Time

The saying goes "time flies when you are having fun."  I'm realizing as I get older that time flies regardless.  We have been in Miami for 2 months now and Scott will finish 5th semester in 2 short weeks.  Now that I am working it seems like there just aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything.  By the time I get home from work, walk Dora, prepare and eat dinner, clean the kitchen (or rather watch my amazing husband clean the kitchen)...it is time to shower and go to bed.  As a result we have still not fully unpacked and we rarely get out to explore this new city.  I have no idea where the times goes.

Next week Dora will be 6 months old, next month we will celebrate our 1 year anniversary and in less than 2 months I will celebrate 3 decades of life.  Lately life feels like a merry go round that keeps spinning faster and faster.  Since my last post, I have fully recovered from mono.  It took about a month but I finally feel back to "normal."  Dora has completed 3 weeks of her puppy training course at PetsMart.  She missed week 4 because we had her spayed last weekend.  We took her to the local Humane Society and were very impressed.  They were very efficient in checking in the animals and also very kind.  The cost is extremely reasonable (easily 1/3 of what we would have spent at a vet).  When I picked her up they brought her out quickly and gave us some pain meds for her.  Here is her post-op picture...

The recovery has been very smooth other than trying to keep her calm.  She does not understand why she can't go to the dog park; maybe we will attempt that this week.  Scott is doing well.  He is enjoying the clinical aspect of 5th semester.  So far he has spent time observing a Pediatrician, a Family Practitioner, and last night he spent 7 hours in the ER.  He will spend 2 more days in the ER before the end of the semester.  Thankfully those are day shifts because I like having him home at night.        

That is our update.  I would love to say we are completely settled and Miami feels like home but that is not quite true.  It takes time to truly know a city and lay down roots.  We are still searching for a church.  We have visited several but none of them fit.  We finally found a great pizza place that delivers thanks to one of my coworkers.  We have a physician that we trust and unfortunately have visited often since our arrival.  Dora still does not have a vet but hopefully she won't need one any time soon.  I was happy to find there is a Toni & Guy salon a few blocks from my office (there are only 2 in the state of Florida).  The owner is the same person that opened the salon at the Dallas Galleria where I used to get my hair cut.  It was a little taste of home here in FL...although at roughly twice the price.  Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to settle into life here.  Scott has several projects due in the next 2 weeks as well as a couple of big exams before the end of the year.  He will take the Comprehensive Exam in September and then sit for his first board exam sometime in November.  He has a lot of studying to do in the upcoming months. 

We have not taken any pictures of Miami so I will leave you with some pictures of Dora so you can marvel at her growth over the last six months.

Dora at 6 weeks

Dora now

I am not Superwoman

I'm sure you just read the title and said to yourself...well, of course not.  Consciously I have known this for quite some time but my subconscious can't seem to clue in.  I, like other women I know, have incredibly high expectations of myself.  I know I can't do everything but for some reason I feel like I should be able to work 40 hours a week, keep the house spotless (or at least free of dog hair), grocery shop, cook dinner, prepare lunches, do laundry, exercise, take care of Dora, spend time with my husband, shower, spend time with God, and sleep at least 8 hours a night.  I realize there are societal pressures on women making us think we can do it all but I truly wonder where these crazy expectations come from.

It has become abundantly clear in the last 3 weeks that I can't do it all.  Two weeks ago I joined the tax department at Mallah Furman & Co.; a local CPA firm here in Miami.  The job is a true blessing as the cost of living here is high and student loans will only go so far.  I was excited to restart my career and get into a routine.  Little did I know God would choose to teach me a lesson.  The week before I started work I came down with what appeared to be a sinus infection.  I went to the doctor and began taking the prescribed antibiotics.  I also spent most of the week sleeping on the couch all day.  I assumed by Monday I would be back to normal and ready for my new adventure.  Well, I was wrong.  Instead I began to feel worse and was exhausted.  I returned to the doctor on Tuesday with stomach pain and noted that my other symptoms seemed worse.  By this point Scott was taking care of Dora and doing the rest of the housework because I was so tired.  Wednesday I went in for a CAT scan of my abdomen to see what was causing the pain.  Thursday I returned to the doctor's office with an itchy rash covering my neck and chest.  She ordered blood tests which were completed the following morning.  The final diagnosis was mononucleosis...and the only cure is time and rest.

The timing was terrible and perfect at the same time.  It forced me to let go, to depend on Scott and to rest.  I know Dominica was a time of rest and for that I am grateful but I am beginning to understand that rest is important no matter where you are at.  It is something I need to incorporate now; which means lowering the expectations I have for myself.  I don't have to do it all and more importantly I am not capable of doing it all myself.  I can let the housework go for a few days and no one will die.  Scott is perfectly capable of doing laundry, cooking, and grocery shopping occasionally.  When we returned to the US I knew that I did not want to fall back into old habits of over-scheduling each day and being involved in a million different activities.  I wanted balance in my life.  It is funny though how difficult that can be to achieve.  Life here is fast paced and filled with demands.  I truly miss the slower pace of island life.

I am feeling much better now and more normal.  My energy level is still lower than it should be, but I know that will take time.  My new goal is to learn to rest without being forced to do so.  It won't be easy but I know that it is a lesson God is trying to teach me.