This past week was a busy one, starting with a few days in Charlotte before heading back home to Georgia.
There was plenty happening at the office, including filming, meetings, and helping Sam settle into Charlotte for the next month. Once I returned home, things slowed down a little, although an air conditioning problem quickly gave us something else to deal with.
Between work, cooler weather, family updates, and an unexpected reminder of my grandfather, it ended up being a full week.
I spent the first part of the week in Charlotte, mostly filming new video content.
We shot a variety of videos for our websites, along with some advertising content and other projects we have been working on.
These filming trips usually involve fitting quite a bit into a short amount of time. I try not to be away from home for more than a few days when I travel, so the goal is always to make the most of the time I am there.
I headed back to Georgia on Wednesday after wrapping up everything we needed to accomplish.
Sam is also spending about a month in Charlotte, so part of the trip involved helping him get settled into his apartment.
Fortunately, he found a place very close to the office, which should make things much easier while he is there.
This week, he has been training with one of our representatives who works directly with many of the professional relationships connected to the firm.
That includes visiting chiropractors, attorneys, and others we work with and maintaining those relationships.
It gives Sam another opportunity to see a completely different part of the business.
He has already spent time learning about social media and other areas of the firm, and now he is getting some experience seeing how important relationships and communication are outside the office as well.
On Tuesday, we held a quarterly manager meeting with our attorneys.
It was the first meeting like this that we have done in a while, and it gave us a chance to talk about where the firm is today and where we are heading.
We discussed operations, the growth we have experienced over the last several years, and what that growth may look like going forward.
When a business grows, the systems and processes that worked several years ago may not always be the ones you need moving forward.
Meetings like this provide a chance to pull back from the daily work and look at the larger picture.
Afterward, we also had lunch with many of the attorneys.
I enjoyed that because I do not always get an opportunity to spend time with everyone in a more casual environment. Even though we were still technically in the middle of a workday, sitting down for lunch together creates a different kind of conversation than you normally have in meetings.
Temperatures during the second half of the week were not climbing quite as high, which has made being outside much more enjoyable.
Luna has definitely appreciated the change during her walks.
We have also been seeing deer throughout the neighborhood. We spotted two of them in our yard recently, and there seem to be quite a few moving around the area right now.
It is always interesting to see wildlife so close to the house, especially when they seem perfectly comfortable wandering through the neighborhood.
Unfortunately, coming home also meant dealing with an air conditioning problem.
We had noticed a few issues over the previous week or two, but one morning I went downstairs and heard a loud noise coming from the system.
It turned out that one of the small pumps associated with the air conditioning unit had a problem. I believe it was related to the condensation from the system.
It was making quite a bit of noise and causing water to collect in one of the drain pans.
With the temperatures we have had this summer, air conditioning is one of those things you definitely do not want to discover has a problem.
Fortunately, we were able to get someone out to work on it.
I received an advertisement for an apple tree this week, and the picture immediately caught my attention.
The tree was covered in apples.
I knew fruit trees could produce quite a bit, but I do not think I realized just how much fruit one healthy tree might potentially produce.
Of course, advertisements usually show everything under perfect conditions, so I am curious how realistic the picture actually was.
If anyone has experience growing apple trees or other fruit trees, I would be interested to know whether a mature tree really can produce that much fruit.
As we continue thinking about the ranch, I keep finding myself paying attention to things I never spent much time thinking about before.
Sam traveled up from Charlotte to visit friends, and High Point was holding its Derby Day activities.
It is part of the back-to-school atmosphere on campus, with activities organized by the university and plenty of students getting together for the weekend.
It sounded like everyone had a good time.
Sam also sent us some pictures of the sunsets around campus, and they were absolutely gorgeous.
High Point has a beautiful campus already, and the sunset pictures made it look even better.
I needed a pocket knife to open a package at the house, so I went to the kitchen drawer where we keep several of them.
I happened to grab one that my grandfather had given me.
When my brother and I were growing up, my grandfather gave us pocket knives almost every Christmas.
They came in different sizes and styles. Some were probably fairly expensive, others may have been used, and some were brand new.
I always enjoyed getting them.
As a young boy, there was something exciting about receiving a new pocket knife for Christmas.
When I picked up that particular knife this week, it immediately made me think about my grandfather and those Christmas mornings.
What makes the memory even more interesting is that the tradition did not completely disappear.
My dad now gives my boys pocket knives, or some type of knife, for Christmas as well and has done that for several years.
It is funny how family traditions sometimes continue without anyone formally deciding that they should.
Something my grandfather started with my brother and me eventually became something my dad continued with his grandchildren.
Those small traditions can become some of the things you remember most.
It also made me curious about what other families have passed down through generations.
Maybe it is a certain gift, a particular meal, an ornament, or something completely unique to one family.
Sometimes the tradition itself is simple, but the memories connected to it become much more meaningful over time.
This week started with a busy few days in Charlotte and ended with some quieter moments back home.
We filmed new content, met with our attorneys to talk about the future of the firm, and helped Sam settle into another part of his experience working with the business.
Back in Georgia, cooler weather made Luna's walks a little more enjoyable, deer continued wandering through the neighborhood, and an air conditioning problem reminded us that homeownership always seems to provide another project.
An advertisement also has me thinking about apple trees for the ranch, while a pocket knife in a kitchen drawer unexpectedly brought back memories of my grandfather and a Christmas tradition that has now continued into another generation.
Sometimes the things that stay with you from a week are not the biggest events.
They are the little moments that connect where you are now with where you came from.
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