I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

OK, This blog is a little belated, as I could see the light a week or so ago. And by that I mean, I'm days away from officially having a masters degree! I have 1/2 of a final left that's due on Thursday, I'm hoping to get it done today though. Graduation is Friday, though I am not attending, the 19th still feels like the "official day".

The past year and a half has had major ups and downs in terms of school. I've had a range of emotions about this program...but really, when it comes down to it, I'm just glad to have MSc after my name, hah! I know I'll go back to school eventually...I was planning on starting pre-reqs for nursing school this next summer, but we'll see. And of course, on my way out last night after my 2nd to last final, my professor put Physician's Assistant's school in my head. Who knows.

After undergrad, I was completely prepared to continue being a student. But this time, I NEED a break. For my own sanity. My brain needs a breather. As I was driving to campus last night I was suddenly struck with this feeling of "now what?". It was my last trip to a college campus for who knows how long. What am I going to do with my time? How will I handle not having a homework routine, or not having to dedicate Sundays to playing catch up? I have lots of books I can catch up on...a few crafty projects to finish and more to start....but I think it's going to take me a few weeks for this freedom to really set in.

Selfish

The last few weeks have been a struggle. As the newness of the puppy dies down, and we really begin to realize what we've gotten ourselves into (though she's still absolutely worth it!), reality has set in. I have just 11 days until graduation...11 days to get 2 finals and 1 major graduation-determining project done. Then there's two weeks or so to get Christmas shopping done - we still have Adam's family and my parents to shop for. Save the dates need to be mailed before the holidays, too. And in the middle of all this chaos, Adam has been in California for 8 of the 11 days since Thanksgiving. And he's going to be there most likely through the rest of this week.

For the first trip, his work asked him the day after thanksgiving (friday) to fly out Sunday. He was gone until that Thursday evening, after they struggled for a good 12 hours to even decide to let him come home. So he got home Thursday evening, and on Friday he was called to fly back on Saturday - even though he was originally told he wouldn't need to come back out for another 4-5 days. Friday night I really thought I was at my wits end - playing mom to a puppy 24 hours a day by myself while trying to do school stuff and work AT LEAST 25-30 hours in a week is TOUGH! The house is a mess, laundry has been stretched out over the past 3 days now and there's no end in sight. I can't get out much, either, as we're only able to leave Callie by herself for a few hours at a time at this point. And since we live a pretty good distance north of most of our friends and family, that cuts the actual social time down to an amount that usually isn't even worth it for the drive. I am definitely fortunate that I can go home to my parents and bring the dog, but sometimes a girl just needs a night out with her girls!

The phone call on Friday from his office was enough to make me break down. I literally screamed that I wasn't going to do this for the next 25 years. I know his bosses' wives have put up with it, but I don't know how they do it. It isn't so much that he's gone....it's that they keep jerking him - us - around...one day he's told he can stay in town...and the next he's being asked to fly out with less than 12 hours notice. Our plans are constantly going down the drain, and it's been very hard to enjoy the holiday season.

I know it's selfish of me to be angry. And I know there are thousands...millions...of girlfriends, wives, whatever, who hardly ever get to see their boyfriends and husbands, and even those that will never get to see them again. I'm lucky my fiance isn't stuck in the middle east risking his life. I really don't even have the right to be mad, when you think about it. But even when the anger died down on Friday night, I was still disappointed. I think that disappointment will linger until he comes home...which is supposed to be tomorrow night, but I'm waiting for that phone call that lets me know he's gone until next week.

Puppy, turkey, and snow (finally)!

Usually I can blog once or twice a week, even if I have meaningless stuff to talk about. This past week, however, has been CRAZY!! We are one week + a few days into being the proud parents of our puppy, and yeah, we're exhausted. Callie sleeps 7+ hours a night, but she likes to go to bed at 7pm, so she's up at 2am. Actually, the past few mornings have been better...not having to get up until about 4:30 or 5am. Of course, she has no issue falling back asleep after a potty trip and some play time to tire out again. Adam and I, on the other hand, are up for the rest of the day.


Callie has had lots of play time with my parents' westie, Yoda, and wow, what a pair to watch!! We have some great video of those two running around outside...it's like Yoda and her mini me! The pup has also met Adam's parents' cat, Chloe, and those two chased each other for a while, too. Our cat, Harley, isn't BFF with Callie, but they're getting there. Since the dog sleeps in her kennel in the bedroom, the cat avoided her usual spot on the bed for a few days. Now, though, they're sleeping in the same room and Harley's hissing is to a minimum. I am glad we are restricting the cat to the upstairs and the dog to the downstairs during the day, otherwise, I think we'd have a lot of broken stuff from the two chasing each other around. I think once the cat gets over being pissed off and the dog gets over being a puppy (yeah, right), they'll be curling up on the couch together!

Adam is out of town to California through Wednesday or Thursday. It will be interesting to see how I tackle work + school + puppy full time! It's amazing how much having a puppy is like having a baby (from what I hear, anyway)...no sleep, constant supervision, and keeping the house clean goes completely out the window. We need to start leaving her alone for a few hours at a time, which might be a necessity anyway when we have to head to the mall to finish Christmas shopping in the coming weeks. If things go as planned, and I get a full time job by early 2009 (cross your fingers for me...job interview next week), she's going to have to get used to staying in her kennel for a full day. This is hard with the whole house training thing right now, but I'm sure it will all work out.

Let's see...Thanksgiving was nice. We had a Thanksgiving lunch with Adam's family, and a dinner with mine. Dad is getting around more and more each day, and I think he was glad to socialize over the holiday with the friends and family that came over - he's feeling a bit cooped up at home by himself every day, especially since his mobility is limited.

We (meaning Colorado) finally got the first measurable snow. Better late than never, I suppose. Westminster only got about an inch or so last week, but the southern suburbs where my parents are, and the mountains got SLAMMED this past weekend. It was a bit amusing watching the news about shut down highways and horrible roadway conditions, only to look out our window and see melted snow and sun. Callie at least got to enjoy the little bit that fell here...took her a while to realize it's cold as hell to put your butt to, but when you gotta go you gotta go!

Though the puppy seems to be consuming my time, I do have lots to finish for school...graduation in less than 3 weeks, holy cow! 2 finals and 1 project left. I can't believe I'm this close to being DONE. I think I am going to miss school, but I am DEFINITELY ready for a break, which is something I couldn't say post-undergrad.

Well, I must get back to work...I'm learning to be productive when the dog is fast asleep!!