the semester is wrapping up

The semester is coming to a rapid close.  I am long gone a week from now.  I will have classes on Monday and Tuesday, one exam on Wednesday, and two exams on Thursday.  After my last exam on Thursday, Daniel will pick me up and I will spend a few days with him and his family in Virginia before I fly home on Monday.  The end is in sight!

On Thursday we had study day, which is one of my favorite days of the academic year.  Our loving staff served us breakfast in bed (a continental 'brown' bag breakfast outside our door).  I allowed myself to sleep in until 9am, and then enjoyed my breakfast and got right to work.  My day's accomplishments were great...finished my Public School Policies and Procedures take-home final exam, got my room reorganized, got my room cleaned, laundry put away, got my dishes done, my case study started, and attempted to balance my checkbook.  We had a fresh snow Wednesday night, making being inside (looking at snow outside), Christmas music playing, and a balsam candle melting, the perfect day!

Yesterday was back to classes.  And then last night was our Christmas banquet.  In my three years, this was my first year going.  I had no date planned, but instead was trying to find things from girls around to make it so I could even go.  I got the dress from one friend, and sweater from another.  It was beginning to look like for sure I would be able to go.  I went to ask my friend to borrow her curling iron to learn she wasn't in her room but instead had gone to her house (5 minutes away) to get a dress.  I texted her and quickly learned she was going to banquet tonight (different from when I had talked to her that morning).  I quickly asked who her date was, to which she replied "you!"  Sweet- I thought.  We didn't think much of it, but had fun getting ready together.  When we got to banquet everyone kept complimenting on how well we matched.  Haha, we had been planning that for so long.  We had a fun time together and the others at our table (which my battery died before I could get pictures of them).  Here are some pictures from the evening.

After the banquet we went over to her parents house, enjoyed tea (for the first time in my life I did indeed enjoy tea), visited, and then played an exciting game of Phase 10.  We were there until about 11:30 when her dad drove us back to campus.  It was a fun night.

PS:  Here is the only picture I took over Thanksgiving break....Starbucks pumpkin scones

PPS:  This is what my current life consists on...lists, upon lists, upon lists...and cocoa/coffee.