I can do anything for four months....right?

My break from school officially ends in 8 hours. Bummer. I have enjoyed the last four weeks thoroughly. I feel like a new person having the burden of stress lifted off my shoulders. I've written no papers nor seen any patients, but I've gotten a lot done in the short month of freedom. I read three books, deep cleaned, cooked, spent time with family, made impromptu trips to the Cities, given all sorts of gifts, lounged around, attended the Blanshan extravaganza, picked up shifts, taken naps, hung out with my friends, etc....

But all good things must come to an end.

Tomorrow is the beginning of my last semester of grad school. AMEN. Somehow, in the next four months I have to:
-work 20 hours a week
-complete 240 hours in clinical in Lime Springs, Iowa and Austin, MN
-complete 160 hours of work as a graduate assistant
-go to class all day every Wednesday

Throw in the 20-something chapters I'm supposed to read AND remember every week plus 4-5 major papers to write and a handful of presentations....

Uffdah.

I feel prepared though. I'm not near as nervous as I was last semester because I now know what is expected of me. And I feel I can come through with it. But I may need a healthy dose of coffee, chocolate, and a grocery-buying husband in order to complete it.

I spent today cooking massive amounts of chili, risotto with veggies, and lasagna to stash away in the fridge and freezer because I'm not quite sure when I'll get to cook again. We are stocked up on essentials like yogurt, bread, waffles, toothpaste, and deodorant. The house is clean, all laundry is washed, the to-do list crossed off, the calendar filled in. I've done all I can to prepare. Somehow, someway I will survive.

The End of a Decade

2009, bulleted:

• I dropped my hours at work.
• I became a quarter of a century old.
• We planned a wedding.
• We painted barns, pulled up fences, and found ourselves way in over our heads in farm wedding prep work.
• Replaced kitchen cabinets, installed a dishwasher.
• Went to Arizona.
• Painted.
• Stood up for two best friends in their weddings.
• Went to Texas.
• Became a Blanshan.
• Honeymooned in Colorado.
• A boy moved in to my house.
• Dropped my hours at work again.
• Tiled the kitchen.
• Went to Washington.
• Bought a new vehicle.
• Became a graduate assistant.
• Found out my mom has cancer.
• Went to TN a record number of times (6).
• Finished another grueling semester.
• Successfully defended my thesis.

That about sums it up. I'm hoping for a slightly less hectic year, filled with good things. Let's see what you've got, 2010.

Christmas at the Blanshan's

Nothing fancy...No tree....No mountain of gifts....
But lots of friends...

Lots of love... And the best story being read together for the first time as a family. That was Christmas at the Blanshan's, 2009.