Hello again, my friends. It has been too long. Let me catch you up on all that has transpired over this last year.

When we last spoke, I was making some changes to my life.  If you are new to this site and you want to read more from that post, here is the link. I had decided to go back to school and take a course that sounded interesting to me. Before I took the actual course, though, I needed to upgrade my sciences. I started late August, a year ago today, of going to school part time online. By the beginning of March – my goal – I finished my upgrades and was about to apply for the next year but I had some unexpected changes at my work and decided to take on a temporary assignment within my corporation. That has put my school on hold for a bit. I began the new job the end of May and it has been a slow start, but so far, so good.

I surprised myself by enjoying the school side of things. I was nervous at first, not knowing how hard the tests and assignments would be, but once I familiarized myself with their set-up and expectations, it wasn’t so bad. I made myself a strict schedule to try and keep on top of work/school/housework/family life balance. I knew I had to dedicate 20 hrs per week for school, and I was able to stick with that pretty well. I LOVED the concept of freezer meals – they saved my life! Definitely a must for anyone out there who has a full schedule. The information I was learning was new and interesting and something that has been beneficial no matter where I go from here.

The part that suffered the most was my body. I wasn’t eating as healthy as I should, because prep work for really healthy eating takes time. Exercise was also the first thing to go when I was running short on time, and I have noticed the difference in my back and joints, my energy levels, and a weight gain. I know if I am exercising regularly that I can focus better, manage stress better, think more clearly, and work better, but it was still too easy to let it slip. Then busy summer rolled around, and I have been putting in extra hours at work…let’s just say it is time to get back into routine and making my health a focus again.

I think routine is the certainly key for me. I find summers are busy and chaotic, and by the time back-to-school deals start showing up in the weekly flyers (around here school starts after Labour Day in the first week of September), I am craving routine and a need to get my life back on track, for everything to just slow down so I can think. Autumn might bring its own kind of busyness, but there is something to be said for routines and schedules and time constraints.

So here I am, I’m back.