Adopting in Ashburn

I often come across posts on books you should absolutely read before some set age. Well, I am here to tell you that I have never read all the books on those lists. However, I have read my fair share of literature and am h appy to offer you suggestions of life-changing books for someone who has come of age.  The Sparrow The Moon is Down Atlas Shrugged Okay for Now Identical

I am amped up and unmotivated simultaneously. I'm hungry, but too lazy to fix myself dinner. There is a strong chance I will eat cake tonight and an equally weak chance I will meet my fitness goal for the day.  I am looking forward to summer. Theoretically, I will stop sabotaging myself and eat, sleep, and intellectually stimulate myself just as soon as my pool of responsibilities drops from 145 students plus my personal life to just my personal life.  Perhaps this is less sabotage and more procrastination. Either way, bring on summer.  Always, Heather

The things about living in suburbia, or being in your thirties married without kids, or just being me is this: you know how lucky you are to be who you are and have the experiences you have, and you love your life; but keep hoping that one day you'll fit in.  It's been a struggle this week, being happy with my social life. It's gorgeous this afternoon. 16 straight days of rain - including this morning - and then the sun was out. The weather clear and the sky a stunning robin's egg blue. If RJ hadn't told me to leave school and get outside and enjoy it, I might still be in the copy room, taking care of business. Instead I'm on the balcony with my pooches enjoying the reprieve from the clouds of gloom.  Still, my first thought was: what would I even do in the sun? There are no kids to play kickball with or ride bikes. No friends who live close enough to meet for a walk in the park before it gets dark. No buddy to sit in a cafe or at an outdoor table with to enjoy ...

Last year at this time I was taking my husband to urgent care, where he promptly got diagnosed with pneumonia. Then we were in and out of hospitals and doctors appointments for the next three months as he got diagnosed with NMO. His recovery to get back to work full time took almost another three months. And then I finally took a few minutes to feel the anxiety, worry, and stress from those 7 months (because there was still December 2014's month of husband illness which led to the emergency gallbladder removal which led to the horizontalness which led to the pneumonia). Of course, that wasn't the only thing in my life last year. Life ardently insists upon going on, whether I'm ready or not. All of this to say, I put me on the back burner last year. This year, I am dedicated to recovering myself. Our new normal is just that - new. While there are huge chunks of me that are exactly the same as last year or any of the years before, it's like 2014 and 2015 made a huge c...