A quiet February, school, and spring break

After a flurry of visitors throughout January, we've had a fairly quiet February. It is exam season at Hackley, so Chris has had a different schedule for the last two weeks in the Upper School. Meanwhile, the Lower School is just as crazy as ever! AND, I really do love it.

I have had some tough moments recently dealing with yucky symptoms, and a few people have commented that they are surprised I am still working full-time. (To be fair, I am not exactly working FULL time...most days I am home and resting by 3:30pm--I know most other faculty are plugging away for many more hours each night.) I have done my best to keep pace with my work and to be as present as possible throughout the day.

I do it because I love the kids and I love my colleagues. The kids are joyful, kind, interesting, and doing their best to navigate childhood. Sometimes, they make mistakes and it's my job to help them sort out how to make it right. I get to watch them grow--that's pretty awesome.  My colleagues are the most well-intentioned, caring, and supportive people I've ever encountered. It makes coming to work an easy choice every morning.

That said, I am totally looking forward to spring break! As I mentioned before, we've been low-key with plans lately. This has been great in some ways, and tricky in others. I absolutely need the down-time to rest. I've been sleeping nearly 14 hours a day on the weekends--but that is driving me NUTS! I am itching to go on some adventures, and I am kind of willing to be exhausted for it.  Also, I just know that I need to have plans to help anchor me.

We usually go on a big trip over spring break (New Zealand 2019; Australia 2018; Barbados 2017; Puerto Rico 2016), but with a sick kitty we thought we had better stay fairly local. I am planning to  head down to VA for some nephew/sibling time for a few days while Chris pats Cinder at home. Also, Chris is planning for us to spend two nights in the Hudson Valley--we just need a super-conscientious sitter for Cinder.

In medical news, I had another infusion on 2/18/20. The wonderful Anne spent an EPIC day at the hospital with me. There were no real updates from the Drake appointment. My thyroid is a bit wacky again-- but nothing to worry too much about yet. I will have another round of MRIs in April.

Then we went for an infusion and the nurse got the IV placed on her FIRST try. It was AMAZING. The infusion center was running late (shocker), but it was nice to hang out with Anne. This experience is always more pleasant with a buddy!

We grabbed a quick lunch and then went to palliative care for a follow-up. We were put in the room on time, but then waited another HOUR for the doc to arrive. I described my symptoms and side-effects to which he said "I will just have to treat you like one of my little old ladies." Apparently, I am pretty sensitive to side effects.  Sorry I suck at doing drugs, doc.

He recommended a baby dose of methodone... which has to be in liquid form... which is not at normal pharmacies. He sent us down the street to a special pharmacy...and then didn't put in the dang order properly. So we waited at the pharmacy for another hour and eventually just went home empty handed. A week later, I am currently still not on any pain meds. At this point, I just prefer to deal with the pain than to be super tired with tummy trouble all the time.

I will be keeping up the infusion schedule of every three weeks, so if you are ever interested in tagging along on a Tuesday, let me know! Upcoming dates: 3/10, 3/31, 4/21, 5/12, 6/2.