Hello from the Other Side

For the record, I'm not a big fan of Adele. Mr. Fob bought her first album back in 2008 and listened to it a lot, and I never really liked it. He bought an album from someone else with a similar voice at the same time, and I think I mixed them up a bit in my head, but either way I hated them both. I just found her voice to be a little too grating for me. But, I've had "Hello" stuck in my head for the past few days (along with most of the English-speaking world I'm sure). Friday would have been our fourteenth anniversary. I tried to tell myself that it didn't matter, but I was still sad. In an even weirder coincidence, that evening I ended up driving past the church where we had our wedding reception and the apartment where I lived while we were engaged (we'd planned to live there, but got into campus housing instead). It's hard to believe that fourteen years have already passed since then--some things have changed a lot and some have not.

But, really, most of the time things in my life are just fine. Friday night I got together with a group of friends that I've worked with for a long time through Segullah. They are great women and I always love hanging out with them. It's good to have friends that care about me, who listen to me, and who help me want to be a better person. 

I also just signed up for a two-week study abroad next spring in London. I'm really excited about going, even though I'm also a little nervous about committing to do something so big. It's taking up a significant portion of my savings, and I have to use almost all of my vacation time for the year as well. But, I can earn three credits in two weeks and learn all about libraries in England. The preliminary schedule looks amazing--we're touring places like the British Museum, Oxford University Press, the Imperial War Museum, the National Archives, and so on. The only other time I've traveled internationally has been my mission and that was a long time ago. I've always wanted to visit London and this seemed like the best way to do it. It's exciting to have something big to look forward to next year. 

I'm also excited about Christmas this year too. Going to Hawaii last year was super fun and a great break from the routine, but this year I'm really craving our old routines and traditions. This week I'll be hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in a few years, and the day after that I'll be getting out all our Christmas decorations and music. I only have three weeks left of this semester, with one big assignment to finish, and then I'll be free for a month.