Weekend in Wisconsin

This past weekend, I went up to southeastern Wisconsin with Bill to visit his family and hometown. We usually end up in the Midwest in the dead of winter or late fall, so it was nice to explore Manitowoc with the sun shining and no coat on.

We were pleasantly surprised by the size of the Farmers Market, as well as the number of public murals that dot the downtown.

Lake Michigan is a huge part of Manitowoc's history and industry.

On a bridge going over the river.

This one is my favorite.

The classic, historic Budweiser mural. There are way better shots of this beauty. I was dancing in and out of traffic.

On the street side of the Maritime Museum.

Saw this gem a the Farmers Market and had to share it.

We walked around the marina for a while and ended up being right in time to see the SS Badger come in from across the lake.

This ferry crosses Lake Michigan twice a day between Manitowoc, WI and Ludington, MI.

The SS Badger is the last coal-burning ship in the US.

Seeing one coal-burning ship is novel, and quite enough.

I opted out of walking down to the lighthouse. I wasn't wearing the right shoes.

It's a lovely view.

I love looking out over Lake Michigan. Nashville is my home, but I miss living near such a large body of water.

This was at the beginning of the trip in Milwaukee. Wisconsin does have some great delis with clever names!

This trip was the last of four in six weeks, and, though it was another road warrior whirlwind, Bill and I had a great time exploring his old stomping grounds.

Hot Topics: Self-care and Work-life Balance

Over the course of the last eight months, I've been part of a group called Music Biz Besties, which is a group of mostly Millennial women working in the music industry (or hoping to be). I am about ten years older than the average woman in the group, which has been a boon since Millennials are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to apps and self-promotion. I don't mean that as an insult; as a self-employed person with a husband who works in music, self-promotion is part of the job.

One of the things the group has touched on in several capacities is self-care, and taking time away from work for down-time. It can be so hard to do that (when I was starting MAW, I had a full-time job and would work another 30-40 hours per week in addition to that to build my business), but it's the only way to keep up the energy to meet the demands of running a business.

Every time someone talks about work-life balance, the founder of the group mentions taking evenings and weekends off, and I've always liked those posts and commented with my agreement. My evenings and weekends are free, right? I take those for myself!

Turns out, that's only partially true. Bill and I are in the throes of our seasonal gig at The Belle Meade Winery, which is a two-hour performance every first and third Saturday of every month from April through October. We also perform weekly at Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge for two hours.

It might not seem like much, but performing takes it out of me. Bill can go for hours and hours, but I'm pretty good after a two-hour set, and when we have other shows in the mix, we can be performing three or four times a week.

And did I mention I'm writing this on a Saturday morning? Not much of a weekend off.

Part of the reason I fell into this trap is because I like my work. The other part is because I see performing as such a huge shift from my job that I haven't viewed it as real work-but it is, as is all the promotion I've been dedicating myself to in efforts to help my husband.

The reason I'm sharing this is because I need some accountability for myself, and writing down what I need to change is a good first step. Sharing it with the people I respect (you) makes it real. So, whether you're a client, family member, friend, or a reader I've never met, you're helping me find the balance I've so effectively pretended to have for the better part of this year. Thank you!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading off for an afternoon on our sailboat.

Even though I may have been fooling myself about a significant percentage of my down-time, Omar is a true form of healthy, (mostly) relaxing recreation for our household.