January

Our holiday vacation was spent tromping through the powdery snows of Utah. Each day started with breakfast, a beautiful scenic walk through a neighborhood surrounded by mountains, and then culminated in various planned outings with friends and family. We made a deliberate attempt not to overplan our days, so we were able to really savor every moment. We shopped, we went out for dinners, saw movies, played laser tag, listened to live music, and generally caught up with my husband's old friends. One night, I was treated to a relaxing Christmas massage, which knocked me right into dream land. It was all pretty relaxing and I thought one of the best parts was just hanging out with the family and occasionally sneaking off to read fiction or to write in my journal.

I am back in school again and overwhelmed with a flurry of papers to write, lectures to attend, appointments to make, and so forth. I have to admit I haven't been in the mood to get back into that groove at all. I'm trying to finish a Stephen King novel I started reading over the break. I also have some cooking projects on the roster. One is my grandma's homemade potato soup and my mom's cinnamon rolls. This past week, I made M&M cookies to help brighten an otherwise gloomy time of year. It seems we need bright colors and festivity in January more than ever. I am doing my best to have candles lighting the grey and to make the house smell welcoming. I can't wait to make a huge kettle of soup, so it is waiting for us when we come home after a night fighting the chilling winds and rains. I feel like my socks and shoes are always damp and it is so hard to feel truly warm these days.

I shall post more soon. Stay tuned...