My fellow students and I just completed what some called a week from hell. Two of our hardest test. Well for me one wasn’t too bad, but the other was on Pharmacology, and I’ll be honest, that is NOT my strong suite. On Monday night, I literally was trembling because I was sure I was going to fail the exam. Now I could fail it and still pass the others and be fine for staying in school. But if I failed it and any others in that class, odds would be high that my PA school effort would come to an end. But, it turns out I passed and honestly did better than I had even dare hope for. So one Pharm exam down, three to go. The next one I don’t expect to be nearly as bad, which does help.

And now, I have a 5 day weekend. It couldn’t come at a better time. We all needed the break before heading into the rest of the semester. We actually have more exams in the last half of the semester than the first, so it won’t be a walk in the park, but at least we have a breather here. But then we pick up the pace again.

A few weekends ago I had to miss a square dance event that I’ve been to for several years. I haven’t had the opportunity to do some of my favorite fall hikes in New York and New England.

Back from 2007 to 2011, I had a job in Washington DC that kept me away from home quite a bit. But even with that I was generally home 3 out of every 4 weekends. So not only was I seeing my family on a regular basis, i was able to get out on weekend hikes, go caving once in awhile and in general catch up with friends and the like. Yes, I wasn’t as active locally as I would have liked to be, but I felt like life was moving on. I could also take vacations when I wanted.

But now? Life is on hold. Other than scheduled breaks during or between semesters and a quick trip home for a family memorial, I haven’t taken a break and won’t have many in the future. Much of every day is spent studying. Even my weekends have been spent studying. I am actually spending much of this 5 day weekend studying and catching up.

So for about 24 months of my life, 2 whole years, my life is on hold. As much as I’d love to see many of you and do fun things, please understand, my life is on hold.