Here I am again

Well, here we are; four months later, and only one post about school.  I really do apologize for posting only once in a blue moon.  It's hard to post at school, not only because I'm so busy but also because we have such limited Internet access.  Oh well.  My hope is to post once a week next semester, but we'll see if that ever happens.

So right now I am home for Christmas break, and it's already about half way over. (My break, that is.)  By the way, Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope it's been a blessed time for all.  My Christmas has been very quiet, but good.  In some ways, though it's rather hard to get into the spirit of celebrating with my family  because I have been living such a very different lifestyle for the past four months.  In some ways -- when I stepped back into my old room particularly -- I feel like I am going back to my old self.  I have grown and learned and changed in so many ways in the past few months that it's very strange and very backwards to come back to this old part of me.  I can't explain it very well, because it's very queer.

All in all, however, it has been lovely to be back home and to see my family, many of whom I haven't seen since July.  I am particularly delighted to see my 1 year old niece, who is an absolute cutie, even though she doesn't really know who I am because I so rarely see her now.  It is also good to relax and not worry about homework, and to eat lots (and lots and LOTS) of yummy homemade food.  I think I've gained some weight since being here, but it's hard to not eat a lot of homemade goodies after being deprived of really good food at school.

Best Christmas present: My own coffee maker (plus coffee!!)!  I never realized how much I would miss quality coffee while at college, but it hit me hard when I first sipped the coffee-flavored turpentine in our mass-producing coffee machine in our cafeteria.  So it was a true delight to receive coffee and a coffee maker from two of my brothers.  Yay!! :)

I thought that since I hadn't posted any pictures from my three-week trip last post, I'd put up a few now.  So here they are.  I will let them speak for themselves:

Have a blessed Christmas season.

Pax,
Clare