This Week is a Big Week

Hi all,

So I recognize I have a habit of materializing and then disappearing, but I have five posts to adhere to each month, so at the very least I will be posting five times each month ;)

The last two weeks have been a blur. Lots of studying, a couple outings with friends (the birthday party, two nights out with different friends, couple dates, lunch outing with my gal), lots of grading (125 papers in one week!), conversations with the long-term housemate, cleaning and partially purging the house, the arrival of the short-term gal, yard work and chicken duties (yea for some amazing sunny days, the kiwi finally got topped, and 3 out of 4 chickens are laying!), easy slow jogs and mtg the vets for our Friday run time (this month focused on low mileage and letting my body recover), trying out a new church, watching an acquaintance's fun kiddo for an afternoon, a family birthday party, a day hike to try to manage and break from stress, a conference on collaboration at work, a mtg with my boss, and all the other regular errands. Mostly I've been trying my hardest not to stress about this particular week and also recognizing that I was failing at doing so. ;)

In two days I have my practical massage exam, which I'm oh.so.hopeful I will pass. Tomorrow my aunt and cousin agreed to help quiz me, since I've been lacking on having the repetition needed to feel more confident in my responses. Tonight I completed the application materials for the Africa opportunity and emailed them in to the organization. Wednesday holds the next Africa meeting. Those two main items alone let you know why this week is a big week....and also where the stress is originating from....

In other news, I'm trying to keep my fingers crossed about filing taxes :) Long-term housemate is planning on moving out in the next month or two rather than being here through summer. I'm trusting that the next opportunity will present itself-whether this means continuing to rent that space to someone else or converting it into a massage space is what I'm not sure about though. And I'm still choosing to believe that this summer will be provided for as needed. I'm in a daily prayer accountability partnership which has been rewarding. The meeting with my boss went well. My schedule for next term will allow for lots of daytime for other endeavors, he agreed with my idea for trying to run a late summer course, and we brainstormed ideas for fall and the coming academic year. He's incredibly supportive of the Africa opportunity and the avenues it has the potential to lead into, which continues to make me so grateful for the job and colleagues that I already have in my life. Due to a lack of snow, the buddy and I are not able to hit up our snow shelter backpacking idea this coming weekend, but I'm thinking of taking myself (and the dogs!) on a little de-stress trip instead. Looking forward to enjoying time with friends during the second half of this week and hopefully doing a bit more business planning if/once the license is secured. Oh...and I already received my new passport--so that was another highlight of the last two weeks also! ;)

So here's keeping my fingers crossed that by Thursday, there will be more answers and that the massage testing will be over so that I can focus on other areas. Any prayers or positive thinking are always appreciated!

Hope y'all have been well the last few weeks also!