Back in the mix . . .

Sorry for the silence . . . we've been otherwise occupied.

--Spent 10 days(!) at my folks' house over Thanksgiving break. Shan had a conference in Chicagoland, so I decided to go south with the young 'uns as opposed to taking them on myself for 3 days. Shan took the train down and met us later.

The time off was wonderful. It's been a hectic semester at work and I felt a little weary. I got to lounge around, reading books, eating, sleeping, visiting with family . . . time well spent!

--Things were hectic the week after. Our Christmas concert was on the 6th, and it's always a bit crazy right before that. The concert was outstanding: all the choirs did a great job, we had a nice crowd, and we had a "Christmas Mass" afterwards with brass, strings, and a choir of almost 50. I always forget to enjoy these events until it's almost too late . . . it's so much work to get things off the ground, and then I worry right up to the starting time, convinced that I've forgotten to do something. Anyway, so far, they've all turned out very well, and I get a little less stressed each year. Another decade, and I won't even break a sweat!

--The week after the concert is always great; time to catch up on other work projects that I'd neglected, but also in a less frantic manner. Almost no deadlines at this point, thank Heavens. It was nice to spend more family time as well: starting on the Sundy after T-giving, I was at work for some period of time for 11 straight days (it would have been 13, but I had a funeral to attend on Thursday)! My poor kiddos were feeling a little daddy-deprived, so I've tried to make a concerted effort to enjoy their company this past week. I'll get a nice long break around Christmas and they're looking forward to that as well.

--We'll try to knock out a few more posts before Xmas, and then we'll be on hiatus again, I suspect.