And then she finishes

I check the blogs I follow often, but haven't felt compelled to write, as you've probably noticed. My semester came to a close on Monday, but today is the first day I've had absolutely nothing to do. Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with coffee dates and meetings as well as lunch dates and dinner dates.  I am finally resting and it feels oh, so good. I cannot fly home until the 23rd due to my job as an RA, so here I sit.

So let's play catch up on my semester:

I joined a new church, I became the leader of the Sitter's ministry (coordinate childcare for all of the small groups throughout the week), I became a leader in the Youth Group, I flew home to Wisconsin, I spent Thanksgiving in Florida, I made tons of new friends, I caught up with old ones, I ran my 2nd half marathon,  I am going to the Dominican Republic over spring break on my FIRST mission trip, I passed all of my classes, I'm on track to graduate a semester early and last but not least, I have been offered the opportunity to intern at my church over the summer. Whew. 

And now it's Christmas. And I turn 21 in 10 days. Time is flying by.

My mom and dad both sent me packages for the season to dress up my apartment, here's a glimpse of a few:

 And finally, the gift that brought me to tears:

This tree was in my bedroom at home every Christmas since I was very young. I hadn't thought about it or seen it for 3 years. I had already received a package from my mom, and when there was yet another one, I couldn't guess what she had sent.  I opened it and was overwhelmed with childlike emotions.  This tree has been around for almost 15 years.  I called my mom at work and told her that if she'd have wrapped that tree and given it to me for Christmas as my only present, I'd have been content.  This tree is a priceless gift that means so much more than any other gift this season. And it's probably not up to the fire code, but it's okay...I'm the RA. 

(If you look closely, the long lights that stick out are actually filled with water or some type of liquid. They bubble when it gets warm and it's so fun to watch!)

Take care, and Merry Christmas!