Rose, Happy on Tractor

Originally uploaded by jacob.scheckman

By the way…Thanksgiving in New England was everything I had hoped for! Including this opportunity to drive the tractor in Vermont and pick up some dirt. You should try it sometime–it is not as easy as it looks!! But it is also very rewarding. Next time, I MIGHT even get to operate more difficult machinery. Better watch out!!

So it’s December. Last year, December just meant holiday season fun. Wishing it would snow, drinking too many hot drinks, knitting new projects, and making big big pots of soup! It was my first (and so far only) year where I wasn’t in school, but I had completely forgotten that finals season ever existed. It was like the past eight years of high school and college finals had never even happened. December was fun! December was terrific! I loved December!

Of course…that only lasted one year. Now I’m back in school again and I realize…December isn’t all that fun. Half of my classes are over next week: which means plenty of writing and preparing for presentations before more take-home exams and studying for in-class exams. Gross. In between all of this studying and writing is frantic holiday shopping/gift-creating. And WANTING to bake cookies and make big pots of soup and trying new recipes. I sound like a little old lady. Anyways, now I remember that there are only at MOST 10 fun days in December. All the days that exist after you turn in your finals.

I have been counting down the days until Jake and I pack our bags (including all my family’s luggage that Midwest Airlines “lost”, one particular item being a gigantic, almost life-size inflatable alligator) and make the long trek to Burlington, Vermont. This will be my first return to the East Coast since early January 2008 and I could not be more excited!

Today we woke up to a very calm and beautiful morning: the first real snowfall in Minneapolis this season! I had no idea how excited I was for winter, until the snow came and it got me thinking about all the great activities, smells, foods, and sights that are all associated with this cold but beautiful season! So here is a list, in no particular order, of all the things that I am excited for!

Who is super super super super super super super excited?!?!?

ME!

We are back from another nice weekend on the farm with our fave horses, mini burros, and Corgies! We spent most of the weekend playing with the dogs…they are just the sweetest little things and it’s nice to be able to spend some time with them while we wait for the “right time” for us to get our own dog-friend! Here’s a picture of them being super cute:

I love my computer. The week before I started grad school, Jake and I made a trip to the University of Minnesota bookstore, where I purchased a brand new MacBook, iPod touch, and a printer. I was ecstatic. First of all, I was planning on using some of my ed award to pay for this beauty. Secondly, I was ready to put the old computer aside. Now, I want to say that the old computer did a good job and was very satisfactory. But, it was a G3 iBook (thank you Rob Burns for saving me in the midst of computer panic-honors writing crisis) and it did not even have a cd drive, amongst a list of other things that it could not do (I don’t want to hurt its feelings, so I won’t get into more detail). So needless to say, I was thankful for the update while I embarked on a new period in my life where I would once again rely on my computer for all things important in life.

My favorite season is definitely fall. I love it when the leaves change color, I love the crispness of the air after 3 months of hot and tropical humidity, I love pumpkins, and mostly…I love apple picking! Since I’ve moved to Minnesota, I’ve enjoyed apple picking even MORE. Why? Because in Minnesota, you can pick Honey Crisp apples!

Today in the mail I received a mysterious letter sent to my NE address. The letter was from Alaska…from the GOVERNOR of Alaska. Sure enough, I looked inside to see a photocopied picture of the one and only Sarah Palin, Gov. of Alaska. Now why would Sarah Palin send ME a letter? (No, we’re not pen pals…)

So, long time no post (but I’m not going to kid myself, I’m not sure if there is a single person in the world who reads this blog. Especially since I only post once every other month.) But we’ve been quite busy lately, too busy to post about all the things that are actually worth posting about.

Since there is no sense trying to recap everything we have been doing, I’ll just start with today.  Jake and I joined 3,500 Minneapolis residents in the Minneapolis Bike Tour! We went all around the lakes, down by the great Mississippi River, into Northeast Minneapolis, on the Theodore Wirth Parkway, and then back to Parade Park for the “aftour” party for a 40 mile ride! By far the longest I had ever gone on my bike (previous best was about 20 miles). We ate lots of snacks, saw so many cute kids and pretty dogs, and even though it rained a little bit on us, we really enjoyed ourselves. We’re hoping to do a repeat next year with more of our bike loving friends.