I'm more than a month behind in posting pictures to Flickr. As of this morning, I'm completely out of clean underwear. There is a solid inch of dust on my coffee table, and I can't tell you the last time I set aside time to exercise.

For several years, I've put up with these things because I've been working really hard to establish a quality portfolio at my job and to finish my degree through DeVry. Both of those things are important to me, and I exert every ounce of energy I have to be successful at both. But I have to admit that I've really been worn pretty thin this year, and the constant drain on my mental energy is having a negative impact, specifically on my performance at school.

So I think I'm going to cut myself some slack. I'm anxious to be able to spend more time taking care of myself, so I can in turn be a better friend, sister, daughter, etc. The best way I can do that is to pull out of school. And that's what I plan to do.

I hate admitting that I can't do it all, but I'm so excited by the thought of what I can do without the mental, emotional, and financial burden of school. Making this one decision will force me into moving forward with my life in a lot of ways (hello, student loans that I can't afford to pay off with my current job), but I'm excited about that, too.

Anyone want to tell me this is a super great decision? Leave a comment and remind me later to give you a hug.