3/4 Done with Graduate School

So, I'm quite enjoying winter break so far! The end of the semester was oddly anti-climactic and just kind of faded out, so it took a while for everything to be wrapped up and done for good. But it has been over a week now since I didn't have finals, and it has been nice being able to relax and not commute every day or wake up to 21 class-related emails. I've been hanging with the pup, watching a lot of Netflix, going on walks, getting ready for Christmas, hanging out with the husband, lunches with friends, and working on a couple things. We're not traveling or anything for the holidays, so a central Texas Christmas it is! School starts January 6th (this semester is 32-35 hours a week at internship, with internship seminar and research seminar classes, and then internship ends on April 18th and we just have our colloquium class and prepping for that presentation) and graduation May 16/17! It's a rainy, stormy day, so maybe I will work on filling in my 2014 planner (always a much looked-forward to task at the end of every year). Happy Solstice! :)

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Lately

^^stoop kid, gift guard, ho ho ho, merry christmas^^

^^gifting, walking, chili prep, juniper^^

^^holiday cheer, goon, tree time^^

^^trimming the tree, Hobbit, honey shop^^

^^honey shop, at the movies, c'est moi, yum^^

^^evening light, yay, marzipan, sunning^^

^^gingerbread loaf, tree is complete, kitties, lounging^^ 

^^instagrams, festive sangria, holiday party, Baylor bear^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Winter

In my opinion, it can stay winter for half the year if it means I get to cuddle with the pup under our down blanket for hours each morning.

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Community Practice

For the second year of the masters program, you pick one of three concentrations: Children and Families, Physical and Mental Health, or Community Practice. I chose community practice, and so did twelve other wonderful, beautiful people. For our practice class, we worked on one giant project for the whole semester. We were tasked with looking at volunteerism and community engagement in the five counties surrounding McLennan County (Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, and Limestone), and coming up with a plan to address these things, all to be presented to the Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) and Heart of Texas Efficient Towns and Counties (HOTETC). This was not just another class project for a grade, we were working under a HUD grant, as a group of professionals working in the field. We came up with recommendations and a work plan that could potentially put into place, put everything together into a written report, and today we presented to HOTCOG/HOTETC (it was rescheduled due to the bad weather last Friday). We are done! I am proud of this group and thankful for our amazing professor, Dr. Yancey. 

^^featuring my photo on the cover!^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Lately

^^D, Indian food feast, baking, frozen^^

^^more frozen, hot dinos, school tree, Loons awaits^^

^^freezing weather, healthy meal, proud of this project, how I spent a day^^

^^mostly beer in various forms, out in the fields^^

^^more dinos, holiday mail, holiday decor, holiday Huxley^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M

A Cold Weekend

It's a cold one, Mr. Grinch. We had a wonderfully cold weekend. I spent it finishing up my last assignments of the semester, cleaning, watching Jingle All the Way and American Horror Story on Netflix, hanging out with Luna and Kyle. Today is my last day of class for the semester! Hooray!

^^the simplest beer bread^^

^^a celebratory beer Sunday evening after finishing my work^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Lately

^^Huxley watching at the door, workin, Megg's, family booze shopping trip^^

^^Kyle's return, bbq, Scandinavian holiday beverage, hood walks with Loons^^

^^love my cohort, first pie attempt, Thanksgiving meal, surrounded by animals^^

^^holiday themed pet things, tree at school, evening TV time, maybe my last Kenyan chai^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Scenes of the Season

Winter. Christmas. A New Year.
I love the lights. I love the cold air. I love the movies, the music, the message. I know it will be over all too soon, so I am determined to soak it in as much as possible. I hope you have the chance to do the same!

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Wish List

A few things on my Christmas list this year...

purse

mocs

calendar

necklace

measuring cups

- From the desk of Mrs. M

Thanksgiving Break Snapshots

It has been a pretty busy week. Kyle returned from Afghanistan last Sunday evening, his mother was in town for a few days, I had class and everything still going on Monday and Tuesday, and on Wednesday my mom and little brother arrived in Austin. We cooked up a Thanksgiving meal, somehow, all in our little kitchen (we're used to mom's two ovens and two fridges and ample counter space for preparation). I baked my first pie, and it was pretty successful. We did a little black Friday shopping (at like, 11 am) and just hung out until they flew back out on Saturday morning. I've been working on homework and such this weekend. One more week of class to go (our last day is Monday, December 9th). I feel like I have many projects to complete in that time, but it's really not too bad. Anyway, it was a nice and mostly relaxing holiday!

^^I call this, Black Friday: Booze Edition^^

- From the desk of Mrs. M