Alive, but barely. Work really did me in this past month, and after I was getting so good at posting regularly again as well. Ten to twelve hour days, as well as weekends, and it would have been more if I didn't have an ACTUAL exchange student in my house, forcing me to pull myself from work from time to time to, you know, feed him and make sure he was not bored. Not to mention trying to keep some semblance of order around the house; dishes cleaned and laundry done and THANK GOD for David because he really stepped it up, even if he did tell me I need to quit this new job. Then in the middle of it, a charming but poorly timed wedding in Seattle where I couldn't even fully take off work, so i spent the majority of it on my Blackberry.

Working with exchange students has certainly burned me out, however. If I spend all day promoting and discussing them, to be honest the last thing I want to do is come home and look at one. We are a temporary home to a really lovely Dutch boy right now. And while I like Mr. E a lot, and it is very clear boys are no where near as emotionally needy as girls, I just do not have it in me this year. So on top of it all, I'm trying to find him a good home. I'd love him to stay at Woodrow since he's been making friends there, but if he has to transfer so be it. If your parents or friends or co-workers have ever said they were interested, let me know. They can meet him and judge in person. His main flaw at this stage seems to be that he can't put a damn glass in the dishwasher.

August 31 is our deadline, but I can feel it letting up already. I have some evening appointments this week but then I suspect Saturday I will be in the mood for a bit of a drink-up. Whatchoo think? Also, I have Seattle photos to go through like you can't believe. Someone go to the Korean spa with me Sunday or something.

I'm not convinced I'm worth being friends with these days. I'm an unplugged lamp.

It's been a crazy week.

Work has kicked into high gear, and with it, me. I haven't been in a job that has high and low seasons for about five years now, so it's been a rude awakening for me, but mostly my husband. He's never known me in anything other than an even, easy schedule. Now, I'm working until 9pm, and feeling guilty stopping THAT early (knowing, however, mid-September to February is going to be the opposite).

We ended up having, I think, the biggest row we've ever had on Thursday.

David & I are not fighters. I've been discouraged by how many have sprung up the past two years, but I've chalked them up to comfort with each other as well as our lives being in pretty much constant upheaval since we decided to move back to Dallas.

But having the girls really added a level that couldn't have been predicted. David won't let me forget how dismissed he felt, and I never feel I can make that up to him. I'm just living in ever-lasting GUILT. Well, had been. We've seemed to mostly work through it, but geesh.

So I'm not so sure about the baby thing anymore anyway. Probably best it doesn't seem to be working out. If we can't handle a couple kids in our house for TEN MONTHS then I'm certainly not ready to chance a lifetime on them.

Too bad. It seemed sort of fun in theory.