by the time we get Hannah to bed!

Pretty sure I could ramble about this new life of ours for a lot longer, but there's that whole tired thing going on! So I'll wrap up and include some photos and a video, because really that's why you're here...

On a Labor Day hike out of Wild Basin in Rocky Mountain. Check out the chipmunk moving in on Hannah's peach. I ran into a co-worker a few miles out on the trail!

A kid-free hike the day before I went back to work. We can get to a 10,300 ft. trailhead in about 45 minutes - means you can hike at a pretty high altitude without serious climbing. Come visit!

Button nose makes for a good spoon holder. Are you laughing, Mom?

Playing at the Pearl Street mall.

FYI - I was copying, Hannah, not the other way around. This had been going on for quite a while before we even got out the camera. And the random noise in the background is not a time bomb, just our surprisingly loud sprinkler.