Currently: May 2026

I’m continuing to live in the in between at work… which is nothing short of challenging. I was truly hoping to be able to take some time this summer to be able to recharge, plan, and realign… and the timeline will just be crazily compressed. I’m desperately tired. This year has been A LOT. I’ve become an expert in immigration. I constantly toe the line between what’s politically acceptable in my work and what’s palatable to the folks doing the work. I’ve learned that the words of one of my former principals is true, “Not every friend request is a friend request. Some are just surveillance cameras.”

In some ways, I’m very angry. There are moments when I think about what I gave up in my 20s and 30s to do this job well. (I know there are people who believe in me and understand that.) There are also moments when I’m desperately sad because it seems that no matter how hard I (and my team) work or how smart I am, it will always be about politics. It’s hard to be proud of a job well done when you know it might never have been about that, except for the humans that you helped along the way. And therein lies the exhaustion, frustration, and burnout.

You (probably) have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure. Just saying that aloud reminds me of the final scene in American Beauty, which remains one of the most haunting movie quotes in my mind.

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Eating & Drinking:

It’s been a weird month with work. Dinners have been relatively quick and easy. And, we’ve hosted a fair amount of dinners in our home (for us), which has been nice… though it’s been a lot of work, given everything else going on.

This month, I put my skills from Sara Cagle’s cooking class in Florence to work. For Mother’s day, I made arancini and penne al Fumo for the first time. The arancini were better than I expected. Over Memorial Day weekend, we had friends over twice for wine and dinner. I made the arancini and my penne arribiata. This weekend, I worked on perfecting my fumo sauce. It’s a quick and easy recipe, and it paired beautifully with the 2015 Sesti Brunello di Montalcino.

We made it to third Thursday in May for wine dinner at Classic. It was nice to see everyone, but I was so exhausted and had an early morning the next day. We didn’t make it to the Fearing’s Wine Around the World dinner this month, which made me really sad. It conflicted with a work meeting. Tom bought giftcards from InKind, so we’ve been to El Fenix a few times for $7.99 enchiladas, lol. (That’s where we had our rehearsal dinner: don’t judge me!)

Ultimately, we’ve spent most of grocery budget at Jimmy’s Food Store, an Italian deli. They have some amazing porcetta; I love to warm it up on bread with olive oil. We also really love their meatballs, which have a great flavor and don’t need sauce. They pair beautifully with Erwan’s wine recommendations from France – the St. Joseph whites and the Jura reds have been my favorite pairings thus far. (I know I’ve talked about our French wine club membership, and I’m going to plug it again. It’s the best way to try things you won’t find in the US at a great price point.)

Listening:

I’m still obsessed with Hamilton. It’s been on repeat as I’ve tried to make sense of what’s happening at work. In mid-May, I traveled to upstate New York to see some of our kiddos graduate from college. One of the things that just stuck in my head were the lyrics from Dear Theodosia.

I’m dedicating every day to you

Domestic life was never quite my style
When you smile, you knock me out, I fall apart
And to thought I was so smart

You will come of age with our young nation
We’ll bleed and fight for you
We’ll make it right for you
If we lay a strong enough foundation
We’ll pass it on to you, we’ll give the world to you
And you’ll blow us all away
Someday, someday
Yeah, you’ll blow us all away
Someday, someday

I cry almost every time I listen to this. I think all the time about how much students (and families) trust us. We convince them to do things that no one in their families have ever done. They board planes across the country in pursuit of higher education. And, they do the damn thing. It’s why I have such a hard time walking away in spite of political pressure. It would be so much easier if I didn’t do any of this. It reminds me of what one of the math teachers said during my first year as a college advisor when he found out I was a Petroleum Engineer and my husband was a lawyer. “She doesn’t even have to work.” That may true, but I love our kids so much.

I swear that I’ll be around for you
I’ll do whatever it takes (I’ll make a million mistakes)
I’ll make the world safe and sound for you

Wearing:

Emilia Wickstead is still my go-to for elegant work-to-social events. It served me well on my Tour de Upstate New York for graduations this year. My dress never wrinkled or looked out of place.

In (personal) appreciation to myself for making it through the end of the year, I gifted myself a new set of Kiki McDonough’s detachable drops. It sounded like a good idea at the time, and then I got slapped with tariffs from DHL. That was a bit of a letdown, but I’m sure I’ll be excited when I get here. I love the concept of being able to switch out my earrings on a whim. But, maybe I should have waited until my anniversary to do so? Whatever. We are where we are.

I’m obsessed with the La DoubleJ tulip fringe top. I paired it with my Oscar de la Renta white shorts for a friend’s daughter’s birthday party, and I was obsessed. (My Sarah Flint flat sandals were perfect for the rain-sodden grass, too!) After 3 weeks of non-stop evaluations, I’ve been super appreciative of my La DoubleJ ballerina skirt and Sara Roka shirt dress, too. (Have you seen Stacie Flinner’s post on the art of scarf dressing?! I’m obsessed but unsure whether I’m thin enough to carry off all those looks!)

I’ve been updating my summer wish list because, to be quite honest, I’m proud of the fact that I wear timeless pieces that last FOREVER. I had a realization this week that I was wearing a French Connection top that has been in my closet since Princess Catherine’s official portrait. That’s pretty amazing if I say so myself! I don’t even remember how much it cost when I bought it on sale, but it’s at least 13 years old at this point!

Travel Planning:

We cancelled our Memorial Day weekend trip due to work. That sucked because it was going to be a new-to-us trip. However, work necessitated it… and so here we are/

My entire summer is on hold right now. I had such great ideas for this summer. However, until work figures itself out, I can’t effectively plan anything. I expect that I’ll be interviewing, planning, and reorganizing everything for the upcoming year. I almost want to laugh at myself because I though this would all be wrapped up by April, and I would be able to have the space to recharge. I’m so naive. (lol, but not lol.)

Right now, I feel like I’ll be lucky to take my pastry class during the first week of July. And, if I do, I feel like I won’t be able to be completely present again. I think it will be more of last year. Wrap up at 4:00 and work through the US day until midnight or later. Last year, I didn’t feel recharged at all… and I think this year will be more of the same. The compressed timeline of everything makes life so much harder that it needs to be.

So, we’ll see what happens.

Photo Editing:

I truly have not had the capacity to write anything new for months. I have so many posts in drafts… but nothing published. (It’s one of the many things on my summer bucket list this year… and every year…)

I did update a few things recently though. As I mentioned above, taking cooking classes in Florence with my former students was a highlight of my year… so I added her to my post about cooking classes in Florence. (Seriously, book with her!)

I updated my St. Regis Florence review with pictures from the last junior suite we stayed in. Honestly, I wish there was a way to encapsulate the feeling of home that we have at the St. Regis. I also wish there was a way for other luxury hotels to replicate that feeling. We’ve stayed in a lot of lovely hotels, but it really is the people that make the St. Regis Florence so special. I don’t know if there’s anywhere quite like it. (The Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco comes closest.)

I also updated my review of the Meneghetti Hotel and Resort from our stay over Christmas. We really had such a lovely stay this past winter. It was such a relaxing time when I felt like I could be focused on my own personal wellness journey. I worked out every day, even if it was only 10-15 minutes. We swam and took advantage of the sauna. Our dinners on property were long and leisurely (and insanely delicious). It’s hard not to want to do it again this Christmas.