To Whom It May Concern

I'm not this talented....so I'll let them do the singing:

And the world spins madly on...

It has been an eventful break, to say the least....

Montana. Christmas extravaganzas. Catching up with friends and family and a fair share of curve balls to top it all off. Just last night, for example, I hit a deer. I knew it would happen someday. Living where I do it's pretty inevitable, but it was still a shock nonetheless. After three bullets from a policeman, the poor deer is out of her misery but my car, on the other hand, is still feelin' the pain...

Now I'm back in Marietta with moms car and feeling exhausted from the whirlwind of events these last couple weeks....and there are still a few more surprises to come before class starts. I wouldn't object to another break to recover from this one. But hey, "the world spins madly on" (credit to The Weepies for their lyrics) and all we can do is make the best of each day.

This isn't The Weepies' song just mentioned, but it's another of my favorites by Sara Bareilles:

(think we have enough guitars at our house?!)

Friends and Mountains

Three hours and twenty-five minutes...

...the countdown to when I will be flown away from Bozeman, Montana and the amazing people that live here. The short five-day visit couldn't have been better and I will leave feeling even more in love with this place than last year. Even as a warm-weather person, I would love to call this home. Unlike the gloomy winter months in Michigan and Ohio, Montana is alive as ever during this time of the year. The sunshine and beautiful mountain landscape draw people outside to play, in spite of the cold. There is just so much to do! Check out all of the awesome things we did!

Day 1: a beautiful hike through the foothills, followed by a Holsinger Christmas party with great food, great drinks and great company (one can always expect a good time with the Holsinger's...especially when there is chicken jalapeño soup and homemade eggnog involved)

Day 2: I LEARNED HOW TO SKI!!! ON THIS MOUNTAIN!!!

Day 3: Amy Luke got here! And we went snowshoeing on this mountain:

THEN! we went swimming at a hot spring where we were served beer and organic pizza. SO COOL! AND THEN! A girls night out on the town!

Day 4: Hanging out in downtown Bozeman, followed by another beautiful hike up what Katie Holsinger called a "hill"....yeah right! Then after hiking this so-called "hill", we had to catch our breath with drinks at a local brewery and a yummy dinner at home.

Day 5: After a battery malfunction with the Jeep this morning, Amy made it to the airport on time and the Holsinger's made it to work. Now I sit here waiting to go home. I look forward to the holidays with family, but I will be sad to say goodbye to my friends and mountains. Until next time, Montana....

Free entertainment

I'm a very proud mommy of the cutest dog ever. The fact that I love Gabbie is a well-established fact that I'm not afraid to share with anyone and everyone. She's the best thing to ever happen to me...

...and this is one of the many, many reasons why I love this silly girl so much (sorry its a bit dark):

How am I supposed to study for my Pharmacology final with such cuteness taking place in my living room! But I must admit, it's a welcome distraction.

(I was hoping I would catch her burying her toy in the couch. Some days, she will bury all of her toys in the cracks until her nose bleeds from covering them up with her pretend dirt....cracks me up!)

A Cry

No matter what or where I am in my walk with God, this song always convicts me to want more....

For what do I have if I don't have you, Jesus? What in this life could mean any more? You are my rock, you are my glory, you are the lifter of my head.

These are a few of my favorite things!

I had 4 exams this week (yuck), with 6 more to go before break (double yuck). But since it's Friday, I'd like to take the opportunity to focus on a few things that make me happy :)

Like this lovely Trader Joe's advent calender! Mmmmm chocolate and Christmas spirit. I love it! (A big thanks to Meredith Hester for this great gift!)

Another favorite is served in a long-stem glass that contains red wine. Yup. I foresee this happening in my near future....

I've also been ambitiously seeking/trying new soup recipes lately. They're perfect for the cold weather and are great for a quick and healthy meal for the entire week. AND I can drink wine while cooking them! Winning! The one below is by-far the best I've made so far: Lentil stew with ham and greens. Look it up!

And last, but certainly not least, the thought that I will be in MONTANA in 2 WEEKS with my favorite girls Katie and Amy makes me VERY happy. We have lots of girl-time to catch up on since our last visit :)

One more week!

For the first time since being in PA school, I have free time! I don't have any tests before Thanksgiving break and I hardly know what to do with myself! I made some soup, played guitar, watched Big Daddy, played some more guitar until my fingers hurt, and now I'm at a loss for what to do next except go to bed....and I'm completely at peace with that! However, I'm afraid that all of this free time will only make the time between now and being home-sweet-home feel much longer than I would like. I am already planning my contributions to the Thanksgiving feast....

First and foremost, my absolute, most favoritest dish in the entire world - sweet potato casserole:

I'm pretty sure I could make an entire Thanksgiving meal of this dish alone, but since it's not Thanksgiving without turkey and stuffing, I also found this recipe that I can't wait to try - mushroom and rosemary stuffing:

I'm generally not a huge fan of stuffing (gasp!), but I'm hopeful that this fun twist on a traditional recipe will change my mind. And then to top things off, I simply MUST have the best apple pie on the face of the earth. It's granny's special recipe and you'll never taste an apple pie to rival it. Mmmmm....I can't wait!

Of course during all this gluttony, I will be so very thankful to be surrounded by my amazing family. It's crazy how being 5 hours away at PA school makes me appreciate my time with them more than ever. I can't wait to be home. :)