June & July Updates

Two very full months. I read a lot, worked on a lot of fun work projects, did a LOT under the "Things I Enjoyed" category and kept moving nonstop. Here is an update on life these past two months!

What I Read:
Non-Fiction

• The Ritual Effect: From Habit to Ritual, Harness the Surprising Power of Everyday Actions (Norton)
• The 4-Hour Work Week (Ferris)
• Code Dependent: Living in the Shadow of AI (Murgia)
• The Global Forest: 40 Ways Trees Will Save Us (Beresford- Kroeger)

Fiction

• Things We Hide From the Light (Score)
• Things We Left Behind (Score)
• Happiness Falls (Kim)
• Court of Thorns and Roses (Maas)

What I Listened To:
How to Money

• Favorite episodes: “Making Money Changes that Stick w/ Katy Milkman” and “The Stoic Path to Wealth w/ Darius Foroux” (these interviews were so good, I learned so much more than their titles indicate)

The Lazy Genius

• Favorite episode: “Best Summer Hacks from the Lazy Genius Community” 

Reimagine Rural

• Favorite episodes: "A Recipe for Rural Policy Renaissance”

Reading by an Adirondack river

​What I Worked On:

Presentation for the St. Lawrence Center for History and Culture. I gave a midafternoon presentation sharing my work in heritage. I really enjoyed talking with community members about how similar projects could look in the North Country.

Finalizing a contract for a new full-time job. I will be joining North Country powerhouse St. Lawrence University as Director of Donor Relations! While not the field I necessarily saw myself going into (Higher Ed Advancement - I actually thought I was leaving Higher Ed) there were so many reasons to say yes. The position is close to home and in-person (my house is a feral-child zone, no thank you WFH). It also involves working with colleagues who really struck me as happy, energetic people and with an institution that positively impacts my community. I also will be working under a person who was able to see my very unconventional professional past as an asset. As many people whose careers do not include typical job titles and credentials can attest to, finding employers creative enough to translate a unique background is key. 

Projects for Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy: This month in the Heritage Engagement Project I wrote two features in June and July (a piece called Baseball as Heritage for June, and A New Bridge down an Old Canal for July) as well as social media and newsletter content for both.  I also worked ahead these past two months, conducting archival research and meetings for the August, September, and October content. This was a strategy meant to relieve some of the impending chaos. As if fall with school-age kids is not crazy enough, I am starting my new job at the end of August as well. So getting ahead on consulting projects seemed wise. 

Projects for Greentopia and the new State Park in Rochester: This month I got to work on a new park project! Greentopia is a non-profit in Rochester, NY who fought for (and succeeded in) getting a new State Park for the city. Initial funding for the park was announced by Governor Hochul in 2022. The Executive Director of the Greentopia hired me to do some content after seeing my work in the Heritage Engagement Project. So this month I wrote a page for a book linked to a fundraising event. Then I went live on air (my first experience on the radio)! I joined Rochester’s City Historian Christine Ridarsky, Greentopia’s Executive Director Lisa Baron, and Art Briley from New York State Parks on Connections with Evan Dawson on WXXI. It was a bit nerve-wracking (speaking to an unseen audience and answering questions I didn’t have prior knowledge of) but getting to sit in the studio and having my sons hear mom’s voice on the radio was really just…cool. This month I also prepared for a speech I gave at their fundraiser on August 1 (which I will include in my next update).  

An application for the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification: This is a New York State Certification for my consulting LLC (Modern Anthro Consulting) that would make me more competitive for state contracts. I decided to tackle this before starting my new full-time job. The application is a beast (there are 34 requirements to complete). Thank goodness for my new BFF from Canton’s Small Business Development Center. A part of me is not sure why I added this stress to my plate this month. With a new job and current consulting contracts, I do not actually have time for new projects. But I suppose it doesn’t mean I won’t have time in the future. I’ve been told applications can be under review for a long time. So I am getting it in now to be done with it. 

What I Struggled With:

Lack of routine: Until school starts back up and I am in my next full-time role, the days and weeks will be a mess, a constantly shifting landscape of priorities and commitments. While this may just be the reality of summers with kids, I find myself really craving a routine even more this year. Bring on fall (summer-lovers, you can hate me right now)!
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The BLACK HOLE North Country contractors have seemed to fall into. Where are all the roofers and general contractors? Seriously, getting work done on an old house up here is really hard. We have needed roof and bathroom work for a very long time and…none of it has yet to happen. (side note: someone recently reminded me we need to check with the many Amish families, some of which do this type of work. Because they don't have a phone number or web presence, this route slipped my mind).

Summer birthdays. There are so many, including all three of my kids. So much to remember/buy/wrap/plan. August 8th will be the last birthday in my immediate family of 5, I am looking forward to it.  

A lot of different projects/logistical needs all at the same time. For whatever reason, this summer feels like a giant mess of logistics, finalizing the end of one job and the start of another, consulting contracts, admin stuff for both my LLC and my husband’s (landscaping, so this is the time), travel, camps, healthcare, house…it seems like there is much more than usual. I'm swamped.

Humidity. Rain. More humidity. Ugh.

Birthday 3 of 5 in our family (one!)

What I Enjoyed:

The Dairy Festival: I love my town’s retro Dairy Festival and Dairy Princess Parade! It starts the summer vibes up here. It is also a clear reminder we live in Rural America, as the tractors, dairy-themed floats, and sugared-up kids fill main street. Since we are walking distance, we hosted a few families after the events for a cookout and a campfire, as our combined 11 kids ran wild for hours.

Another birthday adventure in the Adirondacks: My MIL and two aunts came up to watch our kids while my husband and I went to an Adirondack waterfall and brewery for my birthday. This is starting to be a ritual…turns out this is all we want to do on our birthdays. Lucky, we won’t run out of new nature spots or breweries in the ADKs anytime soon. 

My 4-year-old’s Pre-K graduation: all the feels, as my middle child sang up on some make-shift risers in his graduation cap. All the feels.

Legoland: I somehow thought it would be a good idea to take off the day after school ended for an adventure to Legoland, NY. It was terrible and great at the same time. The park is very well done, I highly suggest it to families with littles. Inside the amusement park the kids were great, even the baby had no problem sitting in a stroller all day in 80 degrees. But back in the hotel, my kids lost their minds (and so did I). Oh well. Next year will be [might be?] better (I have also foolishly decided an 'adventure' the day after school ends should be an annual tradition).

Overnight writing retreat in Saranac Lake: I needed another focused work session so this time I booked a room in Saranac Lake midweek around a doctor's appointment there. I got so much work/writing in, plus slept soundly, without a single tiny human needing anything from me. 

4th of July Travel: Lots of time with family, sticky children, and forgotten bedtimes. The 4th of July weekend saw us traveling for a few days. I also spent a quiet morning that weekend in the University at Buffalo library archives doing some research for an upcoming piece…which was actually really relaxing and enjoyable. A cool quiet research room with historic documents…not everyone’s cup of tea, but certainly mine:). 

My baby’s first birthday! My littlest bug is one year old already. Time went so fast (but also…so slow?!). We took all the kids to the Wild Center in Tupper Lake and classed it up with a cake from Price Chopper we hoped he would dive into (which he did not…all of a sudden he became averse to being messy...go figure). 

Trips to Western New York that included one-on-one time with loved ones: I was supposed to be in the radio station earlier than I eventually went on, but the news of Biden stepping down from the race the day before prompted a reschedule (apparently that's bigger news). I had already made the trip to WNY the night before to take my mom to dinner for her birthday. The now open day allowed me to scoop up my friend for an unplanned lunch. When I finally did get on the air a week later, I followed-up that radio interview with another lunch with another best friend I had not seen in a long time. And a third friend was my plus one to the August 1 event (more on that in next update). So I feel great about getting some friend time in, even though there are more I would like to make time for in the coming months (this is really hard to do these days for my out-of-town friends).

Yoga: I seem to have gotten back into my swing again and managed to get to at least one a week, which in this season of life is an achievement. 

My baby’s first words: Uh oh, da da, mama…in that order.

Early morning walks to the river: The baby is getting up at 5:30, religiously. Since the rest of the house is not up till 7, that leaves 1.5 hours with just us. We get dressed, make coffee, and walk by the river. Its quiet and peaceful and still cool. These mornings will likely be short-lived. He will not always wake up at 5:30. Remembering this makes the routine enjoyable.
 
Many, many little things: Life is often a collection of much smaller, more trivial moments, many of which add considerable happiness. There are always more of these then I can write out. Little things like my kid getting his first library card, seeing a Great Aunt for the first time in many years, welcoming home a mom friend after 6 months away, a new ice cream shop in town, backyard campfires, hearing about my kid's farm chores at camp, and so many other little memories filled these months with joy.

That’s all! I am sure I am forgetting something, these past two months have been full. But good health and better (I wouldn’t say good) sleep have made them doable. There is so much new stuff filling my hours these days and I really thrive on that novelty. I am looking forward to the next two months and the changing of the seasons. Wishing anyone reading a fantastic end of summer and a joyful (or at least sane) start to fall.

Much love,
Katie