Two weeks!

So I have officially two weeks left of school. I don't officially graduate until December 15th, however I present my final project on the 24th of this month and I'm done. I'm done with four hour long night classes during the week, I'm done buying textbooks, writing papers, doing tons of reading and research every night. I'm done with spending my lunch break trying to finish homework, done trying to work full time and go to school full time.

But I have to admit, I'm kind of sad. I mean--I have been a student for the past seven years. I've loved the people I've met in my program. I'm going to miss challenging myself and proving to others that I can do it. I'm not sure what I am going to do with all my free time.

I'm also going to miss nights like this.....

(disregard the face my husband is making)

Nights where we spend locked up in a study room, just sitting across from each other working on our homework. The other night when we were in here I actually got kind of sad that I wouldn't have an excuse to tag along to the law school with him after I present this project.

Wish me luck to get through these next 2 weeks with my sanity intact!!

Should I even make an excuse?

Life has been busy. And every now and then this summer I would think to myself that I should try and blog a little bit when I had free time, that way I had something to look back on in a couple years to remember this summer. My last summer as a student, the summer I lived by myself and had a 'commuter marriage' with my husband, the summer that I spent soaking up all the free time I possibly could.

I know I had mentioned at some point I was working on a big paper for one of my classes. Well....I finally finished it.

115 pages. 35, 600 some odd words. 3 months and hundreds of hour of my life later it is done. I am not going to lie when I was working on this I could not wait to be done. However, when I turned it in I felt a little sad. I put some much time and energy into this assignment, needless to say, I was extremely proud of myself for getting this done.

My husband has been out of town quite a bit this summer for a clerkship he is doing. To say it has been tough is an understatement. However, even though this sucked--the whole experience has only made us closer. I am very excited for this week to get over though so he can finally be home!

I've also been making a conscious effort to spend more time with those I love. Saying yes to last minute invitations for nights out with friends. Planning endless lake trips. And dancing with my love late into the night.

Lately I've been finding myself feeling so grateful and blessed for the life I've been able to live! So if I don't pop in for awhile it's because I've decided to start living life again :)

Till next time,
D

Balancing Act

Life has been so hectic lately, I feel like every time I look at the calendar I'm exclaiming how I can't believe it's already March, April, and now May! I feel like I am spending so much time trying to catch up so I can finally slow down that time is flying by without me. 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but I am in the final stages of finishing my Masters degree and will *hopefully* graduate in December 2013. When I first started the program my official graduation date was May 2014, however I'm at a point in my life where school is the last of my list of priorities. You see I have been in school (nonstop) for the last 7 years. I took a full course load every semester and summer session offered and during my time at undergraduate I worked 3 different jobs to help pay for my schooling. When I graduated undergrad I accepted a full time position and started grad school full time 2 weeks after I graduated.

Since I moved my graduation date up by 5 months I've been doubling up on classes and it is finally catching up with me. I am currently finishing up a 'pre-assingment' that will end up being 120 pages in written response--and it is taking up all my time! I miss cooking supper, cleaning my house, playing with my puppy, and spending quality time with my husband.

Because I have been so busy I feel like I am missing out on the little things in life-the things that make life worth living. I've decided that I am going to make time for those little things...

- I am going to make time to cook supper with my husband

- I'll get up a little earlier to take Lola for a walk. And get up early on Saturday mornings to take her to the dog park

- I'll accept that invitations from friends to catch up and hang out and not feel guilty about not studying on a Saturday night

- I'll spend my lunch breaks reading the paper instead of reading homework assignments

I'm so close to being down, I just need to keep reminding myself that to keep sane the next 7 months I need to make time to enjoy life as well.  

How do you balance work/school and personal commitments? This is something I've always struggled with!!