Goings On...

Things around here have been moving very quickly lately.  This month has been a bit stressful because of the quick pace of it all.  At work for me, it is grant writing season, and we are working on placing final orders for books, and scheduling the last set of professional development workshops for the school year, and then it is time to start planning our summer program!  I also realized the past couple days that I am on my longest streak of working without a significant break in my entire life.  As a student and then as a teacher, I have been so lucky to have 2-10 week breaks spread throughout the year.  This is definitely not the case in the non-profit world.  I have tried to convince my boss that since we are an "education" non-profit, we should follow the education world schedule, but she just doesn't seem to buy it.   I am starting to get tired though, and I don't know how the rest of you have been able to do it! I need spring break!!! ;-)

Drew has been on nights this month, and it is always tough to adjust to that schedule for all of us!  We pass each other for about 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening, and occasionally at lunch (if I can get away!).  He sleeps all day and works all night.  The poor dogs think they have someone home to play with all day, when really Drew just wants them to keep sleeping! :)  We hit the halfway point for this schedule this weekend, so 2 more weeks, and then we will see each other again!

We have also started planning for Drew's third and final year in Tucson.  He is looking into post-residency possibilities, a fellowship in behavioral and developmental peds or a job in a general peds outpatient setting, here in Tucson, back home in Nashville, or a program somewhere completely new!  There is so much to think about, and so many pros and cons for each one, but I will let Drew tell you about all of that in one of his own posts.

In his final years, Drew also has the opportunity to do what is called an "away rotation."  He is able to choose a location somewhere other than Tucson to learn more about the culture of pediatrics somewhere else.  Thinking about this possibility, we decided to bite the bullet and do something BIG and together, so as of right now, we are in the very preliminary stages of planning a month long wotking trip to Africa!!  Drew would be working in a children's clinic, and I will hopefully be able to find a school where I can work and help out for a month in the same area.  As I said, we are in the very preliminary stages of planning, but we are really looking forward to all of the possibilities!!  We will definitely keep everyone posted, as plans start to come together.

We are very excited as spring is upon us to welcome a string of visitors to our home in Tucson, and to get back east a couple times!  We will going to Nashville for Easter weekend for an engagement party for my sister Ruthie and her fiance Matt.  We will also be heading to North Carolina in May for Drew's youngest sister, Margaret's wedding!  In the meantime, my old camp friend from Australia, Rachael, is stopping in this weekend during her travels to the states, my mom will be here mid-March, my best friend Mary and her hubby Dan are coming in, and Drew's best friend Derek, and his wife Katherine!  Whew!  I get tired just thinking about it!!  I cannot wait to see so many great friends and family though, and all of the tiredness that follows will be well worth it!  Our visitors will also be able to take part in our cooking experiments!  Lots of guinea pigs to try new recipes with!

Keeping busy definitely makes it easier to keep going when Drew is working so hard, and we are still so far away from home.  Tucson has been good to us and good for us, but I definitely have my moments of longing to be closer to family and close friends.   I continue to be excited to see where the next paths of life take us though!

To take us out with a bang this evening....

Drew, the Nighthawk 

(I think I will let Drew explain this one too...)