I like my job. I just don't like my hours.

Sunday: 11-12 hour days and I haven't been to Mosaic in over 6 weeks...

Monday: not too heinous except that we have a lot of meetings on monday nights. so there goes monday nights, and not to something fun like friends or dinners or movies, but to meetings. boring. and the people aren't always even nice to each other. lame.

Tuesday: 12+ hour day. But I love this day. Staff meeting is fun for me, so is staff lunch and worship planning. Then Tuesday nights, I teach my literature small group for Mosaic which I treasure. But it's still a twelve-hour-plus day and another evening not given to relaxation or going out.

Wednesday: I try to come in late to work because Wednesday is church night, and First Baptist is very Baptist in this respect. I'm usually home by 8 but in bed by 10 cause by now I'm emotionally exhausted from Sunday thru Wednesday.

Thursday: This is a normal day. I try really hard to have Thursday night off, and just work during the day, but if I haven't spent a lot of time with my students, then this is a good evening for them... or for something else I need to do for work. It's been a couple weeks since I had Thursday evenings free.

Friday: Supposed to be my day off. Often I work on Saturday because of football cames, college students or preparing for Sunday. So I try hard to take Friday off. This past Friday I spent all day cleaning house, grocery shopping and preparing for a bridal shower. Not the funnest day (funnest, you like that? yep, English major.), but a day when I didn't have to stress out over work. But the Friday before that I had to go in. Special meeting.

Saturday: as mentioned before, this is a come and go day. Sometimes I don't work, sometimes I do. Yesterday I was sleepy with an earrache and a sore throat. Not a fun day off. Plus I had to research Ecclesiastes, which I like, but still, not fun work when you want to be in bed or out with friends.

Friends. I still have those right?

I know, I've neglected you. My days off aren't your days off. My lunches fill up quickly with appointments. And I get off work late in the evenings, but you work early in the morning. Or I'm having dinner with some stranger or going out with my new roommates. And when I am free, I'm tired, or sad, or unmotivated to go karoke-ing, biking, dancing or to a movie or whatever.

So friends, I'm sorry. I love you, I love my job, I'm finding my new roomies fun, and dating is always. . . well . . . dating is dating. You don't remember probably. You're all married. But I don't hold that against you. All this to say, I will try hard to balance these different parts of my life. I will try to adjust my schedule to allow much needed time for you and me. I will try to prioritize. I will try to wake up early so I can take afternoon breaks. I will try not to get a boyfriend so that you see me even less (although I won't try as hard on this last one).

I love you. I need you. I'm just a little busy right now.

Thank you for your grace...