School work, holidays, and learning about myself.

It's time for Thanksgiving break (I get the whole week off from grad school!) and that means my mind is officially starting on ideas for this holiday season.  I'm a reflecter by nature, and so any time of transition or change of peace usually prompts me to start reflecting on how I'm doing so far, and what I want to change as I move forward.

I have a fair amount of school work to spend these next few days working on (3 major papers, 2 final exams, catching up on research hours) so I'll be pretty busy up until various Thanksgiving celebrations with our families.  Ben and I tend to say yes to all of the family things we can and end up with quite busy holidays!  Thursday with one family, Friday with another, and Saturday again with one family and Saturday night with yet another! Needless to say, we'll be eating a LOT.  I am thankful though, even in the busy schedule we'll have, that right now we have family near by enough to see, that we love our families and each other's families, and that we Ben and I get to do it together.  Holidays remind me how newlywed I still feel - holidays still feel like a luxury to be able to spend together!

I have a few goals for myself over this holiday season, some practical, some health-related, and others spiritual - all written with grace, realizing that they may not all be done, and will not be done perfectly, but that will be ok.

1. I'd like to be more expressive of what and who I am thankful for.  The next three days before Thanksgiving, I'm going to try to write a note to some of the people I am thankful for to send or give to on Thanksgiving.  I'd like people in my life to know that although I am grateful for many things, the people around me cause me to feel the most blessed.

2.  Morning needs to be a time for reflection - the way I start my morning affects my whole day - if I'm rushed, my whole day feels rushed.  If I don't get to have coffee before I run out the door, I'm a crank! If I don't start the day off with prayer, reflection, or a minute or two to focus on who I'd like to be that day, I end up feeling like I went through my day without any mindfulness of what it held.

3. Soda does not work for me - the guilt, unsettled stomach, and sugar outweighs that cravings I occasionally have for it.

4. One hour of the Today Show = enough for me.  I've found that's just enough to catch up on the news, and then I'm ready to get on with my work!

5. Some days, I just need to remember that spending time with my husband is more important that those pesky dishes in the sink.

6. School is reminding me how much I love to write.  I feel passionate and excited when I sit down to write - even when it's a paper... I think I need to figure out a way to integrate writing into my future career.


My thoughts are uncohesive tonight, no matter how much I love to write, and I think I will leave it there.  Dinner is calling, Law and Order and some tea sounds oh-so-good, and it's my last chance to relax with Ben before the busy week ahead.  Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!

Pictures from a {Snowy} Weekend

It is unbelievably beautiful to see the streets transformed by the snow that has been steadily falling since this morning.  So far, this weekend has been just wonderful, and it's not even over yet! We got together with great friends last night to carve pumpkins and drink hot cider, and then this morning, I woke up to a delicious pancake breakfast from my husband!  Everything smells so good - a mix of cinnamon, pancakes, banana bread candles, and bacon.  Most of the day was spent lounging in sweatpants, working on homework and watching Law and Order...our kind of day!

End of a Rendezvous, Back to Reality!

We got home at the end of this week from what started as a little and turned into a week-long getaway!  We had a great time being away and exploring a new city.  So much good food, great coffee, and time to relax.  Just what we needed.

Looking back at my list, it looks something like this:

- Catch up on sleep (already doing a good job on this one!) No problem here!

- Catch up on reading (school-work reading)

- Relax and enjoy it without guilt  Almost without any guilt...

- Go out for a nice dinner with my husband to celebrate his new, upcoming job! (so proud of him) Yum, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse!

- Watch a good documentary

- Catch up with my blog a little bit...this is always the hardest thing for me to fit into a busy week.

- Get back into an exercise routine.

So, I did pretty well!  My exercise routine only went as far as downloading new yoga videos on my Netflix....  Although I did do a lot of walking around the city this week (so that's something, right?).  I still need to do some reading, but I did get two major papers done, so I feel like I had a good start.  Last thing to do, find a good documentary.  Maybe this will be a perfect Saturday afternoon fix...

Coming up this weekend, a bachelorette party for my little sister (can't believe she's getting married in 2 weeks!) and a chance to hang out with my little brother while he's home from college.  Good things ahead.

Happy Weekend!

Photos from A Weekday Rendezvous in the City

I am utterly relaxed on this week off of school.  We are so excited to be able to get away for a day or two to one of our favorite cities.   A few of my goals for the break are to::

- Catch up on sleep (already doing a good job on this one!)

- Catch up on reading (school-work reading)

- Relax and enjoy it without guilt

- Go out for a nice dinner with my husband to celebrate his new, upcoming job! (so proud of him)

- Watch a good documentary

- Catch up with my blog a little bit...this is always the hardest thing for me to fit into a busy week.

- Get back into an exercise routine.

Notice a pattern? A lot of "catching up" to do.... but I think I'm going to enjoy doing it!

Pause, and Be Happy.

Singing Beach, 2009

"Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness

and just be happy."
— Guillaume Appollnaire

 Last night, while Ben and I were taking a walk around our block, I was reminded in our conversation that we are moving toward the life that we have hoped for and talked about in many dreaming conversations.  In the midst of figuring out what is best for me, for us, and for the future, I realize that I am taking the steps toward a direction that feels good, that feels right.  Going to seminary is something I have always thought would be an unfulfilled dream, and it's good for me to pause and realize that I am doing it - I am living out what I have always hoped - and I am happy doing it.  

I've talked a lot about my projects to be a happier person, inspired by The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I have learned and continue to learn so much about myself and about life from the pursuit of deeper happiness.  It is fitting though, that this quote I read this morning is from Gretchen Rubin's daily happiness quote for today (you can sign up for it at her blog: www.happiness-project.com).  In the pursuit of greater happiness, it's necessary that we pause and realize the moments of happiness we experience along the way.  Yesterday was one of those moments for me.  I have happiness in this new direction in my life, in my relationships, my marriage, and my hope that I am following the right path for this time in my life.  Definitely worth the pause, don't you think?

Gestures of Love

I've been thinking a lot lately about what love is - what it looks like, how it feels, and how so many times, it is different than what you expect.  I have found that small acts of love mean a lot to me - I save each card, letter, and act of thoughtfulness that I receive and love the "bank" of memories that it gives me each time I think about them.

The past two weeks, my husband, Ben, has blessed me in so many simple and thoughtful ways with acts of love.  On the first day of class, not only did he drive an hour and a half to pick me up late at night when I missed my train, but he even came with a beautiful vase of sunflowers.

This past Saturday, I just had one of those grouchy days - you know the ones I mean?  Nothing felt quite right - my hair felt frizzy, my jeans felt tight, and I felt tired and off - and so Ben offers to make dinner (he probably didn't want me to be around knives for any period of time, but I can't blame him!).  That gesture of love ended my day on such a better note.  He made a delicious pork roast with honey mustard beer sauce, roasted sweet potatoes and vidalia onions, and green beans with walnuts and olive oil.  I had asked for something whole food-ish and with some protein, and Ben hit it on the head!  We even had homemade peach cobbler for dessert.  Yum!

There are many other little things that I have in the bank of memories that I hold on to so dearly.  These moments, although fleeting and at times small, are each meaningful and precious to me, and they sustain me through the long days, the off days, and the quiet moments of life.