This past week was fairly laid-back, with regular business, a little more planning for the ranch, some time outdoors, and a quiet birthday celebration with family.
Not every week needs to be packed with major events. Sometimes it is the smaller things, like noticing wildlife on the property, thinking through home design decisions, or getting excited about an upcoming tradition, that make the week memorable.
Last week, I mentioned that we were working on widening some of the paths so they would be easier to use. This weekend, we went back out to the land and had a chance to see some of the wildlife.
We spotted about five or six turkeys, including one that was very young.
We have not seen any deer over the last few days, but seeing the turkeys was still a nice surprise.
One of the things I enjoy about spending more time on the property is that there is almost always something different to notice.
Roof lines are one example.
Before this process, I probably would not have spent much time thinking about where shingles meet, how gutters should look, or whether certain areas should have copper or another material covering the edges.
Now those small decisions seem to appear everywhere.
Designing a home involves much more than deciding how many bedrooms you want or what the kitchen should look like. There are countless small choices that affect how everything comes together.
It is interesting, but also a little stressful, to realize how many details have to be considered before construction even begins.
They were surprisingly large, about the size of a hand, although it was difficult to tell from the picture.
For some reason, I have always liked seeing mushrooms growing naturally outside. They remind me a little of the old stories about fairy rings and the strange shapes mushrooms sometimes form in the woods.
It is one of those simple things that probably does not mean much to most people, but I enjoy finding them.
As we spend more time on the land, I am sure there will be plenty more small discoveries like that.
Dragon Con is also approaching quickly.
For anyone who has followed these updates for a while, you probably know that Dragon Con has become an annual tradition for Holly and me.
It is a large science-fiction and fantasy convention held throughout downtown Atlanta. The event takes over several major hotels, along with additional hotels throughout the area, and brings a huge number of people into the city for the weekend.
Holly and I have been going for many years now. I am not sure exactly what year this will be for us, but we are well into the double digits and getting closer to 20 years.
It has become one of our favorite traditions.
I normally march in the Saturday parade with the 300 DC Spartans, and I am planning to march with them again this year.
The group recently announced that everyone is going to watch the movie 300 together through Discord before the convention. People will be able to watch, comment, and talk with each other during the movie.
It should be a fun way to get everyone excited before the event.
The Dragon Con parade is often shown on local television, so if you happen to watch this year, there is a good chance you will see me somewhere in the Spartan group.
Having Dragon Con on the calendar also keeps me motivated to stay focused on fitness and nutrition throughout the summer.
I turned 51, and the celebration was pretty quiet, which was perfectly fine with me.
My in-laws came over for lunch, and we had tacos together. Later that evening, my parents, my brother, and his family came over, and we had hamburgers.
Holly had picked up two different kinds of brownies, frosted brownies for one celebration and fudge brownies for the other.
I had a small brownie at each one.
The good news is that the birthday food did not interfere with my weight goals, so I will count that as a successful birthday.
More importantly, it was nice to spend the day with family.
I also received several books for my birthday.
I used to be a very big reader, but over the last couple of years I have gotten away from it somewhat.
I am trying to change that.
Part of the goal is simply spending a little less time on my phone and a little more time reading.
Most of what I read falls into two categories. I enjoy books about business, money, and mindset, but I also like science fiction and fantasy.
Those two categories give me a good balance. Sometimes I want to learn something that might help me think differently about business or life. Other times, I just want to disappear into a completely different world for a while.
Hopefully, the new books give me a good reason to rebuild the habit.
This week was quieter than some, but there was still plenty happening.
We continued thinking through the many small decisions involved in eventually building our home on the ranch. We spent more time on the land, saw a group of turkeys, and found some unusually large mushrooms along the way.
Dragon Con is getting closer, which means the Spartan parade and one of our favorite yearly traditions are right around the corner.
I also celebrated my 51st birthday with family and received a new stack of books that will hopefully help me spend a little less time on my phone and a little more time reading.
Not every week needs to be packed with travel or major projects.
Sometimes a quiet week filled with family, planning, and a few things to look forward to is more than enough.
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