Today was a good day

• I finished four projects at work and my new staff person was as good as I had hoped in her first presentation to the executive team.

• I found out that I got a raise. A REAL raise, not the minuscule COLA the legislature granted but something I will actually notice. And I didn't have to ask for it. [As exempt, non-union employees, we do not get any sort of systematic pay increases other than COLAs, so this is unusual.]

• My only other staff position was shared with another department. The person in that role was recently promoted and I got permission to have the vacancy split so I can hire someone with the qualifications I need instead of compromising on only the skills that are relevant to both departments. This will be a huge help given the workload I have coming at me over the next year.

• I have the house to myself for the night. I can't remember the last time this happened. I cooked exactly what I wanted for dinner (ravioli with butternut squash and sage) and no one is angling for the TV remote or the computer.

• I can look forward to sleeping in tomorrow, dropping the dog off at the kennel, and heading back up to the lake for three more nights.

Now, where'd I leave that glass of wine?