Time To Breathe

.... thats how I felt, that the last few days I had time to breathe, sleeping in, taking afternoon naps, taking all day to cook a wonderful meal and several hours to consume it just hanging with the kids and catching up. Our lives really have been that crazy but we had a wonderful Christmas Day, spent mostly in our pajamas. Most fun and regretted christmas gift - the indoor remote control helicopters that are already a nuisance but great fun for boys and cats. Post Christmas Day Joe, Katie and Elliot have spent most of it on a mountain either teaching snowboarding or enjoying the riding themselves. Of course this means negotiating who is going to have a car is more difficult than Middle East Peace Talks but so far everyone is happy. Unfortunately I had to go into work Monday and Tuesday but really not a great deal going on in clinic, just tying up lose ends for the end of the year. We plan on spending a very quiet New Years Eve just the two of us (we have been ditched by the teenagers) but on New Years Day we fly to Miami, pick up a cruise boat and "do the Caribbean" for a few days, I feel like I have been holding my breathe for this trip for several weeks and now it is nearly here I am very excited. Looking forward to starting off 2009 with sunshine and relaxation. Happy New Years to all of you.

Homework and Homecomings

I am at the end of another intense graduate school class, with only 7 classes left to go in 2009 I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. This class was focused on nursing education and though I basically enjoyed it, loved learning about learning styles and dynamics of teams I am pretty certain now I do not want to be a nurse educator, a worthy profession but I just cannot be doing with all that curriculum writing, evaluation and assessment. So the last paper is written and submitted and now I am just awaiting my grade. Next class starts Jan 7th so I am mighty happy I have a couple of weeks break, perfect timing too, Christmas and New Years. In many respects I do not feel I have taken a breath since I came back from the Haitian Refugee Camps in early November. Came home tonight totally exhausted feeling like I could sleep for a week, just too many days getting up at 5.30am after going to bed really really late (homework) lots of complicated and very sick kids at work and add to that all the craziness of Christmas, I would like to get off this really fast train now please.

So tomorrow Colin and Katie are going on a road trip, they are going to look at a University Katie just got accepted at and got a generous scholarship but we never got to see as yet and go and get that delicious boy called Joe who had better get his butt back in my house as soon as he can. He also has had a stressful week of freshman finals and finishing up his first semester, he has had a great time and has done really well but... its time.....to come home now.

So I am now looking forward to a quiet weekend of waiting for everyone to come home, wrapping those gifts and last minute shopping and planning a menu for the next couple of weeks. Feeling the need to get recentered with what really matters to me, my lovely family, enjoying the season and my work (that I really do love even though it exhausts me at times!)

Christmas is When!!?

Like many of you December is whizzing by at a speed faster than light. Its adding to my stress, which so far has been way more stressful than any December should be. I officially entered my final year of graduate school and to reward me the classes increased in intensity and demand, my current class ends December 22, it has proved to be very demanding in terms of research and papers, causing much sleep deprivation so my Christmas will not officially start until this is done. Work is its usual crazy and I had 2 days out last week when I attended a meeting in Baltimore, which was very interesting but will only add to my "must read" pile. As a result had minor meltdown at the weekend, told the family I cannot do Christmas on my own this year and assigned everyone jobs, Katie and Elliot are decorating the house, Colin is wrapping every gift (poor boy!) and I am on kitchen duty - we shall see how it goes. It did snow this weekend though which made everything feel so much more festive. Adding to my worry is a close friend who was just diagnosed with cancer, having surgery today, praying for and expecting a good outcome. Joe comes home in less than 2 weeks, really looking forward to that, not looking forward to the daily fights over who gets the car, the extra laundry and huge grocery bill of having 2 hungry teenagers in the house.
Katie had a great weekend, completing her snowboarders instructors course at a local mountain and getting hired - good for her, now carrying a full load at college and holding down 2 jobs - awesome girl.
Elliot is doing his own bit too to become fiscally independent, working hard at a local tavern which gives him his own gas and mountain money.
Me, all my money flies out of my purse as soon as it arrives, I dont see much of it with 3 teenagers in the house but I am going to try and slow down one day soon and enjoy some of this Christmas season. I am really holding on for Jan 1 when we plan to fly to Miami, pick up a boat and cruise around the Caribbean for a few days, just what we need......take me now!!