The End is the Beginning is the End

Are you getting tired of reading a laundry list of my tasks yet? I know I'm tired of writing them. Fortunately for both of us, only two remain: finals!

Yes, my first semester of nursing school is almost over. Next Monday and Tuesday, then I'm free! Free! <---can you tell I'm excited?

It snowed on Tuesday. That's right--snow in Georgia in November. If it snows at all here, it's not until at least January--sometimes late December. We're having the wackiest fall weather I've seen in a while, though. One day it's 39 degrees, the next it's 60. Gotta love the South...

Technically speaking, I did not "win" NaNoWriMo. Too many tests, papers, and too much studying got in the way. But I did write 32,000 words, and I did make A's on every single test this semester, so I call that a win. But if you add together what I managed to write during the semester with the NaNo wordcount, I'm just over 50k. The novel itself is shaping up well. My brain is in that hyperactive state where stuff gets dangerous--trying to come up with too many ideas, fit in too many interesting elements, that ends up making my manuscript a hot mess and leaving me crying in the corner when I think about revisions.

I put up the Christmas tree (it's artificial--first time in a while). The cats immediately climbed it. And believe me, if you've never seen a naughty cat jump from the top of a 7.5-ft tree after getting sprayed with a water bottle, it's a sight to behold. Last night I put on some ornaments, and this morning there are about 8 on the floor.

Why do all the television shows I watch have to go on mid-season break right as I'm about to get free time?

I'm excited about having some time to read. I only managed about 4 books this semester and 5 audiobooks (I drive 3+ hours a week to class). The last book I finished was the latest installation in Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series, Hunt the Moon. If you like urban fantasy and haven't read these books, do yourself a favor. She's pretty much my author-idol on every level: characters, plot, action writing. And now I'm reading Tangled Tides by our very own Karen Hooper!

My great plans for Christmas break?

1. Write. I'm not going to say finish my novel, but I'm going to do some damage.

2. Crochet. I've been finding pictures of projects on Pinterest like a fiend. First up are going to be an infinity scarf and a coffee cup cozy.

3. Finally finish The Tudors. I watched the first 3 seasons last Christmas while I was crocheting and wrapping presents, and I've had the fourth season for about six months, unwatched. Good times will be had.

I hope all you Americans had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday! I had my first deep-fried turkey, and it was pretty good!

Now I'll go off into my study cave, where I'll try to remember an entire semester's worth of nursing textbook (40+ chapters!) and learn everything about the nervous system.

Happy December!