Dana Burland

The longer I’m in the workforce, the more I learn–especially learning how much I don’t know and need to keep learning. Working at BISSELL , more of the company feels accessible to me to collaborate with. I’d been feeling in increased need to sharpen my business understanding in areas that don’t come as natural to me. To fill those gaps I spent the last 4 months completing an online Mini MBA program through Miami University (of Ohio). Compared to a full MBA (like the GVSU one I watched Ben spend 3 years tackling ), this is VERY mini, and a certification, not a degree. It’s also fantastic. The program had 5 courses (Executive Judgement & Decision Making, Innovation & Management, Financial Acumen, Inclusion & Belonging and Enhancing Market Presence) totally about 40ish hours of effort. The lessons were all pre-recorded videos with Farmer School of Business (Miami’s MBA school) faculty with real insights from Miami alumni experienced in their industry. I loved the naviga...

Silly story time that just sums up being a mom right now: Yesterday I needed to pick up C & A early from their summer activities for dentist appointments. I was pre-patting my own back for giving myself plenty of time, remembering to bring them snacks and water in the car, etc. Lol me. C is at a day camp nearby he loves. The only drama is if you pick your kid up earlier than normal pick up hours, it’s a true gamble where your kid is. In 1 of 5 gyms? In the pool? In a classroom? In the barn? On the soccer field? In the Gaga Ball hexagon court? It took a while to locate him in gym 5. A counselor will bring him up I was told. Many minutes later: A counselor is not bringing him up—you go get him I was then told. Down to gym 5. Up again. Out to the barn to get his stuff, slowly because he’s gotta say “bye” to all his friends and he’s slogging from a long day in the sun. Now I’ve got 10 minutes to get A and get to the dentist. Tight, but possible. *Field several questions from s...

I have so much to tell you...  Most important first: homemade rice crispy treats really, really , need to be made with a handful of unmelted mini marshmallows stirred in at the end.  Also, we had a wild week of home construction. Last we spoke our deck was gone ! In one week, look at her now: I love the interior view of mature pine trees from the windows. Well... wood cut outs, but you get it. Next news: I had a great time visiting a dear friend and her beautiful baby girl in Pennsylvania the week before last... but I brought home COVID as an airport souvenir. The trip and baby were worth it, but I didn't feel great this past week, which was a bit of a problem given I had a triathlon scheduled.   Truthfully I hadn't been feeling this triathlon since training started. So, it was a wise move to downgrade from the Sprint to the Super Sprint--cutting my distances in half to a 300 meter swim, 6 mile bike and 1.5 mile run.  It was definitely doable and fun. Such short...

Yeah baby, it’s time for another round of home construction. And this time it’s a big one. We’re getting an addition built in the place of our deck. This new 440 square feet will mostly be a big great room where we can more comfortably build memories with family and friends. It’ll also include a little extra umpf for our primary bedroom–turning out current primary half bath into a full bathroom with a new shower, and adding a second closet so Ben & I can each have one of our own. While the construction crew is at it, we’re making a minor change to the kitchen–rotating the existing kitchen peninsula to be an unattached island. This will gain us more workable counter space, give us new counter seating and will open a new secondary walkway from one side of the house to the other, alleviating current traffic jams. Demo started last week. Boy is it wild to see the deck completely gone. It had been such a big staple of the house, and honestly a space we did use and enjoy a lot–w...