Whatever Happened to Claire?

Well, that is a good question.  She disappeared from oblivion months ago.  Why?  She is not even sure why.  This year has been an abnormal one, filled with infections, exhaustion, and many needs for recuperation.  I have managed to get one infection after another, which blows me away.  I working in the hospital for years and managed to get sick "maybe" once a year.   I start teaching and this year I think that I have been sick more times than will fit on one hand.  What is up?  I blame it on destiny.  I was destined to spend one year in recovery from my fate.
In the spring I took 12 doctorate credit levels and in the summer I took an additional 15 credit hours.  I was not so smart to do that because it broke the last straw and threw me into an external state of exhaustion. I think that I have not gotten out of bed since except to eat, teach, walk the boys, and occasionally use the bathroom (a necessary evil).
We had a very "low-key" Thanksgiving consisting of a movie and McDonalds chicken fingers.  Plus, the required nap.  It was actually nice, but I think I would have preferred some turkey with the family.

Overtaxation...and It Ain't Money

I have always been my own worst enemy.  I have an inability lead a slow paced, happy life.  Instead, I fill my life with chaos, high stress, and mediocre tasks.  I always think that I will get back to posting, but the problem is the day of smooth sailing never comes.  The only exciting thing that I have going on in my life is not house projects, which I loved posting.  All I do is teach school, sleep, and go to school (do clinicals).  In my spare time I walk my big black puppies three times.  They want my attention all day long.

This semester was a near miss.  I struggled through 5 classes (which most people only take 3 in their doctorate).  Then as I struggled there were two classes that I almost failed.  I was lucky and with the help of the man above, just barely passed.  This upcoming semester I have 4 classes.  The good news is that for the final two semesters I will only have 2 classes a piece.  I cannot tell you the bliss that the light load will bring to my life.

I have been so busy that the Minnesota Adventures have ceased to exist.  I am hoping that I will be able to jump right back onto the band wagon when school settles down.  I have had some culture adventures...attending Islamic weddings, celebrating Easter with the Orthodox Christians from Ethiopia (which is on a different day then our Easter), and so forth.  Sometimes I wonder why I continue with school when there are so many other great adventures out there in the world.  The answer is not that I really want my doctorate at this point.  It is that I don't want to spend the rest of my life wondering "what if" I had finished it.  So, on I press with only little motivation and great fatigue, with plans to blog again whenever the time presents itself.

It's Been Awhile

I have never thought of myself as too dramatic, but I will openly admit that I do worry a little too much.  My mother tells me that I love to complain.  I won't argue that point either.  Over the past few months I have had enough things occur in my life that it feels a little too dramatic for my taste.  All of the drama has been so tiring that I just haven't blogged.  I would love to give a little update though.  Who knows how long it might be until I blog again.

I am currently at the end of my semester in my doctorate.  I was not sure if I was going to make it through, but I am thinking it is likely I will pass.  I had to do 200 clinical hours at one of the local children's hospitals.  It has been great to be doing patient care with kids again.  I really do love it!  Plus, it doesn't hurt that I run into many people that I know...and that they like me and love to talk to me.  I love to feel like I am a competent care provider.  I have really enjoyed it.  In fact, the emergency department was trying to attempt to get me to apply for a job.  Although, I think that I should continue teaching until I finish my degree.

I have been teaching.  I love the classroom part, but don't really love doing the clinical portion.  I don't really have a choice at this point.  It is a lot of fun to see the students that I have taught graduate, pass their nursing boards, and get jobs.  I feel like I make a difference.

Harley and Duke keep me busy.  Harley has picked up some bad habits as I have been gone too much.  He has started pooping in my basement, which luckily is cement.  Duke is busy rearranging and destroying bits of my house.  I am taking him to the "Doggy Psychiatrist."  It is actually a behavioralist veterinarian, who is going to help me to get a handle on his crazy behavior.  He is so sweet when I am home that I think that getting his behavior under control would be great!  Overall, life is good!
 

Paid for Doggy Daycare

I know that there are some of you out there anxiously awaiting my post about Duke.  Today I had just a minute, so I thought that I would let everyone know that I gave in.  I paid for doggy daycare today, because I have been unable to clean my house properly, or get any homework done without both of the boys in my way and preventing any success.  So, I paid for doggy daycare, so that I could thoroughly clean the front living area (and especially get a very clean space at the dinning table) so that I could do homework undisturbed.  It was too hard to type on the couch with two dog snouts covering both keyboard and screen on the computer.  Plus, yesterday I attempted to let Duke out of the crate while I went to church and came back to a bed filled with Trisket bits throughout, chewed up toilet paper, the trash spewed all over the house.  It is a good thing he behaves when I am home and is really sweet.  So, doggy daycare so I could clean up the mess and make a working space.  Plus, I got my taxes done.  Yay!  So, I suppose it was a good investment.  Now back to cleaning the house.  I only have another house before I go and pick them up.