I finally took two down days this weekend, the first in about 3-4 weeks. Both wife and I have had the flu for the past several weeks (her MUCH worse than me). I've still been doing 40 hours at work, and then taking two classes in the evening plus working on my PhD Qualification Exam. All 3 vehicles need some work done (both outbacks leaking oil and the truck has an electrical issue). One at a time is expected, and even the rare double-tap is workable...but having all 3 in questionable shape at once is no fun.
I've also been driving the 1 hour (one way) trip to my parents a couple times a week. They had a chimney fire Christmas morning. The good news is, all said and done, the only thing that was damaged was the chimney. They have a poured liner in it that cracked under the intense heat, so now no more (functional) chimney. They were planning to get an insert put in within a couple weeks, but one of their two dogs had some back issues. Went from "fine" one day (more like "un-diagnosed") to paralysis of the back legs the next. They have ample means to pay for (reasonable) treatments, so they had her examined. 3 ruptured disks in the back. Vet performed the surgery, but the last several weeks have been hell on my parents as it's a 24-hour job to care for the dog. Catheter comes out Tuesday (hopefully) and they get an updated prognosis. Should start moving the back legs in a couple weeks if she's going to recover at all. If she won't be able to walk again, I suspect she'll be put down as mom and dad can't physically provide the quality of life she needs. The fact that her back legs are offline has no bearing on her energy level or willingness to try to drag herself through the house.
So, this weekend was just an "us" weekend. Wife got her hair done yesterday, and today we went out to see the new Star Wars and have lunch. In a little bit, we're going to go visit some friends for an evening movie, and then home to bed.
All our lives get too busy at some point or another. Don't forget to slow down and enjoy what's important in your life, my friends!