A little breathing room

Wow! It has been since November of last year since my last post. Shortly after my last post I came down with the most disgusting virus ever. It left me covered in hives from head to toe. Even my eyes and lips swole up. At first I thought I had bed bugs because it looked like little bites all over my body. Plus I had just returned from NYC and there was this crazy expose on "Inside Edition" about bed bugs in a New York hotel. I thought for sure they had climbed into my luggage and lodged themselves into my bed at home. It was not until later that afternoon when the little bumps started to flatten out and begin to look more like hives that I guessed something else might be wrong. In any case I was sick for 7 days! Man I tell you, it really gets you thinking about how blessed you are to have your health. There is nothing more miserable than laying in bed sick.

With December my 31st birthday came and went and so did Christmas. There was a big windstorm the day of Christmas that knocked power out for thousands of people. So D got called in to work--mandatory. It was the first Christmas in all these years that we spent apart. My parents were in LA. Luckily, I had several friends to visit during the day and an invitation to dinner. But when I finally got home later that night, I was really feeling sorry for myself. I cried a little. It was a little scary being all alone. D ended up working a 24 hour shift. He got home the next day at around 6:30 AM.

School started in January and so did my temporary new assignment at work. My first class was "Mission and Vision". Immediately the first class, the professor laid it on thick. A book to read, several articles, and a research paper due ASAP. I admit I left class feeling super overwhelmed. I knew I was making a commitment, but it all of a sudden hit me pretty hard just how much of a commitment. After 7 weeks of serious overload and lots of hard work, the class came to an end. I have met a group of really cool people. My group is made up of 3 guys and me. One of them is a super over achiever, I mean he puts most over achievers I know to shame. The other guy has two twins, a boy and a girl, 17 months old. The third guy is a snowboarder whose wife is also in graduate school. They are a good group. At first I wasn't so sure, but as I have gotten to know them, I think I am going to enjoy working with them. We will be in the same group through the end of the program so that is a good thing.

Needless to say, I have had limited time for fun. Hubby and I did manage to get away for KIA's wedding in January. It was such an awesome weekend. I love my husband on vacation. He is like a whole other person. Not that I don't love him when we are at home, it is just that there are so many distractions like work and the house, so he is sometimes short and cranky. But while in AZ we got along so well. We hung out, drank beer, danced, ate good food, slept in. All those things that are impossible to do at home. Plus the weather was sunny, a little cool, but blue sky. Perfect weather for outdoor seating. Outdoor seating in PDX is limited to 3 months--July, August, and September. So outdoor seating in January is a super bonus!

I really feel myself growing in so many ways these last couple of months. Professionally, academically, and personally. Sometimes I feel like it is all happening so fast with so little time to reflect. At last I have a little breathing room to take a deep breath and---aaaahhh, let it all out!