Sabbatical

Today is officially Day 1 of my sabbatical! I am extremely fortunate to work for a company that grants employees a 6-week paid sabbatical every 6 years. It's a huge perk and I almost can't believe I'm at this point. Since I first became a full-time employee at Genentech it's been the ultimate countdown! I also opted to tack on two weeks of vacation time so I am off from work for 8 whole weeks...the possibilities seem endless and the world is my oyster! Or at least so it seems with my rose-colored-sabbatical glasses on. 

So what am I going to do for 8 weeks you ask? Well here are all the things I want to do (in no particular order):

1. Travel

2. Sleep 8 hours a night, plus daytime naps

3. Read (I have 3 books on my nightstand patiently waiting)

4. Paint the front room of my house

5. Start furnishing the same front room

6. Shop for a formal dining table

7. Exercise daily

8. Organize all my arts & craft supplies

9. Clean out and organize the playroom closet

10. Write/blog daily

11. Make a photo book with pictures of the kids from 2013

12. Start a 2014 photo book of the kids

13. Go on day trips with the kids 

14. Enlarge and frame photos for my home

15. Visit with friends

16. Watch the Breaking Bad series (and other much-talked about shows)

17. Bake all the things I never have time for

18. Cook all the things I never have time for

19. Call/write to friends who I have not connected with in a long time and who do not live nearby

20. Host a BBQ get together with my neighbors

Ambitious? Yes. Unrealistic? Probably. In my defense, I usually live life cramming in as much as possible into my waking hours, so it's hard to break the habit. I also have never had this much time off that didn't also include birthing a child. See what I'm sayin'? 

Anyways, at end of the 8 weeks we'll debrief and see what did and didn't get accomplished. In the meantime I am going to savor every minute, try to forget about work, and enjoy this major blessing. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take a nap now :)