Adrift in a Sea of Change
- Taylor Kolberg
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
The past two months have been absolutely wild and I feel both a little overwhelmed and a little unmoored. Summer with school-aged children is always a little tipsy turvy anyway, but going back to school and working in a school myself only makes intensifies things. I thought I would give a little bit of an update here, mostly for myself and posterity, of the past few months...
I finished my second semester of school with all A's by the skin of my teeth. Criminal Law seemed poised to take me down with it, but I prevailed by doing the preemptive extra credit.
I left my job as a para pro at my youngest children's elementary school. It was extremely bittersweet and to be completely honestly, I'm not entirely sure it was the right decision yet. This is the source of a lot of my current ennui. I didn't feel like I was particularly good at that job, but I did like it and the people I worked with, and I don't know that I'll find a paralegal job so easily. I was voted to be the continuation speaker again, which was extra special since my twins were also on stage as fifth graders. I am set to start subbing next year, though, so I'll be able to follow my kids on to middle school while I finish my paralegal certification.
I busted my butt to finish some embroidered gifts for the fifth grade teachers I worked with. I started this project when I had surgery in December and then completely forgot about it in the hustle and bustle of the school year. Somehow I managed to finish (with Fiordelise's assist in framing) and now the fifth grade team has some matching decor.
Four circular floral embroidery pieces in white circular frames with the initials F, M, J, and P in the center of each. All eight of us embarked immediately after school ended on an epic road trip from Denver through Mesa Verde to Moab and back up through Glenwood Springs hitting three national parks and getting to show the kiddos a lot of stuff I've been wanting to see myself. It took a lot of planning (and pre-planning as some of this I booked out over six months in advance!) and I had a whole binder with tickets and itinerary notes in it but it was totally worth it. I hope they remember this trip their whole lives.
A photograph of the Cliff Palace dwellings at Mesa Verde. A photograph of the Great Sand Dunes with people walking to the ridge and getting progressively smaller. A photograph of Delicate Arch and the surrounding red rock scenery. A photograph of Tobias and Fiordelise at Iron Mountain Hot Springs in swimwear holding mixed drinks. I got to test out all my camping gear on this trip, too! I had been collecting it with the idea of bringing all the kids with us to SCA events but I had never had the opportunity to pull it all out like this. Possibly I could enter my photos in a Teton catalog but I really do love their tents (even if they're not period. Maybe one day, but right now ease of use wins out over period compliance. 😂)
A photograph of three Teton tents nestled among wild grass and cacti in the Colorado wilderness with mountains in the background. The day after we got back into town, Fiordelise started a new job! She had attained her BA in Business Administration not long before and landed a job nearby in an office that seems like a great fit for her so far. It has been an exciting new chapter but also exhausting for her as she has been primarily a stay at home parent for the past twelve or so years.
Fiordelise also moved out of one townhouse and into another, which means I did a bulk amount of the work of moving her place solo since we didn't really know she would have a job during that transition. We are still far from done unpacking but we are definitely on the other side of one of my least favorite life events. 😂
Several things got put on the back burner in the midst of all of that. I have finally picked back up the Ditsy Dress embroidery and I intend to focus on finishing that dress this summer. I am still planning a trip back East to visit grandparents, but given how close I am to finished on the bodice, it seems a doable goal. I need to hammer down a large flower motif that I think can reasonably withstand a commercial washer and dryer, though, which is proving a bit of a challenge. 😂
We were also supposed to head up to Montana for Artemisia's Kings Road this past weekend but it didn't end up happening. While disappointing, in the end maybe it was a good thing as I heard Saturday night was hit with a large downpour. We are still planning to attend Harvest War though and hope to see all our Artemisian friends there in September!
Comments