No time for life

I have been incredibly busy lately. I am starting Partylite (selling candles, for those of you who don't know), and I need to have 6 shows, and so far I only have 2 scheduled, so if anybody wants to host a party or knows anyone who would be interested, please let me know!
This week is super crazy, I am quitting my job at Allina and my last day is Friday, but I am working an extra day this week so my week is very full. Classes are also busy, most of my professors want to know our research paper topics within the next week or so (I have 3 20-page papers due at the end of the term) so I am trying to come up with ideas that I can actually write about but that I am also interested in and that aren't too broad. I usually have a difficult time narrowing down my topics because I am interested in so much!
I am really looking forward to having free afternoons once I am done at Allina--that is the main reason I am quitting, so I have more time during the week. I have been going crazy trying to keep up with school, and this will free up a lot of homework time. Even though I am going to be doing Partylite, that will take up much less time and I will be able to fit it in much more easily.
That's my crazy life right now! There are some other things going on with me and Eric, but I will have to write about them another day!

"I already know an awful lot of people and until one of them dies I couldn't possibly meet anyone else."

Turtle, Turtle

For anyone who hasn't heard, Eric and I have a foster turtle. His name is Turtlezilla and we are taking care of him for Meri, Alan's girlfriend. I'm not entirely sure why, but we wanted to get a pet and we thought a turtle would be cool, and when we visited them she mentioned that she needed a home for her turtle so we offered to take it and now we get to have a turtle for awhile! It's pretty cool, it doesn't really do much and we have only had it for a few days, but it's a nice addition to our place. It's fun having it, and we are excited for tomorrow because we are babysitting Coen and I think he will really like it. Like I said, it adds a lot to our place and it's really fun to have it!

"Am I not turtley enough for the turtle club?"

Forepaugh's

This weekend Eric and I are going to go to Forepaugh's, our favorite fancy restaurant located in downtown St. Paul. It is absolutely delicious, and we haven't had a fancy night out in way too long. I am really looking forward to it, both to the restaurant itself and to being able to dress up nice and spend an evening with my husband. This is the first weekend since school began that we have absolutely no plans with anyone. It is fantastic, and I am really looking forward to having some time to actually relax, and possibly catch up on homework. I'm not really behind, but it would be nice to get far enough ahead that I didn't have to stress about finishing stuff. Hopefully Eric and I won't fill up our weekend with a gazillion activities like we have the last however many weekends so that we will actually be able to relax and have a nice weekend with each other.

"Fronch dressing. Fronch fries. Fronch bread. And to drink....Peru!"

October

Today is the start of a new (much colder) month. The month of October brings with it nothing really exciting for me, although others may find it to be a better month than I do. I have nothing against October; it is rather that it is a continuation of September, albeit colder. In fact, that aspect of October is something I hold against it. The cold is not fun. I am not a cold person, despite the fact that I live in Minnesota. I do, however, love snow, and therefore can tolerate the cold. Despite the fact that nothing especially exciting happens in October (for me), it is still a very pretty month as the leaves change colors. School is continuing, and getting more difficult as the work piles up. On the positive side, I think I've found my stride in the MAT program, and though it is difficult, I am getting used to it. I've also connected with more of my classmates, which is very important to a successful program. Though I started this post thinking negatively about October, I realize that it is a beautiful month in which I will continue to excel (or attempt to) in the MAT program and in life. It is a month of possibilities. It can be a soothing, contemplative month, a month to focus on my goals and work towards them, without the distractions that other months can bring. There are no major holidays (unless you count Halloween, which is at the very end of the month), no big exams (I don't have midterms), no major papers due, and no milestones coming up. There are a few birthdays scattered here and there, but otherwise, life is slowing down as the start of the new school year becomes another semester. It's time to engage myself in my studies and enjoy the beauty of nature.

"You'll never be a first class human being or a first class woman until you've learned to have some regard for human frailty. "