KATHRYN R. BIEL: AUTHOR

So, the last six weeks or so have been pretty stressful around here.  I had a God-awful situation at work that almost cost me my job (well, my big fat mouth almost cost me the job, but I was standing up for what I believed in).  Pat's big fat mouth assisted in him parting ways with his job.  He had another one lined up (phew!), but it is a year-long contract, so he'll be in limbo this time next year (not phew).  The week or so in between Pat's job transition was not smooth sailing and he had some crises about where his life is going, how will he support the family, and what does he really want to be when he grows up.  And the fact that he can't really answer that question in his mid-40's added more stress.  To say he was a little grumpy, irritable and overall unpleasant would be putting it mildly. Pat started the new (old) job, and things calmed down there.  I headed into my busiest weeks at school with annual reviews coming out the wazoo. ...

What a few weeks it's been! Let's rewind.  A few weeks ago, I was dealing with a very stressful and difficult situation at work (on top of the regular work stuff).  While it was resolved, there was a whole lot of stress that didn't need to be there if people had just stepped up and done their jobs.  Seriously, the situation could have been resolved 18 months ago. And while I was I was dealing with that, Pat unexpectedly quit his job.  Things had come to a head there, and he was contacted by a former employer at just the right time.  However, the former (now current) employer is a contract position, which leads to an unsettled feeling in the house, as we are not sure what Pat's job situation will be one year from now.  Pat had a week or so off in between jobs, but he does not do well with downtime. It was a very difficult week during the transition, not knowing if the new (old) job would be a good fit and was a good decision to make. Pat started the ne...