With October comes a slightly slower pace.  Holly’s soccer is about over, and Connor’s soccer is down to one game a week.  I’m really looking forward to getting my evenings and weekends back.  I haven’t hit the gym in over a month, and with the cold weather comes the urge to bake and cook, which I’ve also ignored.  I love watch the kids play soccer, but the constant games and practices takes its toll on all of us. 

Twenty-four hours ago, Jim and I were in Raleigh anxiously awaiting the Muse/ U2 concert.  Suffice it to say, I am still riding the adrenaline high from that concert.  Muse was everything I hoped it would be and more.  Their seven songs they played did not last long enough, and now I’m REALLY hoping that they come back to the U.S. in 2010 for a solo tour.  I cannot stress how great a band they are.  The rest of the world recognizes their genius because they sell out all of their concerts everywhere but the U.S.  I highly recommend checking out their music.  U2 was amazing as well.  I am definitely going to be checking out some more of their songs on iTunes later today.  It was just a great night and wonderful trip away from everything.

Work went a little better this week.  I still haven’t heard anything about my coworker, so I have no idea if she is coming back to work on Monday or not.  The extra workload is definitely keeping me on my toes and forcing me to really budget my time wisely, but so far, it has not been horribly overwhelming.  And the days go by very quickly.

Other than the concert, the best thing about this weekend was the knowledge that my husband was literally one mile away from my office, available by phone, e-mail or instant message if I wanted to get in touch with him.  We would come home from work and talk for hours.  Because he insists on early bedtimes, I was in bed most nights a good hour earlier than normal, and by the end of the week, I found that my energy levels were so much higher.  In spite of the added stress at work, it was wonderful having him home and so close.

On the reading front, I was able to finish Looking for Alaska and Twilight for Banned Book Week.  I also finished Grace Hammer, which has me finishing the RIP Challenge two times over.  I’m still behind on Of Human Bondage, but at least the plane trips today helped me finish a big chunk.  This week, I’m looking forward to starting Playing House by Fredrica Wagman, which falls under my Fall into Reading Challenge list.  I read her other novel, The Lie, a few months back and adored it, and I am anxious to read more of her works.  I also plan to start Eat, Pray, Love for the Random Reading Challenge.  Soccer is still ongoing, so I’m hoping to continue to utilize the practice time to finish everything.