We enjoyed spending time with Janet, Mom and Dad this weekend.  One of the highlights was going to Border's to see if they had a book Janet wanted.  They didn't, but we amused ourselves at the Riverwoods.  There were many Christmas decorations and lights, and we all enjoyed the free carriage ride around the Riverwoods.  Since no one was in line behind us, we got to take a longer route, so the ride was seven minutes instead of four.

After the carriage ride we passed through an awesome toy/candy store.  It was like the stores you see in movies: crowds of holiday shoppers, kids (and adults) playing with all the toys, and a whole wall full of candy, including a life size Christmas tree made of candy.  On the drive home we detoured through the Indian Hills neighborhood to see the houses with extravagant light displays.  A quick trip to Border's ended up being a fun (and free) family activity.

Done, finished, completed, over, concluded, ended.

Those are all words that describe my college undergraduate experience.  It feels pretty good.  Of course, that is assuming I passed all my classes.  I'm still harboring a slight fear that I didn't pass biochem, but everyone seemed to struggle with the final, so I think I'm alright.

So, what am I going to do now?  Look for a job.  It seems that jobs are quite limited in the Provo area, and I don't think I'm willing to commute to Salt Lake City, so it might take awhile to get a good job.  It would be nice if I could get a job at BYU, and since they finally ended the hiring freeze, it might be a possibility, if I'm lucky.

Although I studied a lot, I kept myself from going crazy by doing a few other things.

We put up our Christmas tree, and did some Christmas shopping.  We put colored lights on the tree since that is what we always had growing up, and it makes the tree more friendly.  I think most people here put white lights and matching ornaments on their tree so it is elegant and pretty, but I prefer the more homey, friendly look.  Note:  The majority of those presents are things we are giving other people, they are not all for us.

I made some cookies for a 12 days of Christmas thing the compassionate service committee did for a sister in the ward.  If you ever do something like this, don't choose 11 pipers piping.  It is quite difficult to think up a good present for that day.  Five golden rings or two turtle doves would have been much easier, but I was at the end of the list, so all the easy ones were taken.  If you can't tell what the cookies are, they are trumpets.  I fashioned a cookie cutter myself by reshaping two metal heart cookie cutters.  

I would put pictures of us up, but we look kind of chubby in the pictures we took.  It's a good thing I signed up for the BYU Wellness program.  By completing all the challenges and getting a health screening, we can each get $200 back from our health insurance premium.  I'm totally going to do it.

Thanksgiving Crafts

We spent Thanksgiving in Kaysville at Brian's parents' house.  Most of the Prestwich side of the family was there, and we enjoyed good company, good food, and lots of fun.

I made this blueberry pie.  It looked good and tasted good, but the filling didn't set, so it was runny inside.

Like all good Thanksgivings, this one included crafts!

We made this ornament by gluing folded fabric squares onto a Styrofoam ball.  It took awhile, but I think it looks good, and I really like it.

This ornament is just melted pony beads (in a mold) with wire wrapped around.

I didn't have time to make this one, but it is pretty easy.  Maybe when I'm done with classes I can finish it.