Summer's coming to an end

While for some people, summer hasn't even started yet (my parents, for example, who are both teachers in Austria, still have one more week to work before starting their summer vacation), I feel like summer's definitely coming to an end for me. I just got back from a 5-day vacation in Spain with my sister (lots of sun, ocean but not that great food...at least not a lot of Vegetarian food at the hotel we were staying at, especially since I also don't eat fish) and now it's one more week, then one week of vacation with my parents and my sister in Italy and then back to the US and very soon, back to training. Okay, not that soon...training starts on July 21st for us (yeah, we start very early) so that's not "that soon" but it's less than a month....

I'm having a bit of a harder time not thinking about work anymore. There's a book I should really read, a residential curriculum that needs to be revised, lesson plans for my Group Leadership course designed (at least the details...we get the drafts from the coordinator of the course and I've already taught it last year, so I have some more experience this time around) and and and. I'm beginning to dread it a little...and I wish I had started earlier. It feels like I'll be pretty busy with work for the next few weeks and I'm not looking forward to that - I had hoped to enjoy the last few weeks of my vacation relaxing at the lake and hanging out with friends. Well, I may be doing both this weekend. My three best friends are coming and staying for two nights. We haven't made any definite plans yet but going down to the lake will probably be part of that. Then, next week - while my parents are at work - I'll have to force myself to sit down and look at some of those books and documents that I've been avoiding all summer.

It's weird...during the year I'm such a workaholic but once I stop, I really stop and then I have a terribly hard time getting back into the swing of things. During the year, I stay up late and work on things - I have more fun revising a lesson plan for work than hanging out with colleagues sometimes - but then I'm on vacation and I just want to do nothing...or at least nothing that relates to work. I've been re-reading Harry Potter. ;) My family makes fun of me...they say I should know by now how the books end. But they're just so fabulous. I still start to cry when some of my favorite characters get hurt. Fabulous writing!!!!

Okay, I'm off to read some more Harry Potter and then it's time for bed because tomorrow starts my fun weekend with my friends. :) And soon after that I'll hopefully have some news on how preparations for work are coming along.