It's November and I finally wore my scarf for the first time tonight! I loveee bundling up in the cold weather. It's that time of the year where I'm simply content to sit inside, with the dogs on both sides, knitting away and occasionally putting the needles down to drink from the mug full of homemade hot cocoa. YUM!

It also means that it's nearly time to wrap everything up for the semester! A presentation's due next week, a rough draft to be exchanged with my partner is to be done by then as well and I've got one more paper, project, two finals and another presentation before I'm finished. Sounds like a lot yet I know time will fly by.

I'm also really excited about Thanksgiving! I have ideas of how to cook the turkey- mouthwatering ones. I'm also debating about whether I should make pumpkin chocolate cake/cupcakes or not, since we'll have a few pies for dessert, and possibly cookies. That's one thing that drives my family crazy- the ridiculous amount of leftovers we end up with. It's always enough to sate us for a week! I'm talking full meals every night for everybody in the family.

Brie, Eli and I also discussed a new goal; to run up the Blue Hills trail. Hiking's fun, but we want to fit enough to be able to run the whole thing; it shouldn't take us too long since we're all at the point where we're able to run for an hour without trouble (we do get tired, but we're not gasping as if we're dying). I think it'll be awesome if we can do that! The aderaline we'll feel when we get to the top, to the Skyline. If you don't know what the Skyline is, it's the spot up on the top of Blue Hills where you get this amazing view of the entire city of Boston. You can see the trees, lakes and the ocean, even, surrounding the city. It's really cool.

It's moments like those, when you're bushwhacking through the Hills (using the animal made paths...), you just feel truly alive. Not merely acting as a puppet, moving in a robotic tone, doing repeative things day after day. After all we need reminders daily, and momentarily as well, that the universe is out there. And we all have our purpose in this world. Our role to play, it's just up to us to play it well or not at all.

I'm ready for the stage.

It's October! I absolutely love this time of the year, the changing colors, seeing the splashes of red, yellow and orange across the landscape, the chill in the air, the layering up of the clothes and the hot chocolates waiting to be sipped. Yet it also means papers due and midterms! I'm in a bit of a funk, you might say, wanting to enjoy my time rather than focus on what needs to be done. I do enjoy my readings (especially Evolution of Desire by David Buss- highly recommended! And I'm only on Chapter 4), but the idea of deadlines racing against the backdrop of this beautiful setting that we call fall... it's driving me insane!

It's a folly, to those who decided to make this the midterm time of the year, when it's gorgeous out, the leaves beckoning us to watch and admire them. Like a friend once said, we must appeal to their vanity, to their self-love for the more we give in, the longer they'll hold on to their clothing, therefore delaying the winter. But with works to be done, how can we flatter them with our silver tongues? Or fingers, if you want to be more literal.

It's funny though... my papers isn't even that... difficult. It's not a research paper in the strictest sense, so why am I so hesitant to get started? I have no idea. Perhaps I'm just lazy and I've fallen into the trap that the majority of students go through; wanting to have it easy. Just for a moment.

If I could do anything right now, it would be to take a hike through the woods, up the hills, on a mountain and come back to the kitchen to whip up something delicious to go with hot chocolate filled mugs. I am eager for the winter, with all of the snow and icy ponds, but not the moments where I can't seem to warm up. Right now it's the delicate balance where it's cold yet it hasn't seeped into the bones yet.

Not just yet.