My latest!

Well, Ken has been gone a bunch on business this month, so I had to make some other friends!

After that bit of levity, I will tell you that I have actually made a decision in the direction of sanity rather than financial responsibility. I have decided to NOT start working on my AuD in the late spring. (AuD = Audiology Doctorate, which is now the entry level degree in my field.) I have determined that I probably will have to get this degree eventually, but if I start this spring, I would have 2 summers with school. I will get the degree through a distance learning program with the University of Florida. It takes 18 months and for a few days I thought it would be great to have it finished right after Anna went to kindergarten. Then I got STRESSED OUT. I wasn't sleeping, having nightmares, etc. I decided that I haven't done enough work looking for more research jobs, nor have I gone to Boys Town to do my summer internship, so that I might feel clinically competent without returning to school right away. Nor have I tested the market to see if I can get PRN work with just my masters degree. No reason to get stressed out yet! I decided that if I have some time where I am making no money and instead spending money on school - THAT's OK. Better than being so busy for 10 months that I can't keep my head above water.

Please say a prayer that I can do the right things, and learn the right things to keep myself at least minimally employed in 2012 (when my current grant ends). Also that I make the right decisions regarding school and my career.

It is especially stressful, because I had just come up with a great budget last month and was working hard at paying off our mortgage before our kids start college and now - WHAMMO! The concept of a steady stream of work that I have had since 1993 is fading! I guess that is why budgets must sometimes be reworked.