Vienna Waits For You

So. This was… a week. The week, as a matter of fact. After all this time, my one and only kiddo graduated from high school (their song is Vienna, by Billy Joel). It hasn’t entirely hit quite yet. I confess that I process emotions on a very delayed timeline, so I imagine it will be a random Wednesday, three weeks from now, when I will start sobbing for no reason. Sigh. That being said, I am so incredibly proud of him, and we are so excited for all that is to come his way.

Sunday

Cardio: 4.55 miles, walking

Lots of deep breaths for a busy week ahead. I got myself up and out for a morning walk.

And then I threw myself into tons of work. I had lots to catch up on and I wanted it done before Monday (spoiler alert: I’ll be doing more of that today, after I finish my blog posts).

We had a graduation party for one of our friends’ daughter in the afternoon, and that was really lovely. It’s great celebrating all these incredible kids.

When it was over, I headed out to pick up supplies for A’s little post-graduation gathering. He wanted something simple at home, but I really wanted to decorate a little bit for him. I’m trash at floral arrangements, but I’m not terrible at snack bouquets. This still needed tissue, ribbon, and a few finishing touches, but it came out great with jerky, nuts, and protein bars, in lieu of the one I made last time with just candy.

Monday

Cardio: 5.21 miles, running

We were on a bit of a time crunch with much to do, but I still made time for a run.

I had a nail appointment, which went great, and then I picked up some more last minute things for the next night. “Party” planning gets away from me sometimes.

In the evening, A promised me an hour for cap and gown photos before he had to work. We have a photography company that took photos through the school, but studio pictures are so meh, and the cost of packages was just outrageous (I understand photographers have to be paid for their art, but I couldn’t justify $60 for 4 wallets). I have a DSLR, a decent eye, and a can-do attitude, so off we went.

We got some at the school, and I was so grateful that one of the theater moms jumped out of her car and told us to get in the picture with him. We were both a hot mess, but she was 100% right that we needed that memory.

And then I wanted this photo, that I saw on Tik Tok. The confetti cannon (biodegradable) scared the both of us, so his expressions were pretty priceless, but I think this sums up the year perfectly!

Tuesday

Cardio: 4.84 miles, running

And the big day had arrived. I started the day with a run to get the jitters out.

And then we got to work picking up last minute items. We had a cake, pizza and garlic bread, and veggies and dip, as well as A’s favorite: tiramisu. I got all our clothes ironed and ready to go. We headed out around 1:30 with my parents in tow.

Graduation was held at 6PM at a local University, with doors opening at 4:30. It’s first come first serve, and a bit of a crazy time. Our plan was to get a late lunch at one of the nearby restaurants (traditionally, graduation takes three hours so nothing would be open when we got out), and then head over to stand in line. In fairness, it was a smooth process. I dropped my parents at the ADA dropoff, parked the car, and got in line, while Mr PugRunner took the kids separately. We got through security and found decent seats. Success!

Pomp & Circumstance kicked off on time and we were a go! Once again, it went smoothly, considering we had 607 students, and we were finished by 8PM! We had some friends on stage who sent photos and selfies of A as he came up to get his diploma, which was so special. And while I have feelings about this last year of school, the ceremony was wonderful. The class president and salutatorian gave incredible speeches, and we said goodbye to our mascot (a graduating senior), and had one final Lights Out (in the third quarter of the first football game in our first year at the school, all the field lights went out. They were on a timer and someone forgot to adjust for the event. Instead of freaking out, everyone just pulled out their phone flashlights to light the field until we could get the stadium lights back on. Now, we purposely turn out the lights at the start of third quarter, and at graduations, they turn out the lights before the kids flip their tassels as a nod to that day).

If you made it through all that, you’re a rockstar. Here’s what we really care about.

We got home at around 9:45 for pizza and cake. It was a great day.

Wednesday

Cardio: 5.61 miles, walking

I spent the first part of this walk with a neighbor who just lost her sweet puppy to the rainbow bridge, and the second half with J, who was about to head out of the country for work. So many emotions, on top of everything else! I needed a running clip for a video, so that’s the photo proof I have for today’s activity.

Then I had a rather long meeting with some social media clients, and spent the rest of the day pretty immersed in work.

Thursday

Cardio: 5.42 miles, running

Back on my own. Things are getting hot and humid and pretty miserable around here. Yuck.

In the evening, we had our date night, with tickets from my birthday for the Serial Killer Speakeasy. Over the course of 90 minutes, we experienced the stories of four infamous monsters (Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy), told from the POV of the killers (Gein and Dahmer), the detective who broke the Gacy case, and a bartender who was familiar with Bundy’s story. For each killer, a different cocktail was served. The drinks were ok, but the stories were well researched and devastating. Definitely not for everyone, but the actors were incredible, and we had a great night (except for when Dahmer invited Mr. PugRunner back to his place for a beer. RED FLAGS EVERYWHERE!)

Friday

Cardio: 5.09 miles, running

TGIF!

Another hot and humid run. Ugh. I miss winter.

Another graduation party in the evening. It was so fun. I’m so proud of all these high school seniors!

Saturday

Cardio: 4.09 miles, walking

I got in a walk near my clients’ house, so be prepared for some nice changes of scenery. It will also be an incredibly low key week on the blog because I will be visiting with 13 pets (dogs, cats, and a bird) over the next two weeks.

Thoughts + Goals

This is a week of no thoughts, just vibes. My social battery is limping along and I just haven’t had a moment to process all the things! It will hit but probably not for a week or two. I’ll get there.

As I mentioned, this is a busy two weeks for pet sitting, which is exciting, but also a little stressful. However, I’ll be winding down so we can travel to my nephew’s wedding in the next month. I’m looking forward to a big break.