Summing up a challenging first half

It’s June 23, 2014.

As we approach the mid-year mark, I find myself reflecting on the first half of 2014. If I wanted to sum up this time in my life in one word, I’d choose “challenging.”

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been unusually absent. First of all, I want to apologize. To you and to myself. I love blogging. It’s an outlet for me. And I have missed it over the past few months. However, as we all know, life gets in the way and it comes down to prioritization. Life is about prioritization and unfortunately the blog hasn’t ranked too high on the priority list lately.

We wrapped up 2013 with an exciting trip down south, but the fun and games were over as we entered the new year. We began major renovations in the boyfriend’s house including ripping out the entire kitchen. Of course, most projects don’t go as smoothly as you’d like and we’ve run into some snags along the way. And as I write this, the renovations continue.

In March, many changes began to take shape in my workplace with team members leaving and new team members coming on board. I stepped up to the plate and took on additional responsibilities which meant increased hours and stress. Work continues to be busy as we head into summer. While I always say (and I maintain), that I’d rather be busy than bored, I will admit that I’m looking forward to a summer vacation.

In the midst of both the major renovations and work transitions, I have continued my volunteer activities. In April, I once again volunteered at the annual Aggie Days event in Calgary helping on the social media team. I also committed to continuing my role on the board of the Canadian Agri-Marketers Association (CAMA) Alberta chapter. And we’re now only days away from the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth – the Calgary Stampede – of which I’m now the second vice chair of the agriculture media committee. And of course, there are always many meetings leading up to these events.

Finally, I’ve also gone back to school – kind of. Awhile ago, I decided to get my Project Management certificate and the first online course happened to take place in May – one of my busiest months. It has since ended and I’m happy to report that not only did I pass, but I received a final mark of 91% – way better than I had expected. I will continue these courses in the fall.

I also participated in the Calgary Marathon 10K event a few weeks ago. With the busyness of the past few months, my training and even my regular gym schedule fell by the wayside. I was very close to backing out of the race. But I joined my colleagues and not only got some exercise on a beautiful day but also managed to beat my race time from last year.

Lately, I’ve had a few people comment to me that I seem overly busy and they ask why I do it all. Good question. Some days I wonder the same thing. There’s no doubt that it all looks good on the resume, but it’s more than that.

Why do I volunteer for Aggie Days and the Calgary Stampede? If you’re a regular reader of this blog you will know that I’m passionate about agriculture and especially passionate about connecting farm and food. That’s why I volunteer for initiatives such as Aggie Days and Stampede.

Why do I volunteer on the CAMA Alberta board? Because I enjoy connecting with fellow agri-marketers and learning from each other.

Why am I taking online courses? Because I believe you’re never too old to learn and this particular certificate will benefit me in my current work and also future work.

2014 has certainly been a challenging year so far. But I’m reminded of the quote – What doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.

Life is never going to be all smooth sailing. The first half of the year definitely saw some bumps in the road. But now that it’s almost in the rear view mirror, I’ll focus on the road ahead. Looking forward to seeing what the second half brings.

Oh yeah… and it’s my birthday. Happy Birthday to me.

Cheers!

Thanks for reading!