Killington, VT and Valentine's Day

So, last Wednesday was the snowday in which school was cancelled because of all the expected snow. However, no snow actually came. Therefore, it was a snowday with no snow. I'm not complaining though! It sure was nice to have the unexpected day off. However, now we will be having class this Friday to make up for it. There goes our Friday off! Anyhow, after our test last Friday, which went alright, my roommates and I had a dinner party that night. We had all kinds of food and fun and friends as we talked, hung out, and watched the opening ceremonies for the winter olympics. It was a lot of fun, but I had started to get a little sick the day or two before and had a hoarse voice, making it a bit difficult to talk to people, but it was still fun. :)

The next morning, we (Shirin and I) woke up at 4:30 am so go up to Killington, Vermont to go skiing. We went with a few of our friends/classmates and although it was an early morning, it was worth it and we had a lot of fun. We took our third lesson and I felt like I was able to learn more this time as we got more skiing in during the morning lesson. There was a total of six of us who went and we had a really nice time. We came back and I didn't feel any better or worse than before we went, so I thought that going while sick didn't make much of a difference. I did bundle up!

We had Monday off from school since it was President's Day, which was nice and relaxing. My throat was hurting more that day, so I didn't do too much but stay around the house resting and studying a little bit. I did start to lose my voice Monday, and now, I can't talk much louder than a whisper. My voice isn't necessarily the loudest to begin with, so talking only at a whisper makes it really hard for people to hear me. Oh well...hopefully it'll come back soon!

Oh yes...Valentine's Day!!! I had two valentines this year...Shirin and Hannah! :) We had a very nice dinner at a restaurant down the street from us called Tasca. There was a three course meal and I had a lobster bisque appetizer with a prime rib entree and a chocolate and caramel cheesecake dessert. It was quite the meal! And, the cheesecake was even pretty good. Most of you know that I don't care for cheesecake all that much, but this one was lighter and fluffier than normal cheesecakes, so it was easier to eat and rather tasty! It was a very enjoyable Valentine's dinner date and so scrumptious! :) What did you do for Valentine's day?

Now...back to studying for my test on Thursday!

Snow Day!!!

Today is our first snow day, and my first snow day ever! :) School is closed, so that means I got to sleep in a bit today and can stay at home and study instead of go to class all day. Praise the Lord! I've been feeling a bit sick the last few days, so I'm especially thankful for the day off.

I went to the Women's Retreat through church last weekend, which was pretty good. The theme was walking in God's Beauty, which was a good reminder of how beautiful God is in a majestic way, but also in a pleasing, delightful, and joy-to-be-around way. It was only Friday night and Saturday, but so good to "get away" for a night and be refreshed in the Lord. But, I'm pretty sure that is where I became sick, so that's a bit unfortunate. (But it was worth it.)

Tests are starting to come up (Neuroscience this Friday) and then one a week for the next four weeks, and then we get a week off for spring break! Oh, right....something I wanted to share with you...schools here have a "ski week" in which they get a week off of school in February to go skiing (or I suppose do whatever they want). New to me! Why doesn't California give a hiking week, or a surfing week (because as we all know, everyone in California surfs), or some other kind of week? Maybe it's because there are no real seasons and we can do anything pretty much year round. Maybe schools near Tahoe get a ski week.

Dreamgirls last week was really good. The cast did a tremendous job and each person had such a strong voice, making the vocals incredible! It made the show really enjoyable, and it was much better than the movie, so it was a good night. :) Alright, that's all for now; time to go study!!!

January

Wow January flew by rather quickly! After a fun New Year's celebration in southern California when the younger people fell asleep first, we returned to "the north" and, for the first time in maybe four or five years, I celebrated my birthday at home. :) A couple birthday/good-bye dinners and time with family and some friends was most enjoyable. I was just thinking the other day that I should maybe start thinking of myself as an adult. It's much harder to convince myself that I'm still a child now that in my mid-20s. 24, really?! I sure don't feel like a 24-year-old. Maybe that's how I'll feel the rest of my life...I don't feel x years old.

Anyway...after my birthday, I flew back to Boston to begin our Spring semester of school. That flight was COMPLETELY different from going to California. I flew from San Francisco to Milwaukee and then Milwaukee to Boston. Both flights were on time and half empty. I had a whole row of three seats to myself during both flights, so I was able to spread out and lay down and do whatever I wanted without feeling confined to just one seat. It was such a luxurious flight...I'd say better than first class! (Not that I have ever flown first class to compare this too, but I can imagine.)

School started and during the first week, I had a show to attend with my Broadway buddies! We saw In the Heights, which was pretty good. The choreography was incredible and it was so much fun to watch the cast dance! The story line was alright (a bit typical in a coming of age story) but the dancing was what made the show for me. :) And, speaking of Broadway shows, I have another one to go to tomorrow night! We are going to see Dreamgirls. I watched the movie last year, and was a bit disappointed because I had heard it was good. But, I'm hoping the play is better than the movie (which was my same experience with Mamma Mia). So, it should be fun tomorrow night...we'll see. :)

Then, that first weekend back, after our first week of school, was Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. So, we had that Monday off from school, which was nice. A group of people from my class and I went to Vermont for the weekend and went snowboarding and skiing. I skied and it was a lot of fun. There was a group of about 20 of us and we rented a cabin down the road from the ski resort. We drove up Friday night and came back Monday morning. It was fun to be with everyone and learning to ski was great too. I took lessons and after skiing Saturday, there was a deal to get two more lessons (with 2 lift tickets) plus 3 more days of skiing at another, smaller resort down the road, which included rentals! It was such a great deal and I couldn't pass it up. So, the beginners took another lesson Sunday morning and skied a bit in the afternoon. And, now, we have one more lesson to go back for plus three more days of skiing on our own! :)

Then, it was Stephen's birthday! Happy (belated) Birthday Stephen! There are no more teenagers in my family now...weird, huh?! I called him on his birthday, so I'm not really wishing him a belated birthday, but I suppose it's belated on the blog.

Last Saturday, I went to Portsmouth, New Hampshire with my Bible study group from church for brunch at this cute, YUMMY, breakfast place called The Friendly Toast. The food was delicious and so filling. I think that was the only thing I ate that entire day because I was so full afterwards. After eating, a few of us walked around the town for a little bit and browsed through some of the shops. We went to the edge of the river and across the river, we could see Maine, so that was kind of fun. Still have yet to go to Maine though. Then, we just walked down the main street and into some shops, but didn't buy anything. We took pictures as our souvenirs. I haven't put them on my camera yet though, so they will be coming soon...

As I have written this, I have realized that January was a "big traveling" month for me. haha! Started in CA, made a brief stop in WI, returned to MA, went to VT for the weekend, and went to NH for the day. So many states! haha! Just as a side note... :)

And, now, it's February!!! Time sure flies when you're having fun! But, it was also my grandparents wedding anniversary today too!!! Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa! Love you both so much!!! I have been so blessed by your marriage, as so many people have. Thank you for demonstrating Christ's love to so many people and for being Godly examples in my life. It was so great to see you and spend time with you while I was home...Happy Anniversary! :)