Hi Everyone

I know. It’s been a pretty quiet period lately. I haven’t written very much at all. I had crazy crazy things going on, and then it was the holidays. And I finally grabbed my laptop today because I wanted to write and because I still have organizational things to do in this blog which I want to accomplish before 2014 starts.

First and foremost, I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. I did here. I spent it with my mom and dad and younger brother and my mom’s best friend from college who almost always comes down for the holiday season. We all got a lot of great presents that we loved, and we spent some serious quality time together which was really great. We laughed and joked. We oohed and aahed over our presents. We took some pictures and formed some great memories. To me that’s a good Christmas.

Since coming home from school for break I’ve kept a pretty low profile. I’m not always good about getting together with friends because sometimes it just seems to take a lot of work. But today I had lunch with one of my nearest and dearest friends and we hung out for a couple of hours. We shared stories and laughed and it was nice because I haven’t seen him since…well…the last week of classes when we had breakfast together. Up at school he’s my breakfast buddy and has been since the beginning of our freshman year. So it was really nice to see him since it’s been a few weeks. And to make it even nicer he got me a beautiful scarf for Christmas. I’m very much a scarf fiend, and I love the one I got today. It’s navy blue with bright pink polka dots, and I think it’s fabulous.

All in all life is pretty good right now. I have no complaints, and I hope that none of you do either. Have a very happy end of 2013, and I’ll try to be back before the year’s end. I can’t wait to spend 2014 blogging too. I am officially up to 20 followers, and I love sharing with everyone who comes to read this blog.

BrittanyM

Pinterest and Christmas Presents and Food Network Too

None of the things in the title of this post actually go together in any of the ways you might think. And yet for me, they all go together. But before I confuse all you dear readers any further, let me explain everything.

First of all, I don’t think it’s any secret that I love Pinterest. I spend entirely too much time on there looking at everything from Disney to Harry Potter to books to ideas to decorate my future house with. It’s all good. It’s a nice way to spend time, especially when I don’t want to do my work. But that’s not why I’m actually writing about it today. I’m writing about Pinterest because lately I’ve been using it especially for writing inspiration. I have an entire (secret) board full of images and ideas that I love and would love to someday write about. Even though I have a million ideas and works in progress, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have plenty of ideas waiting and ready for use. Of course, this might be because I have a really hard time seeing any story through, and like bouncing from idea to idea.

Now, with Pinterest out of the way, let me talk about Christmas presents. I wrapped all of mine today. In the past, Christmas present wrapping has been a nightmare for me. I struggle with wrapping and even gift bags haven’t been my friend in the past. (There there’s the whole tissue paper issue.) But in very recent years gift wrapping has become a little less scary. I’ve managed to work out a system that works for me and doesn’t leave anyone or anything damaged or in tears. So today, with the house to myself, I hunkered down in front of the TV and wrapped gifts. What makes this year’s gifts extra special is that I personally made all of my gift tags this year. My presents are adorned with little cardstock gingerbread men and women with the appropriate names written on them. I’m pretty proud of those gift tags, and I hope that everyone likes them on Christmas when opening the presents.

And, last but not least, Food Network. How does Food Network play into all of this? Well, much like with Pinterest, I’m a little addicted. I recorded a lot of shows yesterday, and with the house to myself today, I’ve been writing and wrapping and watching wonderful Food Network programming. I love all the challenge shows from “Cupcake Wars” to “Cutthroat Kitchen” and everything inbetween.

That’s all for now. I hope that your holiday shopping is going well and that everything in your own little universes is going well.

BrittanyM

Home for the Holidays

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to say that I did it! I took my last exam. I packed up everything I needed for winter break. My dad came up and we loaded (and later unloaded) the car. And I am pleased to say that I am home!

It’s truly a wonderful thing to be home. For those of you who follow this blog, you know how much I love being home. I love my family and friends. I love having the break from school. And really, I love home. I’m one of those people who sets up roots and loves a place fully, which is what I’ve done with Mystic.

Granted, Mystic is really Mystic and Groton and sometimes for fun we throw in Waterford and New London. But to me it’s the place where I grew up and love coming back to. Today Mom and I went out shopping and went to my favorite local restaurant for lunch. It was great to be there because we’re regulars and in its own way just going there is like coming home.

And, to make everything better and add to the winter excitement, there’s snow! By morning it’s likely that it’ll be that slushy kind of gross stuff we get here by the coast, but right now there’s snow. Which I just happen to think is lovely.

I also want to add that today marks the one year anniversary of the Newtown shootings. One year ago today so many things changed. Little things and the big picture changed. Lives were changed. Policies were changed. And I could sit here and tell you about where I was and what I was doing and everything else, but I don’t think that’s what’s most important. What’s most important is to remember that 26 lives were lost that day. We can never forget that.

That’s all for now. I promise to keep you posted one the goings on of my winter break, the exciting and (what will probably be) the mundane. Thanks for reading!

BrittanyM

Things are Looking Up

For those of you keeping track of the numbers are home, here’s where things stand:

• I’m taking six classes this semester.
• Two of those classes gave me final projects.
• Four of those classes gave me final exams.
• One of those classes gave me a final writing portfolio.

Still with me? OK, here are some new numbers:

• I am done with both my final projects.
• I have taken three of my final exams.
• I am in the process of working on my final portfolio.

And when I hand in my portfolio, take my last exam and pack, then I get to go home for Christmas break. I’m really looking forward to Christmas break. For starters, I love Christmas. It’s a magical wonderful time of year. There’s presents and happiness and good cheer. Another reason to love Christmas break is the fact that I get a break from academics. My poor tired brain gets to take a break. I get to recharge and focus on things I don’t always get to pay as much attention to during the semester. Like this blog. And, perhaps most importantly, I’m home with my family and friends. And for those of you who are steadfast readers of my blog, you know how much I love my family and friends.

And on an entirely different and unrelated note, it snowed here today in Storrs. There are people out there who cannot stand the snow, but I am not one of them. I love the snow. I think it makes everything pretty and magical and special. I think it represents new starts and second chances and it’s just a wonderful thing. So I was super excited for the snow today. Campus looked beautiful.

BrittanyM

Mid-October

This is what I would like to be doing. Photo Credit to Pinterest.

At this point we’ve just about reached the midway point in October, and with the midway point comes midterm blues. I might be in a minority in saying this, but I just really don’t like taking tests and would rather write papers for all my professors. I understand how to write a paper but my brain doesn’t always want to process what it needs to in order to study. So the fact that I have two exams this week (as well as many other assignments) is making life a little rough. The good news is that my midterms finish on Thursday and then it’s back to school as normal.

Beyond midterms there isn’t a lot to report. School is taking up a lot of my time right now, and I’m really looking forward to Christmas and going home. I miss home, my family, my friends, and I can’t wait to see them.

That’s all for me. How are things with you?

BrittanyM

Looking Forward to Family Dinner

At the beginning of this past school year (my junior year of college) this great tradition got started. Once a week, some of my absolute closest friends and I get together for dinner. And because we’re all so close (a family unit in and of ourselves) these dinners became dubbed “Family Dinners.” And generally once a break from school everyone gets invited to my house for “Christmas Family Dinner” or in the case of tomorrow “Summer Family Dinner.” And the fact of the matter is, I can’t wait. Even though most of my friends had other plans (which is kind of a bummer) I’m really looking forward to seeing the ones who can come to dinner. It’s going to be great. I love my friends like I love my family, and I love getting to see them.

BrittanyM