20 days till I'm 23

Advent. Possibly one of my favorite times of the Christian calendar, musically-speaking.  (the other is Easter, I think).  Though I've had 4 years of not being around my family for most of the Advent season, this year is a little different.  I'll be with them only for the Christmas Eve services.  I really liked being at Mama's church last week for the first Sunday of Advent. 

I haven't yet decorated my apartment, but it's definitely on my list.  I do wish I had an Advent wreath and calendar to celebrate.  I'm hoping to get a Christmas tree, but I just realized this afternoon that I don't have any ornaments for it.  I'm sure I'll gain more than enough in the years to come, but right now I'll have to buy something to get started.  I may even go for some form of tinsel!

Only one week left of classes - for me that's only 5 class sessions.  And one of those is the final meeting of ProSem, which should be somewhat fun.  I'm excited for the end of the week because I'll be going to the SLPH & CLP GSO Christmas party Thursday evening, and then on Saturday I'll see Straight No Chaser in concert.  I love those guys!  I saw them several times at DePauw, but this time I actually had to pay to get in!  I know they'll be more than worth it, though!

Finals week should be fairly un-stressful for me. I've got 2 papers due (one is a group assignment) and only 1 test. I will be taking a trip for the lab on the 17th-19th to Sacramento.  I'm excited because I get to see my Dad's sister and her husband.  I've never seen them in the month of December, much less this close to Christmas!  I'll fly back to KC and then drive to Nashville.  Sugar's gonna come with me, which I think he'll like once the driving part is finished.  I know he's sick of me leaving him!

End of Semester

Classes are finished.  Finally.  I'm one final, one grad school application, one paper, and one brief meeting away from winter break.  Two weeks (plus more I hope) of freedom from 67-page theses and demanding professors.  Granted, I do have to read and do some work over the break, but that doesn't seem nearly so awful compared to what I've done in the last 1.5 weeks.  I just hope my GPA reflects the ridiculous amount of work and stress I've been through.

I think I've done well this semester.  It's hard to believe it's my last fall semester as an undergraduate.  I just hope I'll have some fall semesters as a graduate student.  I won't know for a few months, though.  I'm planning on finishing up the last 6 applications over break.  The applications themselves aren't so bad.  It's the application fees and ETS's score-reporting fees that are killing me.  Oh well, college students are supposed to be poor, right?

I feel like I've been on a rollercoaster this semester, both academically and emotionally.  There were several times I didn't think I'd make it.  Yet here I am.

We've already had several days of snow here, though nothing too deep.  I'm kinda sad I'll be going away from the snow on Thursday, but I'd much rather see Max & Sugar!  Plus, there are times when Indiana is a bit too far north for my liking.  At least in Kentucky no one makes fun of the way I talk! :)