I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me that much, but upon my return to C of I after a delightful Thanksgiving Break, I found a stocking hanging on my dorm room door. And this wasn't a mini stocking fit for a newborn--this was a legitimate stocking, ready for Santa to stuff with lots of toys and goodies. It even had my name on it. One of my suitemates was thoughtful enough to have prepared stockings for everyone in the group, encouraging us to leave small gifts in each one before we close for the Holiday Break three weeks from now.

It’s Wednesday, and I’m six hours, two classes, and one quiz away from Thanksgiving Break. For C of I students, Thanksgiving Break is more like an extended weekend than a full-out break. But since we’ve got so many weeklong breaks and we’re just a few weeks away from a lengthy Christmas break, there’s not much to complain about. Or maybe I don’t mind the shortness of the reprise because my commute home to Boise is a mere 30 minutes. Either way, everyone is looking forward to a few days off, and Thanksgiving is on everybody’s mind.

I just got back from Portland, where I watched both the men's and women's cross country teams DESTROY at nationals. Hillary Holt took first place by 20 seconds, and the women's team took a very, very close second as a team. The men also had an incredible race, with Greg Montgomery taking second. It was so worth the drive up to see my teammates do so awesome. I'm so proud to even run with them. Seeing them be awesome was definitely worth the trip, and that alone would have been worth the drive.

Even though the weather is cold and grey enough to turn everyone at C of I into the most sluggish of reptiles, giving up movement and energy is something no one can afford to do just now.  Though we hit the midpoint mark of the semester a while ago, now is the time that professors are reminding us that there are still half the semester’s points left to earn, and the tests and assignments are piling up to prove it.