December Already

It's hard to believe that December is already here. It feels like last week we were figuring out Halloween costumes and looking forward to Thanksgiving. December not only brings Christmas and holiday events but finals and the end of another semester of school. But before we get into December, we need to talk about how we spent our Thanksgiving weekend since it was filled with a lot of firsts for us.

As this was our second year as orphans, we found other orphans just like us and had our own Thanksgiving. Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving early when my parents came out but we didn't do anything on the actual day. So this year we actually helped cook. If you were to look at just the food alone that was spread out on the table, you would have thought there was going to be about 12-15 people getting together for dinner. Really there was only 7 of us, so needless to say there were tons of left overs.

Friday night we went out bowling to celebrate a friend's birthday. This was the first time we have been bowling since moving out here. And all I can say is that the bowling alleys out here are nothing compared to what they are back home. You are basically going to a fancy restaurant/bar that just happens to have pools tables and a bowling alley. Oh yea, and a live DJ playing music. So the atmosphere is nothing like the old bowling alley feel but more of a bar/dance club where they serve you food and drinks at your lane. Something you don't see at home.

Saturday night we went out yet again to celebrate another friend's birthday. This birthday celebration, however, was held at an Indian restaurant. So another first for Ross and I. Thankfully there was a large group and most of them have eaten there before so they were able to give us tips on what was good and what to stay away from. Can't remember what my dish was called but it reminded me of chicken wings. Ross' was more of a sauce/gravy you have over rice. The taste was pretty good but the portion was small.

And finally, the last first for us that took place Thanksgiving weekend was the we put up our Christmas tree and some holiday decorations! We have a fake tree that is 7 and a half feet tall and worked perfectly in our house with the vaulted ceilings. But out here in the small apartment, the ceilings are only 8 feet. So we improvised and removed one of the center poles so the tree is about 5 feet tall. I think this is the first time I was able to put the angel on top without having to stand on a step stool or ladder. I posted some pictures below of how our modified tree came out.

After our Thanksgiving weekend filled with a lot of firsts, we move into December which brings with it something that is very familiar.....FINALS!!! The first of four finals takes place this Wednesday. The last three are all next week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday). All Ross can say about finals this year is that they just plain suck. Things are so stressful that it's even harder to get motivated to study. And what makes things worse is when we have technical issues and Ross loses 2 and a half hours worth of work on his outlines he uses for studying. Sometimes it feels like when it rains it pours and nothing seems to go right. All I know is that we are both counting the days til finals are over with and we can both relax and enjoy three weeks of no school!