...

I really want to write something special since I have so much free time and should be able to think of something clever. But I just can't seem to:

1. I love my niece Zoe Noelle Garrett. I've loved seeing her pretty much everyday since she's been born, and she's already grown so much. I will be a little sad when I can't see her as often cause we're all much busier with work and school resuming. Today I got to hold and cuddle her for a bit while she was sleeping and I absolutely loved it. I have so much love for this child, I can't even how much greater it will be one day with my own.



2. It's about 2 days and 12 hours more till I get to see Nate again. I'm picking him up from the airport. 2 weeks apart is WAY too long, and I hope I never have to do that again. Though we have had fun being able to SKYPE with each other each night.

3. I watched the Hannah Montana movie tonight and I really liked it. It was a little cheesy, but the plot line was decent, and I'll confess I love singing along to her music. It even made me cry, though that's not to hard to do, but it was really good, really sweet and touching.

4. My parents were wonderful to get me a knew camera for Christmas. Of course I don't NEED one, especially since I technically now own 4 cameras (but one of those is film and in a drawer at home, and another is here in my apartment in a box somewhere). But its a nice Nikon SLR camera. Its a few years old, but my mom got it for an AMAZING price at work and I love it and I'm so excited to see the masterpieces I'll be able to create.



5. Its snowed way too much today and as far as I know its still snowing. I know, its not as much as the blizzard that was on the east coast a week and a half ago, but its about 3 or 4 inches now and its cold and wet. And I finally made my first snow angel of the year, but that's about the only good side of the snow. I'm ready for it to be March and to welcome in the spring time and welcome back Mr. Sun.

Sorry, it definitely wasn't a creative post. But that's my life, not creative, and these are my thoughts for now.

stress

Last night I was so stressed about my presentation this morning. I had pretty much finished my paper, but I took it over to Nate's to proof read it. I felt bad for him though cause there were so many linguistic terms he probably didn't really know what I was talking about. Nate and I watched the 2nd half of Two Tours and we were planning on finishing at 10 but we didn't finish till 11. Nate walked me home and I just started crying because I did NOT want to work on my presentation. I am so bad at speaking in German, especially when something needs to be memorized, and EIGHT whole minutes long. I prepared it last night but worked on the memorization this morning. I was able to give the whole presentation aloud to myself as I was walking to school, though I'd forget some parts and have to add them later so the ordering was a little skeewompis. I gave my presentation and I don't think I was even that nervous. I had my notes in hand, but I only had to look down a couple times, and not because I couldn't remember a word or a concept, but just because I needed to be reminded what was next so my ordering would be better.

After I gave my presentation of course everyone clapped. Then my teacher mentioned that some of the presentations might be good preparation for a question on the final. I reread my paper in between classes and made a few last minute corrections and turned it in. My teacher was in her office and said that I did a great job. I asked her if it was too short (cause normally I speed rush everything when I am in front of people) and she said no and that it was perfect. As I left her office she again stated that it was a good prep for the final. Isn't that wonderful? As far as she's hinted at me I think there is going to be a question on the final relating to German's development from a synthetic to an analytic language (my topic). I really hope there is because that would make me very comfortable since it is a group final and we each only have to contribute some, I can now contribute to that question since I'm currently an expert on said development.

Anyway, last night Nate was so sweet and was telling me how unimportant the presentation was, in the scheme of things. And how unimportant even our grades our. We'll look back on our grades in 10 (maybe less) years and think how silly it was to become so stressed over something so irrelevant to our life. He said what really mattered is that we are in love. What a sweetheart. I was still crying and dreading my presentation, but it was so sweet of him to say and to help me feel a little better.

Now that classes are done, even though I still have 5 finals to take (3 in class and 2 take home) I feel so much better. My paper is done, my presentation is done, my homework assignments are done, and actual classes are done. Lovely. Lets just hope I don't get too stressed next week when my brain actually focuses on the finals.

the christmas season...

Melissa and her husband had a Ginger Bread Housing making party. This was our result. We didn't realize how much our "house" looked like a train until Anthony and Jana pointed that out to us. Oh well, it was still really good, and tasty too.


Nate and I with our "ugly sweaters"




Dain and Nate looked like such creepers with their whole outfits. Truthfully, their sweaters weren't that bad though.