"Staycation"?

Dear journal, Monday, July 15, 2013 9:00am and the first day of my long awaited 3 (count them) 3 weeks of vacation! Finished grading, closed out classes, here we go. So excited to plan to get a trip to Charleston, SC in with my husband and son (we LOVE that place), embrace the Berea Festival Learnshops (teach and take), catchup on some Stamp to Cope planning and paperwork, do some local sight seeing, and CREATE. 

Dear journal, Monday, July 15, 2013 11:00am.  Just received phone call that my Dean was resigning and would I serve as interim dean..."transition meetings start tomorrow."  I am very humbled and honored ... the reality is my vacation has now become a "staycation." :)  Thankfully, I am blessed with the most supportive and loving family EVER!!! 

The three weeks of "staycation" are now over. Even though plans had to be changed and it seems to have flown by, staying home was truly a rewarding experience....

I was reminded of how blessed I am in my family.  I know they were disappointed but they never made any complaint and jumped right in to help. I still took some time to create but now I had a heartfelt purpose..thanking my family. Since we were unable to  make our trip, I used this picture of Charleston, SC's harbor and created an 8x10 pastel canvas for my husband to put in his woodshop. Hopefully, we can get there next year.  

I was able to add an additional Learnshop event at the last moment. Since this is our annual fundraising event, the outcome determines the service and fundraising plans for the upcoming year.  Adding one more option added that much more to our mission resources. The Stamp to Cope Learnshops were a wonderful success with great participation and evaluations!   I do not have the exact total yet but it seems to be around $800!  THANK YOU participants and Berea Tourism! 

We developed an outreach plan for Stamp to Cope to include more Facebook use. Please click this facebook link, "Like" us, and share the link with your network so we can spread the word.  

In addition to these staycation events, I received notification that one of my mixed-media canvas projects was accepted in a Juried Art Exhibit at the Berea Artisan Center! The piece will be on display from the end of August until February 2014! How exciting to find another avenue to get out the Stamp to Cope name and message.

So, while our vacation did not go as planned, there were so many blessings right here at home, that my staycation was full of wonderful moments and memories. Thanks to everyone who contributed to make it an  incredible ride :)!!

Love Jeannette