The semester is practically over, and I only have lots of tests and papers and other important things to start/finish before I leave next week. I'm so grateful that the school sent us home for Thanksgiving, though. I feel like everyone needed to take a breath before our final plunge for the year.
I was packed and anxiously waiting by the time my mother and sister arrived last week to take me home. I practically danced to the door to let my sister in to help me carry down my things. I had not only packed clothes for break, but I was also taking back some summery things too (and then today, the high was around 70. Thanks, midwest weather). We drove home, and then things got going. Wednesday felt jam-packed. I got to see my best friend, it snowed, my siblings and I went to watch Mockingjay Part 1... It was a great day.
Thanksgiving was spent by quietly sleeping in until the late hour of 8:00. Before I ate a super nutritious breakfast of a Poptart and some coffee, I started setting out ingredients for pie. When I ate breakfast, my sister was making another pie, and my parents had started on the "real food." By the time lunch rolled around, I had written part of a paper for school and my parents had prepared turkey, bread, sweet potatoes, and corn. I'm pretty sure that adults acquire some superhero power when it comes to preparing a holiday meal.
Thursday evening, we met up with some friends for "Brown Thursday" sales for a few hours. My family goes for the cheap movies, but we always end up with a few other items. As my best friend and her gang rolled off in to the night to continue their shopping (they are hardcore; her sister has a binder with spreadsheets and everything!), my family drove back home. Friday morning, though, we went to one other store and found some good deals.
Friday afternoon and evening was spent at my grandparents' for our family get-together. I posted this Facebook status afterwards:
Tonight, I learned not to eat barbecue in Chicago, how to train a coon dog, and that my grandparents have lived on that land for fifty years. My dad and uncle compared their beards and made a pact not to shave until after Christmas. There was an argument over the name of my great-great-grandma's dog, and the mention of brown gravy reminded me of a certain biology lab. There were also four kinds of pie, so I'd call it a success.Sometimes I look at my siblings and myself and wonder why we have such a strange relationship. Then I see my dad with his siblings, or my mom and her sister, and I start to understand. My family is hilarious, and there's always something that's either happening or about to happen.
Saturday was spent running errands and then watching movies. It was a fairly quiet day compared to the rest of the week. This morning was quiet too: we got up, stopped by my favorite coffeeshop for the third time since I got home, went to church, and then I packed up to come back to school.
Sitting here in my dorm room, I am exhausted, and I'm only going to get more so until the semester hits its climax next week. I still don't fully believe that 1) Thanksgiving break was as long as the calender says, 2) that November is just now finishing, and 3) my first real college semester is nearly over. They told me back in August that it would fly by. Well, they're not entirely wrong. I feel like move-in day was last week. But I also feel like I've been doing this college-thing for ages. I've had some really long days and weeks. I have learned so much about stress, family, and what it means to trust God with more than my words. This semester has been a learning experience in more ways than just academics.
So let's finish strong.
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