It's Not That We Don't Love You

Let me start my describing my day yesterday:

5:00 am: Wake up, feed the dogs, shower.
6:15 am: Meet at Aunt Sarah's for a breakfast / planning meeting
8:00 am: Head out to my dad's / accountant's to do sales tax and payroll
9:00 am: Drive to my first lesson of the day
11:00 am: Leave lesson and drive home.
11:45 am: Lunch
12:00 pm: Begin office work
1:15 pm: Hans comes home for lunch and we let the dogs out and play with them.
1:45 pm: Hans leaves for work, I get back to office work
3:00 pm: Stop what I am working on and leave for appointments
8:30 pm: Return home, work in-board dogs
9:00 pm: Dinner
10:00 pm: Bed

Needless to say, I was exhausted when I got home last night.  While this schedule isn't what I follow 24/7 it's not too far off the mark.  Some times I let myself sleep in and don't get up until 7:00 am.  Sometimes I take some me time and go for a run or to the gym for a swim or yoga (and I always feel guilty).  Sometimes I pack a dinner so I can eat earlier.  One thing holds true, though.  My days are long and filled with things to do.  Right now, with things really being all over the place, I am especially grateful for my mom who has been providing the dogs with extra time and attention.

Because of these long, crazy schedules, I miss out on some very important time with friends.  It's not that we don't love you.  We just don't have time for ourselves, much less for anything extra.  Between work, working out, volunteering, and sleep, we're just filled to the brim.  We can have dinner with you if you'll eat at 8:00 pm or later.  We can watch a movie with you if you don't mind the dogs playing in the background.  Occasionally we will tell you we just can't do it simply because we want to spend some time alone...just the two of us with Cody.  It's not that I don't want to.  It's that I need a break.

If you call me and ask if I can have lunch with you, and I say yes, know that I am giving up 1-2 hours of working time and that I will have to make that up by missing out on sleep.  Also know that if I say yes it's because I love you tremendously.  If you call me and simply want to talk, and I casually mention that I was doing something for work but I'm so happy you called, know that this means that I love talking to you and I'll talk through the night, but there is a pile of work a mile high that I should be taking care of.

Know that the last time Hans and I had a day off together...with nothing to do, was a month ago when we took a vacation.  The summer gives us lots of time off.  We take off for our anniversary, for Hans' birthday, for the 4th of July, and this summer offered a vacation.  Before that, I think the last time we had off was Easter.

Know that we are working extremely hard, at both keeping the house in order and at keeping the business in order.

Know that we spend time with you because we value your friendship.

Know that we may skip time at the bar because, while we value your friendship, we just can't muster the energy to spend time in a bar when there are 1,000 other things to do at home.

Know that, while this lifestyle may not be what you would choose, there are hundreds of reasons why we love it.  Sure, there are things we would change, but we do love our life.

Oh, one more thing.  With winter around the corner, know that I would love it if all you wanted to do was spend some time in a sauna.  I like the heat.