My favorite part of holiday break, aside from spending time with family and friends, is catching up on my reading! This past summer, I had vowed to re-read Harry Potter books #4-7 over Christmas ... but, alas, other books required my attention first!
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, has been my favorite novel for years ... but I had never had occasion to read Wuthering Heights by Charlotte's sister, Emily. I finally got around to reading it this break. Glad I can now say that I've read it, even though I didn't enjoy it. When I was in the middle of that book, I re-read my favorite novel (The Blue Castle) and began reading Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. I haven't touched it since my flight home after New Year's festivities, but I hope to finish it this week. Another must-read-during-my-life book.
The fun book I started (and finished!) today was recommended to me by a friend who has also fallen in love with Austen's novels. Mr. Darcy's Diary was an extremely satisfying read. :-)
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Last Sunday at home
My mother made my favorite pancakes for breakfast! Only a few more days to be spoiled at home ...
At church this morning, the pastor spoke on the story of the Prodigal Son, but he focused on the older brother. Whenever I've read the passage before, I could understand why the dutiful brother felt that the celebration for his brother was unfair. Today's sermon gave me a new (and I believe, much more accurate) perspective on the story.
More de-decorating. The live poinsettias are the only remaining remnants of Christmas.
I drove to the mall for the first time this break because I had hoped to get there before I return to GradSchool. I don't even know where the nearest mall to GradSchool is located and I had Borders coupons to use! I got a book recommended by a friend ... and I stopped by a clothing store. Unexpected sales + ongoing need to boost my teacher/GA wardrobe yielded several nice tops. And a pair of jeans (which aren't for teaching). Earlier this break, my sister had told me I had to get a new pair of jeans. I'm down to my last two pairs of jeans (both acquired at least 4 years ago), and one of them will have to be banned to around-the-house-wear-only soon as it's developing a hole.
This evening was probably my musical highlight of the holiday break. I attended 30+ minutes of a professional male choir's concert. *sigh* Gorgeous voices. Some of the younger group members were handsome too. :-) I would have stayed longer (networking opportunities in addition to the chance to chat with cute guys! Cute guys who sing!), but I'd already committed to going to another choir concert. I did enjoy that one too ... and I caught up with some contacts in the area regarding my job search ... Aack! Where will I be getting a job after graduation?!
Now at home, savoring family time. A pleasant day!
At church this morning, the pastor spoke on the story of the Prodigal Son, but he focused on the older brother. Whenever I've read the passage before, I could understand why the dutiful brother felt that the celebration for his brother was unfair. Today's sermon gave me a new (and I believe, much more accurate) perspective on the story.
More de-decorating. The live poinsettias are the only remaining remnants of Christmas.
I drove to the mall for the first time this break because I had hoped to get there before I return to GradSchool. I don't even know where the nearest mall to GradSchool is located and I had Borders coupons to use! I got a book recommended by a friend ... and I stopped by a clothing store. Unexpected sales + ongoing need to boost my teacher/GA wardrobe yielded several nice tops. And a pair of jeans (which aren't for teaching). Earlier this break, my sister had told me I had to get a new pair of jeans. I'm down to my last two pairs of jeans (both acquired at least 4 years ago), and one of them will have to be banned to around-the-house-wear-only soon as it's developing a hole.
This evening was probably my musical highlight of the holiday break. I attended 30+ minutes of a professional male choir's concert. *sigh* Gorgeous voices. Some of the younger group members were handsome too. :-) I would have stayed longer (networking opportunities in addition to the chance to chat with cute guys! Cute guys who sing!), but I'd already committed to going to another choir concert. I did enjoy that one too ... and I caught up with some contacts in the area regarding my job search ... Aack! Where will I be getting a job after graduation?!
Now at home, savoring family time. A pleasant day!
Saturday, January 05, 2008
De-decorating
Today was the designated day for taking down the Christmas decorations around the house. Somehow, we've accumulated many, many more holiday decorations than I remember putting up as a child. Part of the blame belongs to the mini-Santas. We have an army of them now. They guard different locations ... a few near the front door, some chilling by the wooden reindeer, still others by the fireplace. They've invaded! They weren't ready to leave their stations yet so we didn't even attempt to tackle them this afternoon.Today was TREE DAY. My mom and I set to work at taking all of the ornaments off of the tree. As I helped her, Mom decided that this was a good time for me to separate my ornaments from the rest of the family's. She had talked about doing this for years; when we grew up, we'd want to have our own ornaments on our trees at our own homes. All of my ornaments, dating back to the Baby's First Christmas collection, are now packed in their own box apart from everyone else's. Apparently I'll really be grown up by next Christmas. In some ways, I'm pleased; I'm looking forward to all that 2008 has to offer. At the same time, it's bittersweet that we effectively boxed up a part of my childhood today and next Christmas won't be quite the same.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Eking out productivity
I finally finished the freelancing jobs I'd been asked to do over the break. Yay for supplementary income!
(What should I spend my earnings on? Conference in February? Eh, I already paid the registration fee. Textbooks? I think I've already got what I need for this semester. Spring break? Yes! Yee-haw, I'm lookin' forward to visiting the biggest state of the contiguous 48!)
(What should I spend my earnings on? Conference in February? Eh, I already paid the registration fee. Textbooks? I think I've already got what I need for this semester. Spring break? Yes! Yee-haw, I'm lookin' forward to visiting the biggest state of the contiguous 48!)
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Simple Pleasures
My younger brother is going to a friend's party tonight. When he asked my mother what food he could bring from our house, she suggested that he and I assemble a gingerbread house from a kit she'd gotten before Christmas.
Neither of us had ever made a gingerbread house before. When given the option, he chose to construct the house while I decorated it.
He remarked, "Hey, this is like playing with legos - except it's food!"
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
2007 in Review
Favorite blog posts from last year!
January
16: "When a guy seems perfect ..."
Re-reading this renews my hope. :-)
27: "Let's Go On with the Show!"
Insight into my life as a musician ... referencing student-teaching experience with high school choir kids, performances with the All Star Collegiate Choir and a professional orchestra ... and some painful-at-the-time thoughts which ended up foreshadowing the lifespan of certain undergraduate friendships
February
19: "Another interesting Sunday..."
Quoting lyrics from Wicked: "I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason..." An unusual encounter with another human being.
28: "Feeling a bit sheepish"
Goofy picture-filled post!
March
12: "Bella Italia"
Another post in pictures ... with little stories about the most amazing Spring Break trip ever (which doubled as BestFriend's one last hurrah (!) before marriage)!
21: "Guilty Secrets"
April
5: "Anticipation"
Because CGFC (Cute Guy From Church) was mentioned in so many posts, I thought I ought to include one on the list. :-)
15: "The Dawning"
Little epiphanies ... hinting at life changes after graduation ... bittersweet but wonderful.
May
7: "Festivities: Thursday though Saturday"
Commencement ... Funny how a word which means "beginning" describes a ceremony which marks the end of a chapter in life.
June
27: "Another surprise!"
The only picture of me on this blog :-)
July
8: "So ... I just had to navigate Blogger in Hungarian ..."
I sent out regular updates to family and friends regarding my adventures (and studies!) in Budapest, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Prague ... but neglected to update my blog for the most part. If you want the official updates (with reflections on the places I visited, stories about the cute boys I met, and descriptions of my studies), you can email me using the address to the right!
August
24: "Remembering"
I'd recently moved into my new apartment and was preparing to start grad school. This entry is a tribute to a loved one.
September
9: "A 10 second glimpse into the life of a klutz"
Still giggling as I recall my madskillz. Love the links to favorite entries about being an RA too!
22: "A phone call makes thousands of miles seem like none at all"
Another reason why I love BestFriend!
October
27: "Female Bonding"
Also known as the miraculous powers of cookie dough. An ode. Well, not quite. :-)
November
11: "Unexpected turn of events"
A boy story
December
19: "On Blogging"
Justification for the existence of Wrapped in Song. This isn't the best example of my writing but I just love this entry. I suppose it was something that had to be written at some point during the lifespan of this blog.
January
16: "When a guy seems perfect ..."
Re-reading this renews my hope. :-)
27: "Let's Go On with the Show!"
Insight into my life as a musician ... referencing student-teaching experience with high school choir kids, performances with the All Star Collegiate Choir and a professional orchestra ... and some painful-at-the-time thoughts which ended up foreshadowing the lifespan of certain undergraduate friendships
February
19: "Another interesting Sunday..."
Quoting lyrics from Wicked: "I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason..." An unusual encounter with another human being.
28: "Feeling a bit sheepish"
Goofy picture-filled post!
March
12: "Bella Italia"
Another post in pictures ... with little stories about the most amazing Spring Break trip ever (which doubled as BestFriend's one last hurrah (!) before marriage)!
21: "Guilty Secrets"
April
5: "Anticipation"
Because CGFC (Cute Guy From Church) was mentioned in so many posts, I thought I ought to include one on the list. :-)
15: "The Dawning"
Little epiphanies ... hinting at life changes after graduation ... bittersweet but wonderful.
May
7: "Festivities: Thursday though Saturday"
Commencement ... Funny how a word which means "beginning" describes a ceremony which marks the end of a chapter in life.
June
27: "Another surprise!"
The only picture of me on this blog :-)
July
8: "So ... I just had to navigate Blogger in Hungarian ..."
I sent out regular updates to family and friends regarding my adventures (and studies!) in Budapest, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and Prague ... but neglected to update my blog for the most part. If you want the official updates (with reflections on the places I visited, stories about the cute boys I met, and descriptions of my studies), you can email me using the address to the right!
August
24: "Remembering"
I'd recently moved into my new apartment and was preparing to start grad school. This entry is a tribute to a loved one.
September
9: "A 10 second glimpse into the life of a klutz"
Still giggling as I recall my madskillz. Love the links to favorite entries about being an RA too!
22: "A phone call makes thousands of miles seem like none at all"
Another reason why I love BestFriend!
October
27: "Female Bonding"
Also known as the miraculous powers of cookie dough. An ode. Well, not quite. :-)
November
11: "Unexpected turn of events"
A boy story
December
19: "On Blogging"
Justification for the existence of Wrapped in Song. This isn't the best example of my writing but I just love this entry. I suppose it was something that had to be written at some point during the lifespan of this blog.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
2008?!
Home again. Flight to BestFriend's home state and back were pleasantly uneventful. (BF & BFHusband had horror stories about their attempts to get there last week!)
It was soooo wonderful to have that brief visit with BestFriend, her husband & other mutual friends! We did get in some special BF-Estrella GirlTime and some belated BF birthday celebrations ... and the party was fantastic! (Our first guest arrived at 7:15pm and our last left at 4:15 this morning!) We played board games and card games, we had great conversations and debates, and we caught up on each other's lives. All of the other guests were BF's high school friends and BFHusband's college friends. Thanks to their wedding this past summer, I knew most of the people there and felt extremely comfortable hanging out with everyone. :-)
BestFriend & I both napped for an hour before finishing party preparations, but we didn't bother going to sleep this morning before leaving for the airport at 5am! Although my flight was 4 hours later than BF & BFHusband's, we carpooled to the airport together so that BF's family wouldn't have to make more than one trip. So ... I've slept a total of 1.5+ hours (in 2 naps- one yesterday and one on the plane!) since 9:15am yesterday morning. My goal is to make it to 9ish this evening so that I can get into an earlier bedtime routine before I return for the second half of my grad program!
I still can't believe it's really the new year. 2007 was an incredible year! Really wonderful. I hope 2008 will be just as fun and special to remember. :-) Perhaps when I'm more rested (which I hope will include greater mental clarity), I'll write something more creative ... reflections on 2007 and goals for 2008 ... or maybe not. :-) Must go do something else before I fall asleep at the computer. Happy New Year to you!
It was soooo wonderful to have that brief visit with BestFriend, her husband & other mutual friends! We did get in some special BF-Estrella GirlTime and some belated BF birthday celebrations ... and the party was fantastic! (Our first guest arrived at 7:15pm and our last left at 4:15 this morning!) We played board games and card games, we had great conversations and debates, and we caught up on each other's lives. All of the other guests were BF's high school friends and BFHusband's college friends. Thanks to their wedding this past summer, I knew most of the people there and felt extremely comfortable hanging out with everyone. :-)
BestFriend & I both napped for an hour before finishing party preparations, but we didn't bother going to sleep this morning before leaving for the airport at 5am! Although my flight was 4 hours later than BF & BFHusband's, we carpooled to the airport together so that BF's family wouldn't have to make more than one trip. So ... I've slept a total of 1.5+ hours (in 2 naps- one yesterday and one on the plane!) since 9:15am yesterday morning. My goal is to make it to 9ish this evening so that I can get into an earlier bedtime routine before I return for the second half of my grad program!
I still can't believe it's really the new year. 2007 was an incredible year! Really wonderful. I hope 2008 will be just as fun and special to remember. :-) Perhaps when I'm more rested (which I hope will include greater mental clarity), I'll write something more creative ... reflections on 2007 and goals for 2008 ... or maybe not. :-) Must go do something else before I fall asleep at the computer. Happy New Year to you!
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