Squeezing in an update

Things have been extremely busy both at work and at home. I barely have a chance to catch my breath, but wanted to let everyone know we are still alive!

I like to think that I can have a successful career, be a loving and devoted wife, and a great mother - all while preparing several hot meals each week, keeping the house presentable (with Jamie's help of course), and keeping up with my own personal interests. Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman comes to mind. Sometimes that works out better than others. Right now I am having a hard time doing it all. I've fallen behind on my Bible reading and really need to catch up. I feel bad that I haven't been able to devote much real quality time to Jamie in the last few weeks. Of course we see one another and talk every day, but we really need to find some time to slow down and just focus on each other soon.

Work is very hectic right now for several reasons. I am normally busy around this time of year anyway making sure the tax program is set up to run smoothly. This year it is compounded by the fact that our department has had so much turnover, and we have converted to a new version of our personnel tracking software, AND we have switched tax service providers. I have been very busy managing the transition, and we've been doing a lot of training of the new staff. Learning the new ins and outs of the software has proved to be a challenge too. I've been putting in some overtime, which is rare for me. I'm not getting home until around 7pm, and then I want to spend every second possible with Elise before she has to go to bed. By the time she is asleep, I am pretty worthless.

Jamie is really busy too. His next masters class began this week, and he took the GRE today. He has been stressing over the GRE for several weeks and studying every night. He scored very well as I knew he would. I know he is glad to have that behind him. Now he only has to focus on his class, work, and baseball ("only", right). He traveled to Waco last week to attend a baseball coaching convention. He enjoyed it, and the boys, Elise, and I missed him terribly. I'm glad to have him back home and not have to worry about him taking any more trips until the football coaching convention this summer.

I'm so tired! The good news is that in a few more weeks, things should really level out at work. I have this Friday off work, so I am really looking forward to having a day with Elise. I've been missing her a lot. I am planning to do a roast in the crock pot on Friday too. I've been wanting to try a new recipe - I just haven't had the chance yet.

Hopefully I will have something more interesting to say next time I post!