it's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas

I'm not one of those people who begins counting down to Christmas in October and rushes through Thanksgiving, but I must say I'm a big fan of the Christmas season. Maybe it's because Christmas, being sandwiched between my birthday at the beginning of the month and New Year's at the end, represents an entire month of festivities. Or maybe it's because I have an attachment to present wrapping and family gatherings (and, may I add, pie eating). It's certainly not anything related to snow since I didn't see any until I was 17.

I think it has something to do with the music. Music has a way of getting in to you, of bringing back wonderful memories and fond traditions. And I guess, for me, it's always the sign that Christmas time is here. So this year, right after Thanksgiving, we whipped out the holiday tunes and belted out our favorites, and I've listened to it more than anything else since then.

But what I've come to appreciate more and more about Christmas music - and here I mean the classics, not songs like "Mr. Grinch" - is not just the memories of the past it brings but the looking toward the future that it encourages. Advent, a season of the liturgical church calendar, is this time of year; and contrary to the little I knew growing up, it represents more than just lighting a candle on Sundays. Since Christmas is about remembering the birth of Jesus Christ, Advent is about remembering that He's coming back one day - it's a season of longing for our Messiah to return. And the music we sing is resonant of that. From "Joy to the World" to "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" we're reminded of both comings of Christ: we celebrate the one and anticipate the other. In a world where we look around us and see so much wrong, Christmas music reminds us that this isn't the end of the story. There's hope! There's a Savior who came and who's returning.

So, in this season of Christmas that's full of lists of things to buy and people to see (and, for this college student, a list of papers and finals), let's keep the Christmas songs playing and let the message of hope they carry fill our hearts.

time flies when you're having fun

Lame title, I know. But it's true. And it explains why the entire month of October (make that this entire semester) feels like a blur to me. I looked down at my watch today and realized that it's November 1st and thought, "Where the heck did October go?" Though October did go out with a bang: a freak snow storm. 'Twas a strange sight to see Halloween decorations and pumpkins covered in snow.

For the benefit of those who haven't been with me at Eastern (which is probably everyone who actually reads these posts) I'll give ya an update on what I've been up to. Take it as a given that classes and homework are part of the "what I've been doing" so I'll skip to some slightly more interesting things.

Youth group: Can I just say how wonderful being a youth leader is? I adore the students, especially my middle school girls; they're a hoot. We had the middle school retreat a few weeks back and went to this place near the Chesapeake. Fun commenced. A giant swing was involved. It was great. Oh, and I just might be more excited than my girls for our upcoming sleepover. Just maybe. Also, this semester I started co-teaching the middle school Sunday school class. Lesson learned: Food coloring, milk, and doughnuts is cheap entertainment for middle schoolers (with only slight instigation needed). Let's just say that we drank what looked like paint, made our own "jelly-filled" doughnuts, and several students went home with green and blue teeth.

Work: Technically I'm working three jobs right now. Job #1: Office work on campus; I get to work with the nicest ladies ever, too. Job #2: Van driving for freshman service-learning. Funny how the only vehicle I drive on a regular basis now is a 15 passenger van. Also, once we're at the site I get paid to play with preschoolers and make felt animals. Do I like it? Clearly. Job #3: Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Everyone always asks me what I do there; the short answer is that I help facilitate youth leadership/civics conferences. Never quite feels like work, though, because I love youth and event planning... And even though none of these jobs amount to that many hours, I can still one day tell my kids and grandkids that "when I was your age I had to work 3 jobs at once to pay for college." Hah.

Adventures: Hiking is one of my favorite things to do so I've been happy to have gone on a few hikes this semester (though these hikes can't be compared to Colorado). One was about 30 minutes from campus. We started off in the pouring rain and meandered our way through the trails; proved my survival skills by catching crayfish with my bare hands. Another hike was to Hawk Mountain; prime bird watching territory as the name indicates, so good thing I was with three ornithology students. The last of the hikes was over fall break while camping in Shenandoah National Park. We romped around near Old Rag peak (apparently both the prettiest and hardest hike in the park - but that's to be saved for another trip down there) and also hiked to a really pretty waterfall. Other highlights from that camping trip were gathering around the fire to read The Little Prince out loud to one another (beware of the baobabs) and then having a crab feast in Maryland on the way back.

Future: Denmark and Colorado!! I'm officially going to study abroad in Denmark in the spring. And, a week after getting back from there, I'll be heading out to Colorado for my 2nd summer at Wind River. And a week after I get back from that, I return to Eastern for my senior year. I'm pretty excited about my 2012.

But enough of looking back and looking forward. Time to get back to my task of the day: paper writing.