A New Reality

It's so strange to be reading my friends' statuses on facebook and realize that at this time last year I was wrapping up yet another semester, taking finals, saying "see you later" to friends, and packing up to come home for a month. How odd it feels to know that I not only don't have finals any more - ever again - but also that I only get an extra day and a half off around Christmas. No more month long vacation to sleep in, read all the leisure books I want, see old friends, and just all-around enjoy being home. I love my job, and my life here in Madison is wonderful, but this week in particular is bringing up some sad emotions. I can't wait to see everyone this weekend!

Giving Thanks

I'm home for the holiday weekend, and it feels great :) I made it in around 10:30 last night, and was sleeping within an hour. The drive is exhausting enough, especially when I make it alone, and to do at the end of a full day of work makes it even more tiring.

Dad's family was here celebrating with us today, and it was wonderful to see everyone again. I feel like it's been quite a while ... and if I stop and think about it, it's been even longer than I realized. It was a lot of fun to hang out with most of my little cousins and enjoy good food, lots of laughter, and good company. Tomorrow night, I get some more family time babysitting my favorite little cousins. I've been looking forward to hanging with them since Drea asked me to babysit a few weeks ago, so I'm definitely excited to spend time with them.

Mom and I are planning on going Black Friday shopping tomorrow; I'm hoping to find some of the big ticket items that I need for my apartment, like a vacuum cleaner and a microwave. We'll see how motivated we get... I might come home with a lot more than that!

While it's fantastic being home, and difficult to live so far away, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to returning to my own home on Saturday evening. I'm playing taxi driver on Sunday, driving to the Madison airport and back mid-evening and the Milwaukee airport and back a few hours after that, so I'm heading to my place a day earlier than originally planned, so as to not have to spend the whole day in my car.

Today I am thankful for many things, and I hope that you have blessings to count too!

November?!

When did that happen? I cannot believe how quickly the past month has gone by. I stayed living with the boys until the 12th, and then returned to living on my own. My ankle is not at 100% yet, unfortunately, but I started physical therapy last Monday, so hopefully that will help. Not too much out of the ordinary going on out here; just working to finish up tests/projects for my classes and hanging out with friends. I'm loving the cooler weather, and I'm looking forward to the snow. The strange realization that I am not moving home in a six months is starting to sink in - I'm here for the long haul now. It's a good thing I love my job, because I would hate to have to live this life every day for the next number of years if I didn't like it. Anyway, I'm off to get ready to head downtown for a weekly t.v. show viewing date. Hope all is well with you, and I should be back soon.

School-less Saturdays

I have loved Saturdays for many years now, since they were the day off of school that you didn't really have to worry about anything except tomorrow's impending homework doom. However, I now love Saturdays even more. Today, I slept until 12:30, woke up and watched a movie, went down and watched football with the boys, went home to shower and do laundry, and I just got back to the boys'. And I feel absolutely no guilt about having done nothing with my day. Nor will I feel any guilt tomorrow when I do exactly the same thing. Gotta love it!

It's Amazing

How fast your day turns around when your (Madison) best friend returns home, the weather is fabulous, you have an awesome trainer who gets class done two full hours early, you get to spend some time in your own apartment, and you're looking at a night of funness with your favorite people in Madison. This almost (okay, not really almost, hardly at all) makes up for the horror that was this week. Have a grand Friday evening, whether you're staying in or going out!

much love.

It's FINALLY Here!

This is the end of the never-ending week, and I have never been happier to see a Friday in my life. My arms, abs, and right leg have gotten a crazy workout this week, and I cannot wait to give them a rest by being super lazy tomorrow. Luckily, the boys don't seem to be too sick of me yet, so I'm still getting taken care of really well. Unfortunately, my hard-headed independence has started to make itself known, so I'm starting to resent needing help all the time. I pity anyone who is stuck on crutches for any amount of time - I can't wait to get rid of mine. The weather is gorgeous and I want to be outside, playing and enjoying it. Fingers crossed that that day comes next Wednesday.

Enjoy the beautiful weather!

xo

Longest.... Week.... Ever....

I can't believe it's only Tuesday! I feel like the past two days have spanned well over a week of my life; I don't remember the last time that I felt that a week had been so long so quickly. Staying with the boys has been fun - probably because Michelle came and spent the night with me here last night, and we watched Lion King at midnight - but it's still rough not being in my own place. Plus, my armpits are just killing me, which makes everything worse. We're off to frisbee shortly here, and then we plan to have another kid's movie night and sleepover, before hopefully getting to bed before 2:30 am. Hope your days are going faster than mine!