Independently Me

home before leaving

I'm back from sunny California to find this.

And plenty of it. I can't say I mind it really. When I realized Utah would be having a white Christmas while I was spending time in LA, I was kind of sad. But luky for me it was still around when I got back. And it's still coming down. 

The trip to LA was so nice. I had fun reconnecting with family and a couple of my oldest friends. 

During the morning of Christmas Eve dad and I hiked to the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park. It was a drizzly morning but it was lovely. I feel like it has been so long since I've enjoyed the great outdoors and that little hike, even in the middle of the city, was good for my soul.

I'm hoping to make it out to the mountains tomorrow morning for a little snowshoeing. I'm looking forward to feeling reconnected and centered again. The trip was a good start, but a little hike tomorrow should finish the job.

Today and tomorrow bring lists of errands and to-dos. Sunday afternoon I head to freezing temps in Southern Utah for a "working vacation." And can you really call it a vacation if work is involved? I'm not so sure, I'll let you know when I get back. 

There are plenty of things on my mind lately, including things to improve over the next year. I've never been one for yearly resolutions, there's no time like the present to make the changes that need to be made. This just happens to be a convenient time to do all that. Most of my reflections and looking forward happen around my birthday, but that didn't really happen this year. So I'm taking the time now to take stock of the things I like and don't like. 2012 has been good to me. I have some aprehension looking forward to 2013, though I'm sure it will all work out just fine. It always does. 

If you've made it this far, thanks. This post took an unexpected rambling turn and I decided not to edit. :)

Cheers!

out for the winter

School's out now. It's pretty much official, even though I have a monster paper to finish up and turn in, tests and classes are complete. I'm well on my way to relearning what getting a full night's sleep is all about.

I'm hoping to make it to the ski slopes this winter season, so far not so good. While classes ended last week, I still have work to do and getting this paper wrapped up has been a royal pain in my side. But with the promise of three full weeks off and away from campus, I'm plodding ahead, making slow but steady progress.

Christmas is around the corner. Are you ready? I'm so not ready. My roommate has been busy decorating the apartment with garlands of bottle caps and paper trees and I haven't purchased one gift, mailed one card,  or even made one shopping list. I'm plumb out of inspiration this year and it's starting to bother me. I'm hoping that now the semester is wrapped with a neat little bow I can get moving on my holiday preps. 

There is much to look forward with next semester. But until then, I'm trying to take care of myself. I've been warding off a cold for a week or so and I'm still hoping it will give up and go away. I have a list of leisure reading so long that it's no longer leisure. And with a to-do list of website, resume and cut file updated to get done I won't be spending so much time watching movies and drinking egg nog as I'd like to.

But it's all topped off with a lovely trip to California to visit family and an adventure to Southern Utah for an assignment or two. And with these trips in mind, I have about 10 days left to get myself back in order and ready for the next semester. My how time just flies.

And hopefully between now and then, I'll find my Christmas spirit!