All strapped in and ready to go.

School starts for me again in the morning, and I have every finger and toe crossed that this quarter doesn't end up like the fall. Fall quarter was a slow motion train wreck. I learned a lot, though. In those ten weeks, I found out that five classes plus institute is too many. Callings in church that require me to get the kids out the door by myself, arrive early, and have an active role all three hours don't add to the situation either. I went to crazy town and back, but I survived it.

My mantra for this year is balance. I know some people say that achieving balance in your life is an elusive dream that no one ever achieves. All I know is, when your balance gets seriously out of whack, it isn't pretty. I've had a month off of school, and it was blissfully renewing. It was such a relief to greet parts of me that had faded away under the stress. As days of peace and quiet passed, space opened up in my brain to reach out to others in need. I organized my cupboards, painted walls, and rearranged furniture (thanks, Mom!). I had time to think, contemplate, and curl up by the fire and read. I had adventures-- like grabbing the boys and slaughtering our turkeys and roosters with them. I purged myself of guilt and made those Christmas stockings I had been intending to sew after Kelton was born in 2001. It was lovely.

I only have three classes this quarter. I'm out of my high-demand callings at church for a while, and am focusing on making sure no one sits alone. The ground is frozen, so I don't have to think about gardening for a while. I'm starting my earth & space science minor, so I'll have labs and tests instead of papers, presentations, and portfolios to produce. Give me a test over a paper any day! I'm optimistic, this should be a good quarter if I can just keep my life in balance.