Sunday Scratches is where I share the little stuff that has happened throughout the week. In hockey, “scratches” are people who are on the roster but do not play in the game. On the blog, “scratches” are the things that have happened to me throughout the week that aren’t necessarily big enough to be an entire post.
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Happy Sunday! I skipped last week’s Sunday Scratches because I was recovering from a week in Chicago, so this week I’m recapping two weeks at once!
The Week(s) in Review
On June 11, I took the train from Kalamazoo to Chicago for Salesforce Connections, a huge conference all about Salesforce for marketing, ecommerce, and customer service. We use Salesforce and Salesforce Marketing Cloud at Girl Scouts, so we had a group of 7 people attend this year. I got to meet up with Kristin and Michael from the national organization, as well as Amanda from Eastern Oklahoma, Blaise from Eastern Missouri, Jessica from Texas Oklahoma Plains, and Nicole from Arizona Cactus Pines! It was so nice getting to meet some of my counterparts from other councils in real life, because now I have friends I can reach out to when I have questions about email marketing and social media.
While at the conference, I ended up staying with one of my best friends, Randi. She let me crash on her couch for free, because I ended up registering so late that most of the hotels were already sold out (thanks, Randi!). It was super fun getting to catch up throughout the week.
At the conference, two amazing women spoke during the opening and closing keynote: Lucy Liu and Kerry Washington! I loved both. The theme of the conference was women’s equality, so they both spoke about #metoo and #timesup, as well as actionable advice for women in the workforce.
I also loved that Salesforce thought ahead and gave out pronoun pins to any attendee who wanted one. Happy Pride Month!
I was super impressed overall with the branding of the Salesforce conference. They go big, which I’m not used to on a nonprofit budget. They have characters whom I’ve always seen on the Salesforce / Salesforce Marketing Cloud login screens, but I didn’t realize how big of a deal they are. They all have names, personalities, and purposes, and they had giant mascots of each one walking around at various times! You can see in the photos below Codey the bear, Einstein, and Astro who’s basically a kid in a bear onesie. I also got a ton of plushies that I ended up giving to Stanley when I got home. He still plays with them a week later, so I consider that a win!
The conference ran Tuesday, June 12 through Thursday, June 14, but I ended up taking the train down on Monday and leaving early in the afternoon on Friday. It worked out really well, because Randi and I got to go out for dinner and drinks on Thursday, and then my boss Katelyn happened to be in town on Friday, so we got breakfast together! It was only my second week out of the office, so I haven’t felt super disconnected from my coworkers yet (but I know that will happen soon!), but it was still really nice seeing her in person again.
Throughout the whole trip, I was reading the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, which was so fascinating and so frustrating. Especially when the theme of the conference was women’s equality, it was really energizing to read this book about a black woman who had her cancer cells taken without her consent, and then have them shared far and wide in the scientific community well past her death. And yet her family can’t afford health insurance. Her story is the epitome of America, and I highly recommend it.
Once I got back from Chicago, I did a lot of recuperating (travel is a big drain on me), then started working on projects around the house. I’m gearing up to paint three different rooms, and Sean is working on fixing all of the windows that have been painted shut over the years. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re excited about all of it!
I’ve been taking Stanley for a walk every day for the past week, and I’ve really been enjoying it! It’s part of my 101 in 1001: Take 2 to take him on a walk every day, rain or shine, for a month, and I’m really hoping I can stick with it for longer than that! It’s been kind of rainy this week, but I’ve been taking him out every morning anyway, and I can tell he’s really enjoyed it.
Speaking of my 101 in 1001: Take 2 list, I’ve got quite a few things on there that are specific to Cincinnati, which clearly aren’t relevant any more. I’ve decided for my next 100-day check-in, which will happen at the end of July, I’m going to update the list and remove things that were specific to our life in Cincinnati / add things that are relevant to our new life in Kalamazoo. I’m not sure what they’ll be yet, since we haven’t been here for very long, but I’m excited to come up with them over the next month!
The Links
Most important, obviously: Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie got married yesterday! I love them.
I’m still trying to power through my Bloglovin feed since the move. My goal is to read more blog posts every day than appear as new posts in my feed. Right now I have 131 posts in my feed, but I genuinely want to read them all, so I’m trying to be intentional and take my time so I’m really paying attention to what I’m reading. It’s okay if it takes a little longer if I’m absorbing the content!
I fiiiiiinally bit the bullet and got myself two Pela Cases for my phone! My Gustav Nyquist jersey case served me well, but it was time for a new one. And these are compostable! I got myself the green one and the light blue one, because I have to be on-brand at least half of the time, right?
I also got myself some white Converse (which is also on my 101 in 1001: Take 2!) They’ll arrive on Tuesday, and I’m so excited about them! I’ve wanted them for forever.
We’ve got some guests coming to visit the house today, so I appreciated this roundup of smart little things you can do to be a better host!
What’s happening in our country right now is heartbreaking. Despite the executive order (which is still bullshit, IMHO), families were ripped apart when trying to seek a better life. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
By the way, if you didn’t see in my newsletter this Wednesday, I’m giving away free website reviews for anyone who makes a donation (of any amount) to the ACLU (national or local–you choose), the Florence Project, RAICES, or the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. by the end of the day today. If you want to join in, just send me a screenshot of your receipt / confirmation email with the name of the organization and the date the donation was made. I don’t care how much you donated (even $1 is amazing!), and I don’t want personal information like your credit card information or your address. Send the screenshot to me at caitlin@andpossiblydinosaurs.com, and please include the URL of the website you want me to review, and I’ll get on it!
Speaking of, when the world feels like a giant dumpster fire… here are some random acts of kindness you can do.
And in case you need it, here’s how to set self-care goals inspired by nature.
I loved this roundup from XO Sarah about how to cut corners to be more productive with your business. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good!
When I was moving, I had so many foods that needed to be thrown out because they went bad before I ate them. I love this idea for preventing that from happening.
I love this transformation of a church into a super cool, modern house.
Being aware of your privilege, especially financially, is so important.
Feeling distracted? Here’s what to do about it.
If it’s stress, on the other hand, try these ideas.
And if you’re at work but can’t leave, you can still de-stress (at least a little bit).
I always love Trent’s advice, and these ideas of 25 free or low-cost things to do are awesome.
Thanks to the move, I’m feeling a bit lonely / like I don’t have friends. I loved this post from Carly, which helped me feel less alone in my struggle.
After spending a week in Chicago with way too much stuff and not enough room in my suitcase for the free shit I received at the conference, this blog post was especially relevant.
Your career goals don’t have to look like everyone else’s.
If your budget is less-than comfortable after you pay rent (or your mortgage), this post is for you.
Again, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
The Photos
In Case You Missed It…
Home Tour: Our Kalamazoo House “Before”
Follow along on Goodreads or Instagram at @caitlinhonard to hear about these things during the week! xo
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