I am a first generation, community college graduate that never really wanted to leave the community college. So, I did the most logical thing I could and pursued a higher education track that would allow me to do more than just attend community colleges. Hopefully, it would allow me to one day formalize my leadership role within a community college. I say formalize because leadership happens at all levels of the community college and I have been fortunate to play a leadership role as a student government association vice president, a staff council president, a middle manager, and much more. After countless years of education (that freshman year of college just kept on going), I am close to finishing my educational journey or starting it depending on your point of view, and accomplishing my goals.

Getting to this point did not come easy. However, thanks to working full-time throughout every degree, I am fortunate to have over a decade of experience at three different community colleges (all in the South, 1- rural and workforce focused with approximately 3,500 students and 2- urban and transfer centered ranging between 14,000-18,000 students) in 6 different roles (student worker, admin assistant in language department, service learning coordinator, quality enhancement plan coordinator, interim dean of student life, and director of student life & engagement including Title IX) and I have earned my MEd in higher education and I am currently ABD on my EdD in educational policy, assessment, and evaluation (I am doing my research on peer mentoring with an anticipated graduation date of December 2018, more on this in later posts I am sure).

All of this experience and I feel none of it has prepared me for my next journey in life. I am 3 days away from the delivery date of my first child! I thought I knew what #ADULTING meant, but it has taken on such a new meaning in the last 40 weeks. I have spent more time in the last few months looking at budgets, retirement plans, savings apps, the best crib, the right way to burp a baby so you don’t get spit up on your shirt (on a side note why is it called spit up when you are little and cute, but throw up when you are grown with the flu?), buying a new house because we need the space, you name it!

Despite everything that I have learned to this point in life, decades of higher education, years of leadership roles and development to be the best higher education leader I could be, I HAVE NO TRAINING FOR THIS NEXT STEP OF LIFE! The last time I felt this way about something was when I married my wonderful wife. I had no idea then what I was getting myself into, and it took me a solid 3 years before I felt I was any good at being a husband (sorry love, I am a slow learner). But if that experience has taught me anything, it is that life is about to get so much better than I ever could have imagined.

I am very fortunate that to aid me in my adaption to being a dad I will get to take a sabbatical of sorts. I will be spending 8 wonderful weeks with my baby Biscuit when she gets here. Her mother will spend some time staying home with her until she is 6-weeks old and has to return to the classroom for bi-term courses as a professor, then I shall embark on the DAD-batical my extended leave thanks to the Family Medical Leave Act and a wonderfully supportive employer. From week 6 to week 14 it will be Biscuit and me.

I will record my musings from the DADbatical here and post general ideas and thoughts on marriage, family, higher education, bourbon, babies, beards, dissertations, mentoring, technology, budgets, religion… the list is literally endless.

I will write for sanity, I am an extrovert with 8 glorious weeks in which my most constant companion will not be able to speak back to me.

Join me as I redefine #ADULTING