So, I guess I can consider the official countdown to be here. This marks the last week of the third quarter. I have never felt so drained from one school year. I miss my husband. I miss my kids. I miss my bed. I miss my connections.

Still, here has been healthy for me. I feel more confident about being able to take care of myself by myself. That, to a certain extent, was the purpose for me to come here. Let's hope it translates well for a job when I get home.

A lot has happened in my absence. My boy became a teenager; my daughter graduated from college, got her first job and got accepted to graduate school. My relationship with my husband became stronger in places where I didn't even know needed strengthening. So, there are positives.

And I plug along.