Summer Feels Different

We catch up over morning coffee with a real-life brain dump that moves from brutal summer heat to the comfort of a good show and the relief of a weekend that actually feels peaceful. We also share a family trip that fills our cup, then pivot into back-to-school routines, vision board check-ins, and how we’re trying to lock in for the rest of the year with prayer and practical steps. 

• summer feeling too hot and humid to enjoy the outdoors 
• finding comfort and nostalgia in Beyond the Gates and classic soap opera energy 
• traveling for a 75th surprise birthday party and reconnecting with family roots 
• Skyline Drive stop, scenic views, and the reality of a crowded Buc-ee’s 
• back-to-school reset, praying for a better year, and small routine changes that help 
• prepping clothes by day to reduce morning stress and build consistency 
• checking vision boards now, setting bite-size goals, and using the last four months well 
• career development through certifications and redoing parts of an AI agent class 
• learning new tools at a new job without overinvesting too early 
• rebuilding faith, using prayer as support, and setting goals for a child’s social growth and sports readiness 
• Do not forget you can do fan mail to where if you have things you want to say, just to say hi, send it 

Transcript

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Coffee, Congestion, And Catching Up

SPEAKER_00 4:29

Hey guys, welcome back to Coffee with a Twist. You're here with Madam Balou. I hope you guys had a great weekend and a great start to your week. I'm drinking my coffee as I'm recording this in the morning while I have some time. I am a little, I don't want to say sick, but my son, his allergy's been acting up, and I think he has maybe a cold coming as well due to maybe going back to school. The joy of having an elementary student or child. So and he, you know, likes to be up under me, coughing on me, sneezing on me. So a little stuffy this morning, but I'm making I'm making it through. So this episode is probably gonna be like a dump because a brain dump because my thoughts are everywhere, literally everywhere. So you know thanks for supporting me and listening.

Why Summer Feels Unbearable Now

SPEAKER_00 5:45

But the weather is beautiful here. One thing like I noticed, like I used to love, don't care, I'm a winner, baby. I love winter, I love fall. But do you look forward to summer? And the whole reason why you like summers for you to be outdoors, and I'm a very outdoorsy person. I like sitting outside, things like that. And I have to say, for like the last two summers, I haven't really enjoyed summer. It's it's like we go from winter to just July type summer. So it's like, okay, summer's here, you know, the kids are off from school, whatever, but it's just too freaking hot to do anything. It's so uncomfortable and it puts you in a bad mood. I'm like, is it me getting older and can't tolerate the sun, or is like summer really changed? Does anyone else feel that way? Like to cook out, it's a chore because it's so freaking hot. So, like, you know, I might cook out at night or something like that. And even still, like, it's hot. I like to go outside, drink my cup of coffee in the morning. Go out at seven, eight o'clock in the morning. It's freaking humid. Like, it it's just not been good. But this past week has been beautiful out. Like, this is summer to me. This is summer. We didn't have days like this this summer. I don't I don't know what's going on. Even if the you know, everything was just very humid, even if it was 75, the humidity was just so high, so it made it feel like 90 degrees. So I just really hope this weather sticks around for at least at minimum a month, you know. I hate like it seems like it might stick around for a week or two, and then boom, we're right into winter. So I'm trying my hardest to get out every chance I get to go outside, take a walk, be outdoors, sit outdoors.

Getting Hooked On Beyond The Gates

SPEAKER_00 7:45

I take my little tablet and I sit on my little egg chair and watch my little Beyond the Gates. Beyond the Gates is good, y'all. That's all I'm saying. I'm not I'm not a sponsor or anything. But if you come from the era where your granny used to watch Young and the Restless, Bold and Beautiful, others, you know, I know it's General Hospital Days of Our Lives. My granny was a channel nine woman, so I grew up watching literally Young and the Restless, Bold and Beautiful, As the World Turns in Guiding Light, which I was so upset when those two, you know, ended, canceled, whatever. Because I thought they were good, but I know what it is. You know, ratings probably went down as well because it's kids are home at that hour, parents, you know, are getting their kids into sports or just after school stuff. So I'm sure, you know, viewing goes down. The moms and stuff were able to watch it, and dads, because my uncle is a he's a fan. And so ratings probably went down, you know, kids get home about two between the 2:30 and 4 o'clock hour, which is when those were coming on. I think one was at 2 and the other was at 3. So, you know, the ones can do better where the moms are at home can focus in on it. But beyond the gates, I didn't think I would like it. Uh, you know, I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. They just had to find their footing, like meaning all the characters and and the relationships, and you know, you know, finding their rhythm working together. You could tell the beginning. But it was in the beginning, I felt like it was it's all very soap popper-ish, don't get me wrong. But I felt like the beginning was just very soap popper-ish, very scripted. Now it's like it's flowing, they you know, and I'm here for it. And I love the storylines, you know. Some get dragged out, but that's all soap poppers. But I'm loving it. So if you have not watched it, go back, watch season one. They're on season two, and they've been renewed for like season three and four. So they're around to stay. And I think every season's like a hundred episodes, so it's worth watching. Oh, yeah. It it's what I do because I like it so much. I let it build up all week, and then over the weekend I watch you know the previous week's episodes, so I can keep seeing it back to back because it's it's good, it really uh it gets you in there. So that my young and restless. See, told you this was gonna be an episode dump. So, yeah, so I sit out there with the weather being nice this past weekend, and I sat outside because it was so nice and watched caught up one beyond the gates. And yeah, so I hope this weather sticks around for like 30 days or at least midway into October or something, you know? It would be so great and so nice. But yeah, I feel like summer like it is just not as enjoyable as it once was, and I don't I just don't understand why.

A 75th Surprise Party In Virginia

SPEAKER_00 10:52

So I realized I don't believe, I remember some episodes back, I told you guys I was going to something or whatever it was, but I didn't want to discuss it because I don't know who listens you know to my podcast, and I didn't want to give the surprise away. Well, we went to it, so my uncle, his family was throwing him a 75th surprise birthday party down in Halifax, South Boston, Virginia, which is where my dad's side of the family is from. They're all from there, both sides basically. My grandmother and and my grandfather. So my mom, my my dad's mom and dad are both from Halifax, South Boston, which most people are like, oh, they don't know what it is, but it's a little town. So, anyways, so you know, I was invited to go. So me and my mom went down. My husband got me a hotel, all of that. We only went for the weekend for pretty much for the party. We left Saturday morning and got down there in time for the party, you know, wanted to be on time because of surprise, but it was so nice. I haven't been down there in years. My dad used to go down here and there. He didn't go down a lot, a lot, but you know, maybe once a year or so. But in my more adult life, we hadn't been down in years, like before him passing. The last thing that I know that I've been to, and he might have been down the time after, was like a family reunion thing on his mom's side that we went to. That's my last memory of going down there of being older because my grandmother was already deceased. But it was really nice going down there and like seeing it with more mature eyes, different emotion tied to it, being the fact this is my father's home where he's from, even though you know it's a it's a little small, nothing town. I mean, it's nothing to do, it's not a place you would move to or anything like that. But it was just really nice coming going down there and like seeing our last names on things, and you know, it's one of those towns everybody kind of knows everybody, but it was so nice. My uncle was definitely surprised they had it redskin themed, it was freaking beautiful. It was just so nice to see family, see a lot of my great aunts and things like that, and better yet, it was just nice for to hear stories and such positive vibes about my father. Like, you know, they're just telling me what a good person he was, stuff like that, which I already knew, but it was just nice. You're hearing it from people who watch him grow up and things, and you know, it it's bittersweet because it's also sad because we're sitting here talking about my dad, my two uncles, my cousin, unfortunately, these all these people who are deceased, and it's not like they're like these older people that should be deceased, like you know what I mean. They they all died before even their aunts who are much older than them. So it's bittersweet, but it was so nice to be down there and be amongst family and a different side of family that I don't see often. So it it was really nice for my heart and soul, and I took a lot of pictures. Um, I was able to see some older pictures of my grandmother and stuff because the party was for my great uncle, which is my grandmother's brother. So they had pictures of them for when they were younger and stuff, because I have no pictures of my of my grandmother. She died, I was young when she died. I was like in middle school, I think middle school, yeah, maybe like going into middle school when she died. She was only 52. She was either 52 or 54. I want to say it was 52 of throat cancer, and and that was back in like 96, something like that, you know. So it was years ago. So it's not like you know, it's not like now where you're like having phones and stuff, snapping pictures and things like that. And even when I went through my dad's stuff, I don't think he had like pictures and stuff of her. He might have had a couple, but nothing, nothing heavy. But yeah, it was just nice, guys. It was nice to be in his hometown and seeing it in different eyes now that I'm older and stuff. It's not just like a road trip that you want over or a road trip that you're enjoying. You know, it was it was just different going down. So and it was nice. We me and my mom, we had a good time. We drove down, it was very relaxing drive. That's one thing. It was very scenic.

Skyline Drive Views And Buc-ee’s Chaos

SPEAKER_00 15:58

So on the way back, we stopped. She's she's never been to Skyline Drive. I'm sorry guys, I'm like sniffling and my apologies. So I took her to Skyline because we were passing through, just for her to get up on the ledge and see it, because it's just so beautiful looking down like that. So she could take pictures and stuff. We took pictures out there. We had we had a good time. It was a it was a good trip. I also took her to Bucky's, she's never been to Bucky's, so I took her to Bucky's as well. She's like, I can't do this place, it's too many people. And when we went, it was like the lunch type hour. I know Bucky's is always busy, don't get me wrong, but there are certain times of the day where it's just really hectic, and that was one of the times. So you couldn't really, it was so crowded, you really couldn't just like walk around to experience the store. It was like pretty much get in, get out. So we, you know, so she enjoyed the food definitely, but she would have to go back when it's like not as busy, maybe later in the day or earlier in the morning, something like that. But we had a great time, we really did. I'm glad we did it, and I was, you know, made it a point to go. I'm like, I am going to my uncle's party, like so, you know, because it's so nice. You want to go to something that's some joy, you know. I feel like our families had so much crap going on. It's like we need something, you know. So some good, and this was good. So yeah, that was that. So I don't think I ever had told you guys like what I ended up going to because I didn't want to spill the beans too early. Again, I don't know who listens to me. It gives me general areas, but I don't know people, you know, so it could be anyone, but yeah, and then also now it's back to school. So

Back To School Reset At Home

SPEAKER_00 17:58

my son went back last Thursday, and I am just praying this will be an excellent school year for him. Last year was rough. I think I told you guys about it, but I think we have some better people in place who have more experience, I think is is key. So yeah, and so far it's going well, and I want it to continue going well, so I've been praying over that boy. I've tried, and I've also, I think I told you guys on other episodes, like, you know, I'm doing things a little different, trying to, he's not really when he wakes up in the morning, he's really not that hungry, even though I still offer it to him, but he doesn't really want it. So the breakfast thing is not working the way I thought, but it's okay. I sent him with snacks and things like that. The picking out the clothes, the beginning of the week, and putting them in Monday through Friday is definitely a game changer because it's also helping him know the days of the week, learning that, as well as everything's there. Literally, just pull everything out of there, get dressed. Like, you know what I mean? So that's been very helpful for us because I don't feel like I'm rushing around either trying to find stuff, you know, washed it and thought it was here, wasn't there. So definitely preparing those clothes the week, you know, the weekend or however, because I do a combination so far. I know it's only been like a week and a half, but what I've been doing, even though I'm packing on Sunday, what I find myself, if I go in his room like during the week, let's say like right now, if I go upstairs and I'm in his room for something, I might go ahead since we are on Tuesday, I might go ahead and put clothes in on Monday and Tuesday's bins. If I'm right there and it's like clothing that, you know, I can put together, boom. Or at the very least, I might just put the socks, underwear, and undershirt in those two for now and then, you know, so like, but I'm doing it at my leisure, not rushing around in the morning, because part of what I was doing was I was getting up 15 to 20 minutes before him to go rummage around looking for everything and getting everything together. So that helps me. So now I'm still getting up, but it's to tend to myself. You know what I mean? So that I don't have to wait because a lot of times I'll wait till I get him on the bus to do what I gotta do. Now I don't have to do that, or a day like today where we're both feeling like not the best. I could use that time to sleep in a little bit more, and same for him. So definitely preparing it's so helpful because you're doing it at your leisure.

Vision Board Check And Four-Month Push

SPEAKER_00 20:59

So, with back to school, this is a good time to check in on you guys. This is a good time to check your vision boards. As you guys know, I think I told you, I did a vision board for myself and my son. My son only had, you know, not even a handful of things, maybe three things on there. And if I'm not mistaken, I'll double check it. He's hit them all. There, his vision board is done for 2026. For me, a good bit of my vision board is completed as well. I have to check it again. And this is why I'm telling you guys because I gotta check mine too. We're in August going into September. So if there's some things that you put on there that you feel like I must complete in 2026 because it helps me for 2027, well, September 1st might be a good date for you to start locking in through the end of the year. If there's certain things you have on your 2026 vision board that you're like, yeah, this needs to happen. You got four months. September, October, November, December. Four months to lock in and knock out some things, whatever that may be. You know, again, don't feel you have to eat the whole elephant. Bite sizes, guys, bite sizes. You even if you don't complete it in 2026, at least you started it. For me, you guys know I told you guys episodes ago, once uh January, February, March, like the first quarter of the year, I did

Certifications, AI Class, And Staying Ready

SPEAKER_00 22:48

all my like education training, work training, stuff like that. I don't really want to call it work training because it wasn't for a specific job or anything, but it was things that increases that helps my resume. And and also some wants, you know, things like that. So the first three months I locked in and I got two, two or three certifications completed. So, you know what I'm saying? You guys can do that. So, yeah, I think it was ITIL, my PMP, and Scrum. It was something or safe, I can't remember, but I did three things. I just finished an AI class, uh, agent AI class. I finished it like a week or so ago. That class was a little tough. I actually ended it's on me and the facility. The facility I had a planned date they had scheduled, and I was good for that because I had like no no plans. But they ended up changing the dates because they couldn't find the instructor couldn't do it, so they pushed it more into the summer. And unfortunately, when they did it, it was hitting a lot of dates that I needed weekends, you know. I was do had plans, you know, and these plans were made because I thought it was gonna take whatever. So I've been even though I've completed the class working and getting my cert, I am going back and kind of redoing the class and getting the learning because I missed like four four or five classes, unfortunately. But it's just the way it worked out. Because if I'm not mistaken, I was supposed to take the class before school was even out, meaning for my son. And they actually didn't end up being able to take the class till I think it was July, and it's a quick course, it's like maybe eight weeks, maybe even six weeks, but July to like August, I had plans. So a lot of the weekends, you know, I have to I had to re-watch the videos and things. So I'm glad they recorded it so I can go backwards and back and look at it. But you know, so I'm saying that to say, like, you still have time, even if it's one thing on your vision board, just get it done, knock it out. If your kids did a vision board, take a look at it, help them get to that goal, and you know, you can always carry whatever you need to carry into 2027, but why talk about it when you could be doing it, you know? So my advice for right now, I'm telling y'all to lock in. Lock in. Get your, you know, get your stuff done and just you know, it it it's worth it. It's worth it. So do what you gotta do and you know go from there. Because as you know, vision board time will be coming up again. And you know, you can maybe tweak it if a year is too long. Like you need smaller chunks. You could even do a thing where, like, especially like, or you could do it based off of the kids' schedule, kind of. You could start doing vision boards in the summer, maybe, for like do it in June when school's over. Maybe do a vision board that will get you through half of the year, do your next one for January through June. You know, if a year, if if having a vision board of a year is too long, like it's like if you're a procrastinating person, like, oh, I got a year, I'll push it off. Maybe make twice a year make yourself a vision board. You know what I mean? I don't know. So, you know, just try what works for you. But I am a strong believer when you put it out there in the universe, and when you write it down, you tend to strive to get it. You know what I mean? You tend to strive to get it. It's like it's written, so you're like, I have no choice but to do it, you know? So that matters, all of that matters. So write it down, put time limits on it if you need to. You make it for what works for you. What works for you, what works for me, what works for somebody else, is all different. It's all different. So if you have to change it next year, your approach to it, do that. Do that. Nothing is wrong with that. So, you know, let's go from there. Yeah, I mean, lock in. I'm actually trying to think if there's anything I need to lock in for. I don't think I have anything. I did

New Job Learning Without Burnout

SPEAKER_00 28:37

start a new job, so I do need to learn some of their new tools, but it's not like getting a certification or anything. I just need to take some time, an hour or so each day, you know, Monday through Friday, you know, and they have little like classes online that you can, you know, just kind of like webinars of the tool and what the tool can do. So I need to do that, you know. I didn't invest myself that way quite yet because it was pretty much temp to hire. And being in fact, this particular tool isn't something that you typically run into. I didn't want to invest, I'm not gonna lie, I just didn't want to invest my time into it because I don't really have to know it. It it wouldn't make or break another place because most places don't have this particular tool. So I didn't want to like invest all my time and effort learning that and maybe not get hired when I could use that time and effort to just do the role I had at hand. So now that I will be becoming permanent, I'm like, all right, let me learn these tool. So um it's worth me doing that investment because so yeah, so that's something I need to do, but I don't think there's anything else that I have that's outstanding besides stuff I want to do with my son, with his learning and prayer.

Prayer, Parenting, And Building A Foundation

SPEAKER_00 30:25

Um I brought this prayer book to like it gives you passages and stuff each day. I need to do better at reading those with him and things like that. Again, just trying to make this school year count because this is his last year at just regular elementary school. After that, it goes to intermediate, so he'll be at a whole different school, and I need his foundation where he is to be strong and mold him so when he goes into intermediate with him getting older, we don't have certain negative behaviors and things like that that could really hurt him and put a stigma on him and judgment on him. So, you know, I'm trying my hardest, and I know for me, prayer can help me in this. I I hope. As you guys know, my journey with God is slowly coming back. You listen to some older episodes and you'll hear about that journey. It it's been a hard ride because we all probably pray or or the powers that be, and there are times where you feel you might have poured your heart out to God and you do not get the result that you want it. So that that's hard, and that's a struggle of mine. Um, it's still a struggle of mine, but the more trying to get closer to God, it's it's making sense. So again, with my son, I'm trying some things, trying different things this year, and I just hope it helps. Not that's not the only thing I'm doing, you know, is prayer, but you know, I'm just trying to put things in action, you know, just keeping him more engaged, keeping him even more active. My hope and dream by the end of 2026 is that for 2027 I can get him playing a sport with team members and things. Pray that his, you know, his social skills and his listening skills get better to where we can actually put him into some organized sports and you know him being able to follow the directions, understand the game, play, etc. We've

Finding Sports Support That Fits Him

SPEAKER_00 33:12

tried in the past, and and it was just yeah, he just doing his own thing. So one thing I'm looking for right now, and I don't know how to even look for this, is I'm looking for like a private coach that has experience with special needs kids, and it's not even about special needs kids, but any kid that maybe is like hyperactive, ADHD, or just you know, some like not listening, like you know, I'm trying to see if I can find something like that for him that can work with him one-on-one with different sports that way. He's engaged in that way. So when we do transition him to a team organized, he kind of is already knowing what to do. That makes sense. I know it doesn't, but yeah, so I I have some goals coming up outside of the ones that were right at hand, but yeah, I'm just praying the rest of this school year. If I can put it this way, me nor my son, from now to the end of this this 2026, if he does well in school, like the negative behaviors decreased, which so far they have, listening skills are up, the engagement's there, that he's learning, blah blah blah. If he can do these four months, I won't be as worried anymore because I know my son. Once he can do that, that's becomes his new baseline, that becomes his new habit. If we allow him to be negative for four months, the rest of the school year is just gonna be, and that's what happened last year. So I try after school to like keep him busy, rather if it's taking him to the park, taking him to go for walks, like just engaging and you know, little teachings and stuff, and just engaged in things and going out just to play, and you know, a lot of energy and things, and making him feel more independent is what I've been trying to do. You know, letting him have that independency, and that's been helpful to him. I really think the independence is helpful. The the overbearing was making him negative, I feel. But he loves independency, so we'll we'll see. We're just gonna keep doing what we're doing here and work with him. And my goal is by the time he's 10, the foundation is solid, solid, so yeah, so that's that's where I'm at. But yes, check in, check your vision boards, even things you might want to add to your vision board really quick that you can finish in this last four months, do it, or to start in this four months, do it. This is your time to check it, lock in if you need to. It's the perfect time to lock in. Winter's always the perfect time to lock in because you ain't doing as much. So I'm gonna end it there. Sorry

Fan Mail Invite And Closing Thoughts

SPEAKER_00 36:51

for my brain dump, it was just many thoughts in my brain. So I had to get them out, and I wanted to talk to you all. Haven't talked to you all in a while, so thank you all for the support. Do not forget you can do fan mail to where if you have things you want to say, just to say hi, send it. You know, it'll be it's at the the link, it's at the bottom of all the episodes, and I can I'll get it in real time and shoot you back something, you know, topic that you might or idea or my opinion on something, things like that. Because remember, this is just my opinion, it ain't facts, it's not, you know what I mean. This is just me recording my thoughts. So, and I just throw out things that help me, and again, I do this to have interactions with others. It's not the gospel, guys. Like, it's just what it is. So, if you want my opinion on something, or if you have like I don't know, uh something that you want me to read on you know my next podcast, a situation maybe. You could even send an anomalous, uh, you know, whatever, you know, just engage with me. Let's let's see how that's going. Yeah, I think I think that'll be awesome. All right, well, thank you for tuning in. Coffee with a twist, madam ballou.