Okay, so it's been 2009 for 16 days already. . . .
It's spring here in the beautiful foothills *wry grin*, and it looks like no rain in the foreseeable future. Before spring-like weather arrived, it was the coldest winter in 15 years, and we were completely dependent on our pellet stove for warmth. In our long and rambling ranch-style house, we close off the warm family room and kitchen, separating them from the icy living room, hall and bedrooms. We have spent comfortable winter days holed up in our cozy little "cabin", making a mad dash down the icy halls at bedtime to dive into pre-warmed beds.
Christmas eve was a quiet holiday spent at home, and we shared a Christmas dinner the next day with good friends. The day even included a light snowfall! We attended a new year's eve party at a friend's home, but wimped out and came home before midnight.
Emily was rested, and ready to tackle second semester on January 5. Schedule changes include: no more band, no more choir, no more Pathfinders. During ski season the junior academy goes skiing on Thursdays for PE, so PE at the school has been cut out for a while. For now, PE is walking, exercises, and basketball practice at home. The result of these changes is a much more leisurely pace, although still busy. Emily will ski this year, but not every week.
Another change is in my work schedule. For a variety of reasons which would weary any reader (including me), I've picked up a new position at work--weekend on-call and intake nurse. I'm on call from 5 pm Friday to 8 am Monday. I don't have a patient assignment, but oversee schedules in two home care offices, and see patients who need visits after hours, or overflow "surprise" visits during the day. I've done this twice now, and think I will like it. I am usually able to plan my Saturday so I can attend church. There is an element of unpredictability that I don't care for, and I am tethered to an electronic "leash" for 63 hours, so opportunities for fatigue abound.
The beauty of this new schedule is that it frees me up during the week. I still have my 12 hours of chart audits, but I can do some of that on Sundays during a lull. This means more time at home with my student Monday through Friday. This week we seized the opportunity to visit family in Napa Valley. We left Wayne at home to hold down the fort, and drove to my brother and sister-in-law's house, where we were kindly received on short notice. The trip was unbelievably rejuvenating! So much so, in fact, that we're planning to do it again in a few months.
We've shaken the schedule up, tossed out unnecessary things, added some surprises, and changed my work schedule, in order to cope with a severe case of "mid-year slump". We're optimistic about the results. Next week Emily will begin working with a home ec tutor on a "design" unit. We'll let you know how it goes!
