according to anna

Yep, I’m still alive

It has been over a month since I posted last…I know you all were wondering if I’m alive…Have no fear, I am still alive and well, just been pretty busy.

Our calendars have been filled with bachelorette parties, family visits, and manual labor.
Last weekend was declared a “work weekend” on the farm. We (parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc) started work at 6am to lay conduit and feed electrical wires to the house, pump house, machine shed, and barn. It was a big job in 100 degree weather. We had to take a break during the hottest part of the afternoon. Unfortunately, resting in the farmhouse didn’t provide an escape from the heat since it isn’t air conditioned. Still, I love the history in the old farm buildings. I love that the outside of the smokehouse still bears my great grandfather’s initials scribbled in red paint, from the day he built it. I often wonder what he or my grandfather would think of all the work that has been put into a farm with no farmer…The land that they grew up on, the land that provided their livelihood, and the land that housed the one-room schoolhouse where my grandfather went to school, just a couple fields away.

It always amazes me how old time farmers had to literally do it all…They had to be carpenters, architects, environmentalists, construction workers…oh, and farmers. Can you imagine going to work one day at your current occupation, and constructing a building instead? “Hey Anna, once you are done with that piece of code, why don’t you spend the afternoon building a barn over there. Sound good?”

Outside of playing farmer for the weekend, work has been on my mind a lot. The overtime hasn’t been as bad lately, but I’ve been thinking a lot about office politics, my career, and my current work/life balance. To avoid going into too much detail (and a really long story), I’ll just say that I’ve started a new role. I won’t have time for any more development, as I now have several direct reports and will take on more of a leadership role. I’m cautiously excited…It will definitely be a new challenge, and I anticipate it taking quite a while for me to feel comfortable in it. Wish me luck.