Morning, friends! This is my week off between jobs – my last day at my firm was Friday, and I start the corporate job a week from today – but I’ll try to keep my glee at being “on vacation” down to a manageable, hopefully not too annoying, level. I’m planning to spend as much of the week outdoors as possible, weather and pollen permitting. We’re supposed to have some thunderstorms, so those will keep me indoors but I’m hoping they’ll wash away the pollen and give me a couple of good post-rain hiking days.

So, how were your weekends? Mine started a little inauspiciously – I worked until about 7:00 p.m. on Friday, trying to wrap everything up (didn’t quite make it, but I did what I could) and came home to another power outage. Oof. The power came back on just as we were falling asleep, so extra fun. On Saturday, I was out the door early to meet my now-former co-workers for a farewell brunch. (Not that it’s really farewell – I’m going to a client, so I’ll still be attending office events, and I’ve been told that I’m officially a “client panelist” at every firm conference from now until eternity – ha!) Brunch was lovely – a little bittersweet, but there was lots of laughter. It was hard to tear myself away. Anyway – the rest of the day was low-key. Steve had to work pretty much all day, and Sunday as well – poor guy.

On Sunday, I woke up to blazing sunshine and climbing temperatures, so I decided it was time to get out onto the water. I packed up my paddleboard – a generous and already much-loved Christmas present, thank you Steve! – and headed to Beaverdam Reservoir, where we’ve hiked a few times and I’ve jealously eyed the paddlers who have been out on the water since March. Sunday, it was finally my turn. It took me a little bit to get the paddleboard inflated, but once I did I made a beeline for the water and spent ninety minutes tooling around the reservoir. I hugged the shoreline and didn’t go too far from the launch site; no sense getting overly ambitious on the first paddle of the season. Hoping I can get out again at least once or twice this coming week; Steve has to work and the kids are in school, so I’m planning to get in some quality time for exhaling before the new job starts up. It’s going to be a good week.

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Reading. Not a bad reading week! It started and ended particularly well. I finished Spring Magic early in the week and absolutely loved it. It was one of those books that presents a real temptation to turn back to the first page and begin all over again; somehow I resisted. Turning to Magpie Murders, off the library stack, I was a little underwhelmed. It probably didn’t help to follow one of the highlights of the year so far, but I thought Magpie Murders was only okay. Probably won’t be continuing with the series, but I suppose you never know. I finished the weekend with a new acquisition – The Geography Reader Volume 1, by Elinor Brent-Dyer. EBD published four “geography” novellas focusing on different Commonwealth nations, and Girls Gone By Publishers has collected them into two volumes. The first volume gathers A Quintette in Queensland and Verena Visits New Zealand; at press time I’m nearly done and enjoying it tremendously.

Watching. Not a big week on the watching front. The kids have been such miserable housemates that “family TV time” has been suspended until they get their attitudes right. So – only about 20 minutes worth of Secrets of the Whales. Steve and I did watch another episode of The Crown on Sunday night. I know that show has its detractors, but we can’t get enough.

Listening. A little bit of All Creatures Great and Small on Audible, but mostly music. I’ve been so scattered over the past week, it was all I could focus on. Some Alexei Murdoch and lots and lots of The New Pornographers.

Making. Transition memos, motions to withdraw as counsel, final emails, and one last settlement-in-principle to go out on a high note. That’s about it. And I’m about to make a big leap into a whole new phase of my career.

Moving. Let me tell you: inflating a stand-up paddleboard to fifteen PSI using a hand pump is NO JOKE. That was the biggest workout of the week; made the actual paddleboarding feel like a breeze. Otherwise: some walks, a little yoga. I thought about running. Does that count?

Blogging. Normally I’d have my last month’s reading round-up for you, but that will have to wait for next week. On Wednesday I’m musing about career changes and bravery, and sharing (a little bit) more about my new job. And on Friday, scratching the travel itch by taking a few – okay, many – turns in the way-back machine and sharing some old pictures from one special day of a dream trip Steve and I took in the day before kids. That’s all the hints I’m giving, though! Check in with me then – it’s a good one.

Loving. Very few things provide the immediate boost that the return of paddling season brings me! My hands just feel right with a paddle in them. I’m usually stir-crazy and itching to get out on the water by mid-May, so I’m glad that the weather allowed me to get going earlier this year. Paddling is my favorite thing to do – yes, even more than hiking – and I’ve been waiting months to get my new paddleboard wet. I’ve got plans to kayak soon too, now that the heat is beginning to settle in, but it just feels good to get my feet wet and dig a paddle into the water.

Asking. What are you reading this week?