Oh my...May!

I can hardly believe that the last time I blogged was before my parents arrived for my graduation. It can't have already been almost a month...right? WEIRD. Since then I've done some reflecting on what's happened, but I just didn't make time to sit down & jot down the details. For now, here's the readers digest  version (warning: it's still long).

After about a year and a half as a Sigma Chi Headquarters staffer, Greg & I decided it was time for me to move on.  Working at Sigma Chi was an incredible experience, one that I look forward to telling our children & grandchildren about.  I try to always publicly give thanks for the privilege that our lives have been, and having worked together for an organization that we both love is definitely something to be thankful for.  I've been drafting a post about my time at Sigma Chi, & I'm looking forward to finishing it up & sharing it...soon!

Of course, my parents arrived early last month to celebrate my graduation form Grad school. My departure from Sigma Chi coincided with my parents visit which allowed me to spend a great deal of time with them, which made us all really happy.  We got to take in a cubs game, take an architectural tour, and spend some good old fashioned family time together.  It was a great visit. As for the reason for their visit, my graduation, I still can't believe I did that.  My experiences in the masters program at Loyola University Chicago is one that I've also been reflecting on pretty regularly, and I really owe it to myself to commit those reflections to writing too. Again...soon!

What I can reflect on right now is the amazing graduation party that my family, friends & neighbors threw for me.  In typical Latch Morgan style, I had a "vision" for what that party would be like, which I'm sure felt overwhelming for Meghan, Greg, Charlene & Rich, but true to form, they created a day for me that was beyond my wildest dreams. It was so much fun & I felt truly celebrated. My graduation party was the punctuation on a long year-and-a-half-ish of celebrations in my honor, all of which I was incredibly grateful for. And I'll be even MORE grateful when I get to through the same number of celebrations for all of them...soon!

My parents 8 day visit ended up feeling like an 8 hour visit...always too short...but we had a great time. Naturally two days after they left, Greg hit the road for a work trip, but I had my trusty sidekick & best lady Coop by my side...for a little while.  As I'm sure you know Meghan had been planning to return to our hometown to begin a new chapter of her life, and the weekend after my parents left, Greg & I threw her a going away party.  I for surely do NOT mind 2 weekend bbq's in a row. A good time was definitely had by all! Of course, the celebration was bittersweet. Just a few days later Meghan & I hit the road at 4:30 AM to officially move her "back home". That road trip & the experience of sitting (physically & metaphorically) by my best lady's side as she headed off in her very own direction is also something I should spend some time thinking over. In contrast to my feelings on Sigma Chi & Loyola, my heart hasn't allowed my head to do a lot of reflecting on that transition...soon!

B

A

Since then I've been getting into the swing of things with my #newlife. After I left Sigma Chi I officially took over for Coop in her Nanny role with an incredibly kind family that she'd been working with for 2 years. They have 2 brilliant & hilarious children, Brendan who's almost 5 & Annika who just turned 2.  I already had a relationship with Kerri, Peter & their two nuggets by way of "Miss Meghan" but I've really enjoyed developing my own relationships with all of them and their super friendly dog Edson.  This new work is definitely a departure from my work at Sigma Chi & from the training I was getting at Loyola, but I'm getting lots more hugs & really enjoying the new work/life balance I'm beginning to strike.  I'm also especially excited about the flexibility that my new role offers...I'm getting to volunteer & do all of the leadership programs my little nerdy heart desires, which is EXACTLY what I need in my student-loving life. My first program of the summer is coming up just a little over a month from now.  I'll be helping facilitate Beta's Wooden Institute in Oxford & I can hardly wait! More to come on that...soon-ish!

Lady Baby E

Best Lady Pups

In the mean time I'm struggling with a pretty rockin' case of homesickness. As it turns out, even though we've spent the last year and a half celebrating our engagement, showers, school accomplishments, our wedding, the birth of sweet Ella Frederick, graduation, Coop's big move home, etc....immediately after we were done with all of that, I returned home to a city I'm kind of on the outs with, to a house that is empty (Greg's on the road...again) with almost all of my best friends back home.  I know "this too shall pass", and there'll be many-a-post on this blog about how incredible our Chicago lives will be this year, followed (I hope) by a post about how much I'll miss this city when we leave it, but for now, I miss my family, my friends & my husband. The bright side? The two cutest puppies in the world are here with me, happily cuddled on the couch & they like Law & Order reruns too. I'll be back on top, into some other DIY project, getting into some kind of trouble, bragging about what a lucky lady I am...soon!

Optomistically,
Meggo