Hey loyal blog readers! I have been hideously behind on blog posts. I managed to get a handful of minutes today so I can at least let you know that I'm alive.
I TON has been happening these past few weeks. I will try to be brief, as I need to be :)
First, I got accepted at Missouri University of Science and Technology to complete my Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. I'm a special case there as I am a transfer student, already have a degree, and nearly have all the required coursework and also have in-field experience. Long story short, they setup a program for me to get my degree in only two semesters. This is good in that it will work relatively well with J's work schedule.
This is bad in that my schedule is now insanely busy. My first semester, this semester, is very lab-heavy with four labs, two of them time-intensive. It's one hour driving one way to get to campus each day. I have to drop the little guy off at day care, and then pick him up at the end of each day. I have 8am class five days a week. I also average about 4 hours of sleep a day now. My spare time is almost completely dedicated to travel, homework, and child care. Depending on the day, J and I may only see each other for one or two hours. Walking the dog has even taken a hit, as I just don't have the time walk her twice a day as I ritualistically do.
As bad as it sounds, I do like the environment. S&T is very experiential heavy, the students are very welcoming and collegial in their work ethic, and it feels more at home because everyone is a science geek. This actually makes me a more valuable student because of the very diverse background and experiences I have. I'm constantly learning all the time and having little difficulty connecting both equally to students and staff. I truly look forward to next semester, which is not supposed to be as difficult as this semester.
The current game plan is to find an internship over the summer and full time employment in January. Time will tell if this works out.
J's schedule has also ramped up a LOT. She's currently doing required training and conferences that require travel. She has the largest number of soldiers of all TC's (trial counsels) and is going to be picking up even more soldiers because of recent personnel change ups. This also translates to less time at home.
The stress of not having spare time at home to dedicate to regular maintenance of items like groceries and home maintenance can be daunting at times, but we make it work. I keep reminding myself that this is only for one and a half more semesters. I can't believe that it's almost halfway through the first semester already. I feel like I actually haven't produced that much in relation to how much I've learned.
The little man has really increased in his alertness and interactivity the past several weeks. He's starting to reach for things, he babbles a lot, he's acquired an eagle screech and a weight-lifter's groan, and he loves to jump in his bouncy chair. The poor guy got a virus-caused runny nose two weekends ago, and he's only just now recovered from it. He didn't like it, but we did learn how to treat it should it happen again.
In other news, J's dad R built and installed a very nice coat rack and cat box/bench for us here. I'll post a picture so that you can see for yourselves, but it looks really cool and is very nice for what we need.
Sorry. No pictures today. I gotta hit the hay. I haven't forgotten to make posts. I actually have dictations on my phone for posts I meant to make but was on foot at the time. Hopefully, in a week or so when I have spring break, I can get you all up to better speed. Thanks again for the patience. I know I've been pushing the limits lately. Love you all! I'll post again before the end of the month.
