Whew

OK, I'm back. Wow, what a relief to be finished with another semester of grad school!! I must say that even though I really like what I study (ears and hearing), the absence of homework is something that I am thankful for around this time every year. It's just nice to come home at the end of the day and to not have an article I should be reading, or a paper I should be writing, or a test I should be reviewing for. Don't get me wrong -- I have a great time at UMN and especially love my audiology friends. Not to mention that I am a colossal nerd and can actually get very enthused about really geeky things. But, once in awhile, it is a blessing to be able to take a break.

And it's great to have time to celebrate the holidays!! Only 9 days until Christmas Eve, and then some real fun can begin. How nice it is to be able to breathe in the joy and anticipation of advent, to bake cookies, to turn on festive music, to attend cozy Christmas-themed gatherings, and to sip peppermint hot cocoa (a drink that I am gleefully obsessed with). If only we could have some snow... I find I really have to fight to not get too stressed and overwhelmed in December. I used to work in an office in a shopping mall where Christmas music was piped in constantly beginning November 1. It drove me bananas. Now I am better at preparing before the stress of the season descends. Part of this comes from my delight in celebrating Thanksgiving and ignoring the pushy retail decorations until I'm good and ready to take it all in.

So I said I would be posting some more thoughts on Thanksgiving, and I still haven't done that. I may need to let go of that idea. I'd also like to get savvy at posting pictures here, since I know that makes blogs a lot more fun to look at. However, that would require Scott and me to take more pictures, which may be a problem since neither of us are shutterbugs. Oh well. Anyhow, take care, friends!