Almost Home for the Holidays...

I'm a bit inbetween things at the moment. I just finished putting up the last third of my door decs for next quarter. (Short for 'Door decorations' they have the residents names on them as well as the room number). Yesterday I was up at 8, I think, and I went and grabbed a coffee and wrote in my prayer journal over at Peet's Coffee on Southside of campus, and had a croissant and some fat free milk. (I used to be a stickler and only drink 2%, but after having 1% so much at home, fat free milk isn't that bad... weird). On my way back I went to Central (aka UHDS, University Housing and Dining Serviced) and printed out all the stuff for my bulletin boards and my door decs. One of my bulletin boards is interactive so I just asked what College you belong to. (Like, engineering, business, liberal arts, etc) and my other one was on the 7 Wonders of the World. Door decs were just their names and an individual paper snowflake for each room. I made snowflakes for my bulletin boards too. I learned a better way how to make them by looking it up on the internet, so now they actually look pretty cool. My other ones were alright, but I like these better. However, I was working on them from about 10 up until 6:30pm before I was on desk duty. I was so tired of paper snowflakes. I did learn how to make paper bows though. Like the ones that you just take the sticky part off and stick them on presents. That was pretty cool. I felt so craftsy. I was down in the basement singing my heart out, cutting snowflakes and getting everything all glued together and ready to be put up. It was such a productive day yesterday. I got the Hall Council Exec Board Retreat Agenda all squared away and sent to the RD, as well as the inventory for what types of storage bins we need behind the front desk. I think I've definitely done my fair share of work while here.

Today I actually got to go out of the building to have some fun! My lab partner from over the summer has come home from ASU for winter break and we got to go out to lunch along with an exchange student her family is hosting as well as the son of the professor whom we worked for. We went to this noodle house called Lemongrass, because Julie and I were going to during the summer, but it didn't open until after she left for school, so we went today and had fun. It's funny because we have this pact where we have to call eachother if either of us get a boyfriend and so we were talking about that and sharing our latest news. We vented about our professors and the classes themselves and were talking about applying for internships for the coming summer or what our plans were. Also just reminiscing about old times in the lab and all of our inside jokes. I appreciate that she and I can share our nerd humor. Its just nice to be friends with another female in my field of study. I love the guys I study with, but I do get short with them a bit after arguing over process flow charts. Anyways, after I came back I just finished those door decs and now I'm sitting here. I'm gonna probably go re-read up to where I left off in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from my summer reading. I finished reading When God Writes Your Life Story and really enjoyed the work through section at the end of it. I think I may hold onto this book and do that more intensely with a pen and paper to write things down. They have a great goal setting portion of it and ask really convicting questions.

Tomorrow my friend from my small group Anne is going to come over. I'm excited to see her. I'm thinking we're in for another heart to heart session over coffee. I really miss my small group and having that group of girls encourage me in the Word and in pursuit of my Lord. I'm hoping to get my work schedule to make it so that way I can attend this quarter. If I can't, well, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want my relationship with the Lord to suffer again as it did this quarter. I need that body of believers to be with on a consistent basis. Fall quarter is always the rough one for me. *sigh. It'll all get figured out I'm sure. I'm also gonna do laundry from what I've accumulated while I've been here. And I'm going to see if my family will let me stay home that Friday night so I can go to a Christmas Party at my friends and also take care of the cats and then join my family on Christmas Eve.

For me, it doesn't feel like Christmas. Maybe its just because I'm away from everyone and my room only has paper snowflakes and I'm not with mom baking lovely foods and helping her can jams and jellies for her Christmas presents. It just doesn't feel like Christmas when you're alone. I can understand how Ebeneezer Scrooge felt and why Christmas didn't matter to him. It really doesn't if you don't have anyone to share it with. I'm sure I'll get in the spirit soon. I mean, I have a natural love and caring attitude toward others, that is in me all year long, so it just doesn't quite change when the holiday season arrives. It's just that I see it in others more.
Alright, well I'm gonna go curl up with my book and maybe pour myself a cup of tea. I wish you safe travels and a Merry Christmas if I don't post again before then.
-M.E.