Post 17: Something Had to Give

I had a major life epiphany yesterday.  I officially have too much on my plate.  As we've gotten closer and closer to the wedding, we've started to find more and more "little" projects.  We're focusing in on things like wedding programs, songs, table markers, invitations...things that I actually enjoy doing and that allow Molly and me to flex our combined creative powers.  The average guy probably doesn't get excited because he found the perfect box for cards at World Market or because he drove to six different places before he found the perfect wine corks for an arts and crafts project.  This is our "cost savings" part of the wedding where we get to put a little bit of ourselves into pieces of the wedding instead of outsourcing.  As previously mentioned, we've also officially put ourselves in the housing market rat race.  By the end of today, we will have met with two mortgage providers, gone to five open houses, and went on seven viewings with our real estate agent, all within the past 7 days.  We've also spent multiple hours looking over real estate websites and constantly watching for new MLS postings because we've already learned that great houses that are priced right generally last about a day on the market.  One might say we are incredibly motivated buyers.  Also, you may or may not have known this, but I'm spending a tremendous amount of time and energy focused on losing weight before the wedding.  I know it sounds stupid because most people don't have to put much thought behind it, but I would say that in the average day where I'm making smart decisions, I'm thinking about said decisions 10 of the 15 hours I'm awake.  If I don't and start letting my mind wander to one of the 1000 other things I need to do, I generally wake up on a street corner with pizza grease in my beard and two Dairy Queen Blizzard cups on my feet like shoes.  It isn't pretty.  Add on top of that general work stuff (I do still check in at the office 40 hours a week), and my time is pretty well toast.  Unfortunately, I also have another commitment in my life that has been neglected, and it has become the easiest one to give up.  I've officially decided that I can't be a grad student on top of everything else right now.  It isn't that he work is hard, it's just that it requires time, something that I just don't have a lot of laying around the apartment right now.  I hate being a quitter, but I've seen what happens when I don't recognize oncoming train wrecks.  Since I make my bones telling students to evaluate their lives and prioritize, it was time I took my own advice.  I still plan on jumping back into it next fall, but until wedding/house buying/work/weight loss require less of my life, I'm waving the white flag and focusing my efforts in more important places. 

Speaking of life commitments, I'm wrapping it up here so I can go cut wine corks, shower before my day of real estate-ing, and jump on the elliptical for twenty minutes so I can fit in a suit for my wedding.  Wish me luck.

Jeff