It's weird. All that time I spent staying awake to study, do homework, and grade, and now that I get a vacation, I can't fall asleep. Go figure.

I guess it might just be because of Christmas being so close. I still have a few things to do, although nothing major. It's also been a kick sharing it all with Skyler, who's been getting more and more excited about it. It was tough getting him to fall asleep tonight, and I can just imagine how hard it'll be tomorrow night. This is one of the best parts of being a parent, I think. I just wish I'd gotten more sleep to help work up to it.

It's definitely a relief having a break from school, though. It's been more hard work than it ever was before grad school, and it seems like it never ends. If I'm not working on my own classes, I'm dealing with teaching and grading and tutoring. Teaching is a lot more work than it seems when you first look at it. Being in the position to do it myself makes me appreciate my profs more, that's for sure.

I do wish we'd get some snow. I'd like to have another white Christmas. And last year with all the snow was so much fun. Tamika had a blast, and so did a lot of others. Rain just seems wrong this time of year. It might be safer to drive without snow on the ground, but it all just adds to the whole Christmas deal. Skyler really wants to build a snowman. I hope we at least get some snow before I have to go back to school. I'd like to spend time playing with him in it and just enjoying all those fun wintery things you can't do without the snow.

Since I just spent a minute or two staring blankly at the monitor, I think I'm going to try and see if I can fall asleep now. It would be nice since I need to get up kind of early. I hope everyone who reads this has a very nice Christmas, and that 2010 is better all around for everyone.

I'm taking a study break now and then I'm going to go back to it after I'm done. I'll probably be up all night doing that since I haven't had a chance to do much this weekend. The days have been spent with Skyler and the rest of my family, and nights I've been working on grading the rest of the things from the classes I teach. I haven't finished that yet since there are a lot of students and there is one class of papers and then essays in another. I wasn't going to take time away from Skyler during the days, so I left it all to nights. Caffeine is my friend these days.

Skyler's getting excited for Christmas and Santa. It's cool to watch his eyes light up whenever he sees Christmas lights or anything like that. Kids are great, and this time of year makes them all the more fun. He asks for his mom every once in awhile, and that's hard, because I don't know what to tell him. I keep wondering if she's going to come back to try and see him again since she enjoyed Christmas with him before. I don't know if I'd rather she did come or rather she stayed away. I want her to come to her senses and be all right again, but if she shows up, I'm going to be more worried that she's going to try and snatch Skyler again than anything. I wish I could help her. I wish someone could, at least. After how she acted with me before, I don't know that I'm the right person to do it. It's hard, because I'm the only person she's consistently listened to when she's been open to listening at all. I just don't know how to handle this. I want things to be all right again, but there's a chance they might never be. Wanda seems way too determined not to be helped, or at least not to let that help stick. I think it's because she just can't believe in herself. She thinks she's weak and unworthy, so she can't allow herself not to be for an extended period of time.

I didn't mean to go into all that, sorry. I'm just very tired and so my mind goes off in directions I don't want. I think I'm going to take Bridget up on her offer to go to school with me tomorrow and do the driving so I might get some sleep on the way there. Either that, or I can get through a few more papers. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Back to studying, I suppose. The sooner I do that, the farther I'll get. I'll be so glad when the break is here. Just a few more days to go.

Now that I have five minutes or so, I'll try and concentrate on writing this without boring anyone. Not much is going on in my life right now outside of school things, and I'm sure people reading this have heard enough about Thanksgiving from everyone else who's written. That doesn't leave me with a lot of choices, but I'll try.

I'm looking very forward to the break this year. It doesn't feel like I have enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do. I'm keeping up, but sometimes it feels like it's just barely. I have to find time to go shopping for Christmas, and with finals starting December 14, the end of the semester is getting here pretty fast. I'm not sure I'll be able to concentrate too much on Christmas until that's all over. I'm only going to be grading the finals for one class, so that's at least something. I have to get the final grades for each of the ones I've been teaching in by December 22, but I hope to get it done earlier than that. We'll see how it goes. At least I've been keeping up on all of that pretty well. I'm trying not to feel too stressed, but that's tough.

When that's all done, I'm going to try and put school way out of my mind. That won't be easy, but I'll do my best. I think I deserve a little bit of a break from that. Relaxing sounds very good right about now. This is the most stressed I've been at school, and it'll likely be this way all the way through grad school. I'm trying not to let that get to me too much. I feel very bad that I don't get to spend as much quality time with Skyler as I want to, but I'll make up for it as much as possible during the break. I make as much time as possible for him during the weekends, but it never seems like enough. Sometimes I feel like a bust as a dad.

I guess with that I'll go get Bridget moving to write her post. I don't think she's thought about it at all. She's been pretty busy herself, and since she nudged me last time, I owe her.

I guess I should get this done since Bridget pulled me over here. I hadn't realized it'd been so long, but time has been kind of a blur for me lately. I've been busy with school, including the classes I teach. Grading papers has taken up a big chunk of time. The professor in one of the classes loves having the students write essays, and those take a lot of time to grade. They're also pretty hard to grade, considering how subjective it can be. So far I guess I've done all right, though.

It is getting a little tiring making the long drive twice a day. It's not terrible, but it would be nice not to have to spend so much time driving. It not only gets tedious, but it takes a lot of gas. It would be nice not to have to spend so much money on that. That's life, though.

I have been working on Christmas stuff, too. It's a good way to spend my spare time. I like planning presents and buying them. Most of all, I like watching Tamika get all excited about it. She's already planning on decorating, and has put up a few lights in her room. We're going to get a small tree for her to put in there as well. She's very excited about that. We're going to get one of the ones that is in a pot that can be planted after Christmas so it doesn't die. She's already decided where to plant it. She wants to get a special top for the tree, though she can't decide between angel and star. I guess she'll just have to see which one of those jumps out at her when we go shopping for it.

Duante seems to be getting into the season a little more than usual himself. He's trying to come up with something very special for Penny, but is having a hard time deciding. I know how hard that can be. I'm just glad to see him doing better and having good things on his mind. Penny's been so good for him. He even smiles a lot, which he's never really done. It's kind of amazing, actually.

Okay, I have three more essays to grade, and then I have to catch up on my reading. I'll be glad to have a four day weekend for Thanksgiving, and it might even turn into a five day weekend if I'm lucky. Then winter break will be very nice to have. I'll try to do better keeping up on this thing.

I've been so busy that I almost forgot about this. School's been a lot of work, and I lose track of time easily. I'm enjoying it, though. It's been a lot of fun and it's very interesting. I just wish I had a little more time to breathe. I'm at least staying caught up with things, and I'm a little ahead in my reading, so that helps.

It looks like Duante and Tamika are coming down with whatever bug's going around. I hope they don't get it too badly. Tamika's hard to slow down, but she was wanting to sleep more today than usual. Duante didn't even want to get out of bed, and he's having a little bit of a hard time talking. Hopefully they both get over it soon. Penny brought over some homemade soup for them, which was really nice of her. I think Duante ate some only because she asked him nicely and he can't turn her down for anything. He's not been wanting to eat much at all. He has to though, so if we have to call her up to get her to talk to him about it more often, we will.

It looks like Bridget might have it too, but it doesn't seem as bad, at least at this point. She says her throat's bugging her and she has a little headache, but she's still got the energy to run around and talk to people about Halloween stuff. And Gayle's birthday is this weekend, so she's spent time out shopping for that. I have to do some of that myself. Time crunches can be a pain.

I have to try and make time this weekend to go to the fair, too. Lots of people are planning on going, so hopefully people feel better by then. Tamika really wants to go and see the animals and eat elephant ears. She has so much fun at those kinds of things. Dad's going to make sure to give Top Hat some extra money because he loves to stop and buy Tamika things when he sees something that'll make her smile.

Okay, I think I need to go grab something to eat and check on my ailing siblings. I hope everyone's doing well.

Today was my first day of grad school. It was weird going to another school, and weirder making that long drive both ways. It wasn't a bad drive, but winter will be interesting.

I'm trying not to feel too overwhelmed with it all. I've got a teaching assistanceship going, which is nice because it pays and it gives me credit. I have to take 18 credits of that in a semester plus at least one graded course, although I'm taking two this semester. I'll see how well I do with that to decide if I'm going to cut back to one next time.

So that leaves me with a lot of work, but I only have to actually attend one class. I got lucky getting the teaching assistanceship, because a lot of people want one. There's also a research assistanceship, but I prefer the teaching one, at least for now. I got letters of recommendation from each of my professors at EWU and backed it up with ones from my professors at Idaho State, so I got my choice of which to do. I have to help teach some classes and do grading and a bunch of other things, but I think I'll have fun with it.

I'm trying to decide how far I want to go with this. I could go all the way to PhD, but I don't know yet. That's a lot more school and a lot more money, although I get financial aid and can probably get some scholarships. I try to avoid loans whenever I can. Being a teaching assistant will be a lot of help with the money too. PhD seems really daunting right now, but it's also tempting. It's a tough decision, and I want to make it soon so I can plan my courses accordingly. I am taking the thesis option instead of the non-thesis option. I need that to get the PhD, so that way I have it covered if I need it. I have a couple of ideas for a thesis that I'm going to discuss with my advisor, so we'll see where that goes.

Bridget seemed to have fun going with me today, which was cool. She had to entertain herself for quite awhile since I had a lot of things I had to do, which I felt bad about, but she insisted on going with me. Joseph's made noises about going occasionally as well, at least before EWU starts up. Nobody seems to want me to make the drive alone. I want to take Duante at some point so maybe he might feel a little interest in going to college, but we'll see. He'll have to get his GED, but I know he can do it. Hopefully something will spark for him. Right now he's kind of in limbo, and as much as he tries to hide it, I know him well enough to know that he's not satisfied with everything. In fact, I think the only thing he's really satisfied with is his relationship with Penny. I'm happy to see them together. I think she'll help him stay grounded, and maybe get him to take more of an interest in things.

I'm going to go do some reading now and try to get ahead with that. I have to give some thought to class discussions too since I'll be leading some, so that'll be interesting. I'm pretty hyped about all of this, so life's going pretty well right now. Let's hope that doesn't jinx me saying that.

Good morning, everyone. Good so far, that is. Of course, I just got up, so it's hard to say how it'll go. I hear Tamika running around and laughing already, so I think that's a good sign.

I actually slept pretty well last night, which isn't a common thing these days. I think maybe the fact that it's been cooling down has helped, even if there is air conditioning here. It's not as humid, so that's a good thing. I can't believe that it's fifty degrees in August.

I've been picking things up for school, and I think I'm almost done. I just need to get my books, which I won't be doing until the first day. They're going to be pricey, so I'm glad I have financial aid to take care of it. It's sad that textbooks cost so much when most people never open them again after the class is over. I will, but I'm weird that way.

I have to take my car in next week to get a tuneup to make sure it's going to be all right for the drive. I'll be getting the oil changed too, so hopefully it'll work out. I don't want to have to spend too much money fixing it up, but I think it'll be fine. If it looks like it'll get too expensive, Doug's brother Trey offered to help with it for just parts. I'd hate to not pay him for the labor, though. I know how much work goes into that kind of thing, even if I don't know how to do much with cars besides the basics. I'm not going to worry about tires until I have to get snow tires on since the ones I have on now were new as of last year.

My dad keeps reminding me of things that have to be done, but I think part of that is nervousness. He's feeling that way quite a bit lately, and I've been trying to reassure him that it'll be fine. Bridget's been worrying a lot too, and insists on coming with me at least some of the time. I know I won't mind the company. She can keep me awake if I happen to get tired. She's very good at that.

I'm kind of hoping we don't have a lot of snow this winter. I like it, so it's hard to not want it, but the drive could be a big pain if there is a lot. Of course, I'm sure my professors will understand if I don't go on bad days, so I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm used to driving in the snow, so I'm not too worried about it.

Tamika just knocked on my door to tell me breakfast is ready, so I'm going to go eat. If I don't, she might just come in and drag me out. She's been practicing her cooking.

I guess I should do this, huh? Bridget reminded me earlier today, or I probably would've forgotten. I just haven't been in the mood for much of anything lately. I won't make this a long entry so I don't pull anyone down or anything, but I don't want to not make it.

Life's just been kind of there lately. Problems here and there have been a pain, and I've been very stressed. I try not to let it bring me down, but it's hard sometimes. At least I have people like Tamika and Bridget in my life to help keep things from getting too far down there.

It's hard to believe that I start grad school in less than a month. Classes start August 24. I hope I'm ready for this. I don't feel very ready right now. It's going to be strange getting used to a new school again, especially when I'll be making a long drive each way. Hopefully gas prices don't go too high again. I'd need a second job just to pay for it.

I'm just going to try and get some sleep now. Sorry for a worthless entry, but I just don't feel very communicative right now. I'll try to do better next time.

I woke up a few minutes ago and can't fall back to sleep again yet, so I'll get this done. Maybe it'll help put me to sleep. You nver know, I guess.

Things are still pretty chaotic, although it comes in cycles. The cycles that are calmer aren't very long, though. It's kind of fun watching all the things going on with water (and other substance) fights, but just watching can get old, too. Hopefully I'll be able to take part at some point this summer. I hate being stuck.

Tamika's been having a great time, though. People are very careful not to douse her much, although she likes to be on that end of things too. They just have to be careful with the non-water things. Nobody wants to get her all sticky, or icked up, as Hacker puts it. Top Hat's gotten it a couple of times, but he enjoys it. He'll eat the pudding right off his clothes if we let him. I'm glad everyone has so much fun.

I'm hoping that I at least get to work part of the summer. I want to save money, and it's hard not working. I've done it every summer for as long as I've been able to, doing whatever work I could find. I at least know I can go back to the same job, but job security only goes so far. If the doctor says I can't work, then I'm stuck at home. I guess I just have to deal with whatever happens. That's how I've always done things, and it's gotten me this far.

It's hard to believe that I'll be going to grad school so soon. I'm hoping to be as close to a hundred percent as possible by then, especially since I have to drive so far. Everyone worries about that, but I'm sure it'll be fine. I can handle it without a problem, barring outside circumstances. I'll just have to be extra careful if we have a big winter like the last one. I like to drive, at least.

There's not much else really going on right now. Skyler's been keeping me busy and distracted, and so has Bridget. There are no better distractions then those two. Bridget's always finding something to do with me so I don't get too bored, and I like spending the extra time with her. She's just the best.

Well, before I start to drone on and on about things and bore you all with complaints, I think I'll try listening to some music and see how that works. I hope you're all doing well, and having a great summer.

Umm, do women have to put half naked pictures of themselves on their Facebook so that you see them when they want to friend you?