This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...wearing my favorite sweater again! I left it in Montgomery the last time I was there, so I got it back this weekend.  Ah.
...reading my school books.  I would like to read for pleasure right now, but I'm afraid that'll have to wait until Thanksgiving break.
...watching Part 2 of Nicholas Nickleby.
...listening to the soothing sounds of Heinz Kiessling's Orchestra. Another ah.
...eating better than last week. I'm still learning to balance my new schedule.
...shopping for food.  There is truly nothing perishable in our house besides the houseplants right now. Not good.
...praying in gratitude for all of my blessings amidst my busy schedule. I want to focus on the roses instead of the thorns.

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

...watching old episodes of Newhart before bed.
...reading my Kinesiology and A&P textbooks.
...wearing the cute closed-toed shoes that have been patiently waiting in my closet for Fall to come.
...listening to 1st Peter on my Audio New Testament.
...eating still quickly.
...shopping for a present for my cousin's wedding.
...praying that I will learn better to rejoice when others rejoice.

10 Things I Love About Fall

Until I was about 23, I had no real preference for any particular season. They were all just okay.  Over the past, ahem, few years, though, especially after Richard and I bought our house, Fall started to become a real front-runner.  I noticed that as Autumn started to come around, I began to feel invigorated and excited. Now I can whole-heartedly declare Fall as my favorite season, and over the weekend, a several reasons started to swirl around in my head that I thought I'd share.  Some of them are definitely cliched; others are probably limited to me and a few other nuts that I haven't met.

1. Lower humidity means frizz-free hair that stays straight all day.  I think of this all summer long.
2. The view from our backyard is of Monte Sano Mountain, and it is wonderful. I still can't believe that we live in a home with such a nice view, and Fall totally exemplifies that.
3. Fall is officially the kickoff of the holiday season; the year closes out with a bang.  Every month has a great holiday to look forward to.  (Don't be surprised, by the way, when in about three months there is a post entitled "10 Things I Hate About January.")
4. Long sleeves.  I am, for a couple of reasons, self-concious about my arms, and I welcome long-sleeve weather.  Paradoxically, I actually like my hands, so long-sleeved clothes are the best of both worlds: covering up my arms, while making my hands a highlighted feature.  Yes! In a related vein, it's the beginning of the general public starting to wear more clothes, which makes trips to Wal-Mart somewhat less perilous.  Bonus.
5.  Pumpkin. Cinnamon.  Apples.  Warm Soups.  Fall food is the best.  And I actually feel like cooking from time to time because of that.
6. I'm crazy about boots.  I don't currently own a good specimen of said fashion implements, but I still enjoy seeing them out and about, and I'm always hopeful that I'll come across a good pair for myself.
7. I'm not wild about the shorter days, but I do love coming home and cozying up with my husband and puppy in the evenings.  There's that great hibernate-y feeling that's not great for the thighs, but wonderful for the heart.  You don't have to feel guilty for spending the whole night reading.  Not that I ever do anyway...
8. Planning for Christmas shopping.  I love planning things, and even though I don't actually shop until at best mid-November and at worst mid-December - by the time I do shop, I've got it all planned out.
9. Brown is my color.  I love wearing browns, and fall is the time to do it!
10. The death of most outdoor bugs. The weather is nice enough to spend time outside, and you don't get eaten up by mosquitos.  Now if you can just dodge those wasps...

This Week I Will Be Mostly...

First day of school! First day of school! It technically started last week, but I was out of town, so I was able to participate in my online class, but not actually sit in a class class.  But tonight I had my Anatomy & Physiology (Organs and Structures) class, and I sure am glad that I spent a couple of hours studying last night, because tonight's class was mainly review for the test we have on WEDNESDAY! Ack! But I feel like I was able to keep up alright.
Everybody in any medical or para-medical field on campus is required to wear scrubs, and each area of study is separated into different scrubs colors, so tonight I had a very Joey-working-at-the-museum experience when I walked into the classroom and everyone in navy scrubs was all sitting on one side of the room. (Mine are tan, if you're wondering.) "The people in the white coats don't sit with the people in the blue blazers!" It turned out that the gray scrubs mostly sat in the middle, and the few tannies like me were on the opposite side of the classroom.  I was an ignorant rebel and sat in the middle.  I don't know what the different colors are for the field areas yet, but I'll keep you posted.  I know you are all on the edge of your collective seat with baited breath just waiting to find out.
But I digress, so without further ado...

...wearing those tan scrubs. Woot!
...watching the Dancing With the Stars results show, and then nothing else until the weekend - gotta hit the books!
...listening to my America/Bread station on Pandora. I don't know how lame this makes me, but nothing makes me smile like "Sister Golden Hair Surprise," "Horse With No Name," and the like. This won't be the first time I admit that I was clearly born in the wrong decade.
...eating quickly.
...shopping for nothing. I bought a toothbrush holder at Target today and I feel guilty. I'm supposed to be saving money! It's a hard habit to acquire.
...praying about my ability to juggle work, school, family, and friends again.  The Lord has given me much strength so far.  I also need prayers to be a more gracious listener.  If your eyeballs loosened every time you rolled them, I would have lost mine long ago.  That's a bad habit I really want to break.  Internal eye-rolling counts, too.