Conferences, Puppies, and Moving Trucks Made for a Busy Week

Sam Officially Moved Back Home

This week was pretty packed for us.

As I mentioned before, Sam graduated from college in four years and officially moved back home on Monday, which was great. We were excited to have him back at the house again, but at the same time, it is funny how quickly you realize just how much stuff someone can collect while living away for four years.

He had been living with Noah up in High Point, so he had way more than what could reasonably fit back into his old bedroom.

So right now, we are in that phase of unloading boxes, moving things around, reorganizing spaces, and trying to figure out where everything is actually supposed to go.

At first, you think, “Oh, we’ll unload it and be done.” Then you realize there are bins, furniture, clothes, electronics, books, random college items, and somehow everything multiplies when it gets back home.

Luna Is Back Too

When Sam came home, Luna came home too.

Luna is still pretty young, just a little over a year old, so she has a lot of energy. It has been fun getting used to another active dog in the house again.

She immediately started acting as if she had never left.

One day, she found an old ball down in the basement storage room that we had from years ago when we had the French bulldogs. Somehow, she decided that was the greatest thing she had ever seen and started running around the basement with it, having the time of her life.

It is funny what dogs get excited about.

Dogs Remember Everything

One thing that surprised me was how quickly Luna remembered her routines.

Back when she was here more often, we used to walk in the mornings and evenings. Apparently, she did not forget that at all.

I think literally the first morning after she got back, she was already running down the stairs expecting to go out for a walk.

So now we are back into those routines again. Morning walks, evening walks, all of it.

It really is amazing how much dogs remember and how quickly they settle back into habits.

The Crow Post That Got Sent To Me

Somebody sent me this post about “crow bribes” because they know I like crows and ravens.

Basically, people leave peanuts out for crows so they keep coming back around.

Honestly, if I had a really big property with more wooded areas and open fields, I probably would try it. I think crows are super interesting animals.

The only thing I cannot figure out is how you keep squirrels from taking over the entire setup before the crows ever get there.

Still, it was one of those random internet things that actually made me stop and think, “That would be pretty cool.”

Flying Out for a Conference

In the middle of all of this, I also had to travel to a conference.

It focused mostly on the changing dynamics of law firms, especially private equity entering the legal space, and how that may shape things moving forward.

Nothing there really changed what I am doing personally, but it was still good information and worth hearing.

I always think it is important to stay aware of where industries are heading, even if you are not planning major changes yourself.

Quick Trip to Baltimore

The conference itself was held in Baltimore.

I flew out on Wednesday and came back Thursday evening, so it was a pretty quick turnaround trip.

The event was held in office spaces near the stadium area. Technically, it was connected to that part of town, although we never actually saw much of the stadium itself.

It was mostly conference rooms, networking, and conversations with other attorneys and firm owners.

The Best Part of Conferences

Honestly, one of the most useful parts of conferences is usually just talking to people.

You hear what challenges other firms are dealing with, what changes they are seeing, and what trends are starting to develop.

Even if you walk away without making some huge business decision, it is still valuable to compare notes and hear different perspectives.

Back Home for Mother’s Day

One reason I kept the trip short was that I wanted to be home in time for Mother’s Day.

My mom had one specific request. She wanted a yellow-bellied forsythia plant.

Apparently, she thought they would be easy to find at Home Depot or Pike’s Nursery, but they were not.

Fortunately, while Holly was looking around, someone overheard her asking about it and recommended another nursery about 45 minutes away.

So she made the drive and found one.

The funniest part was the nursery owner telling her, “This would look a whole lot prettier in the spring.”

Apparently, we were buying it a little outside peak season, but we still got it, brought it back, and gave it to my mom for Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day Dinner

We ended up having a low-country boil for dinner, which was great.

Holly also spent time with her mom earlier in the week for Mother’s Day as well, so it ended up being a nice family-focused week overall despite how busy everything else was.

One More College Load

Just when we thought we had most of Sam’s move finished, we realized there was still more stuff left behind that would not fit in the cars.

So Holly and I ended up renting a U-Haul and making another trip.

That turned into its own little adventure.

Dinner With Noah and Carlye

We drove down Friday afternoon and had dinner with Noah and Carlye before loading everything up.

Noah had literally just turned in his last paper for his second year of law school at around three o’clock that afternoon.

By six o’clock, we were all sitting around eating dinner together. They made chicken fajitas for us, which were great.

It was actually a really nice way to break up what otherwise would have just been a stressful moving trip.

The Long Drive Home

After dinner, we loaded up the U-Haul and headed back home that same night.

It turned into a pretty long evening.

Part of why we wanted to get moving quickly was that there had been talk about shutting down parts of I-285 around Atlanta, and we had no idea what that would do to traffic, combined with Mother’s Day weekend travel.

So we figured it was smarter to get on the road early rather than risk sitting in traffic for hours.

Finally Starting To Slow Down

By the end of the week, things finally started calming down a little bit.

We are still sorting through boxes, still figuring out where everything goes, and still adjusting to having a fuller house again, but overall, it has been good.

Busy, but good.

Final Thoughts

This week felt like a little bit of everything all at once.

College move-outs, family time, conferences, travel, Mother’s Day, puppies, U-Hauls, and trying to organize life again after all of it.

It has definitely been hectic, but in a good way.

And now hopefully things slow down just enough for us to catch our breath before the next busy stretch starts.

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