T'was the week before Christmas....

I've been rather lax (again) on my posts as of late... and I apologize (again) for leaving you all hanging!!

The last few days of school before the holidays are winding down. We're all dismissed as of 1 pm tomorrow afternoon. Perfectly fine by me, as we're all about as sick of each other as we can be, and I'm afraid of what would happen if we tried to drag this out any farther!

Still been hard to get into the Christmas spirit, for mainly the same reasons as I mentioned before. I am managing to live vicariously through others as they carry out their old traditions. It makes me think of home even more, and wish that I'd booked a Monday night flight instead of a Tuesday flight!! I'm anticipating a restless weekend - it could feel like a really long time - as I mess about here getting things done so that I can actually jet off and not have to worry about unfinished business.

I baked cookies on the weekend to give to a few (okay, several) coworkers that I've worked closely with. I also sent out a full staff email thanking everyone for their support and warmth during my first few months. Apparently the gestures were a hit! The staff is very friendly and fun... which has made the transition easier. And knowing that they value my contribution is motivating. I suppose I'll just have to come back in January. ;o)

This weekend we're supposed to get a mix of rain/sleet/snow, which could be fun and frustrating at the same time. I'm told that we're likely not going to get much white stuff... too far southeast for that. Saturday I'm going with another teacher to do a 5K walk/run in Fayetteville. We're actually driving out tomorrow to check out the route, and then back on Saturday morning (early!) to actually participate. I've also got dinner with Alvin, his family and Ibeth tomorrow night as a little holiday gathering, I guess. And besides catching up on work, packing and attending church on Sunday... I suppose that makes for a full-enough weekend. It'll be nice not having classes on Monday, and I can take the whole day by myself to get prepared for exams in January.

Tuesday can't come fast enough. I think I'm looking forward to Christmas this year more than I have in a long time... if ever! Sure, the holidays are always special, but since I've been away from home it feels a little extra so. The countdown is on!! Look out everyone, I'm headed your way!!!

Love to all!! Hope you're staying warm!