The last couple of weeks have been an absolute blur of work, as grant applications came due, the ACR Conference work seriously ramped up in the final days of preparing the program book, and I tried to make progress on various research manuscripts. After a lot of long days, I took a lovely break for the last few days as my high school buddy Lisa Wells came to visit us in Sedona.

We had a great time! While we did a couple of challenging hikes, we also had one or two margaritas along the way, and several wonderful dinners, both at home (thanks Dan) and in fantastic local restaurants (thanks Lisa).

Lisa and I travelled Europe together more than 25 years ago, and also had a funny low budget trip to Margarita Island, Venezuela together before we both met our wonderful husbands. Although we don’t see each other nearly enough, we immediately fall into the same comfortable friendship we’ve always had.

Here’s to the best of friends!

We have settled into an interesting work/life pattern here. For the last two weeks I’ve been back at work, fine-tuning the ACR academic conference program (while marvelling at my co-chair Stacy Wood’s ability to party-plan), planning my field labs for next term’s Semester at Sea courses (Consumer Behavior and International Marketing) as well as working on the special issue of the Journal of Business Research I am co-editing with the ever patient Catherine Prentice. (I mean really, who takes a vacation just as the deadline for the issue comes around? Well, I did, actually). Still on my sabbatical list: revisions of a couple of papers, finalizing working papers for publication, and getting started on a book! Some many interesting projects, so little time… Well, actually, still finding time to hike! This was taken on the Hogwash trail not far from our house; this one had a lot of technically difficult sections, and we were really impressed with Joe and Jack’s emerging skills and endurance.

We are working the boys up to longer hikes, and managed a hot 5 mile one yesterday that concluded with a serious climb up to the “Devil’s Bridge.” Joe was trying out new hiking shoes, and he was tired, but he was really happy that he did it!

The routine so far is a little unorthodox. I work while Dan home schools the boys. We try and hike every couple of days, early morning before it gets too hot. Then home and school/work. Some days it is all school/work, and a late afternoon swim. The oddest thing is that we are working weekends, so when we do take a day off places we go and visit won’t be as crowded midweek. Sort of a three days on, one day off, sort of model. it’s interesting. Very productive for me, but the combination of Arizona time zone, my later start times in the day, and some weekdays “off” must be driving my Eastern time zone colleagues a little crazy! We also have some really interesting visitors. So far, two tarantulas and one scorpion have appeared. I am also quite certain I had javelinas rooting around outside during the night. But the highlight so far was the visitor we saw munching the bushes in the yard one morning.