Thanksgiving in the Catskills

For Thanksgiving, Shane and I rented a car and went up to the Catskills, where some of his extended family live. One of his great aunts hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for about 35, which, I have been told, is small for the family. It was a little strange to be the only non-White person in the area, but most in his family are nice and, at least, well intentioned. I had a good time and am thankful for the long break. Shane and I got to spend time together, and I relaxed.

Now I'm back with nose to grindstone, but I'm feeling a bit sick and haven't been student teaching the past couple of days. Assignments are coming due, and I'm still playing catch-up, so the weekend forecast is all about work, work, work! The good news is that I end student teaching a week earlier than I thought, so there are only about two weeks left! Hallelujah, indeed! I can then spend the last week before the break working on my thesis project....

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in New York. The streets in my neighborhood are decorated with white lights. Some people decorate their fire escapes, because they have no front yard! It's not quite that cold yet, but we saw a little bit of snow up in the Catskills this past weekend. It's also sounding a lot like Christmas. Normally I can't stand Christmas carols, but Shane and his family love them, and I make fun of Shane and his Christmas fervor, but it's also kind of fun and I don't mind the songs as much as I used to. It's hard to be a scrooge around such holiday cheer. Plus, there are some cool Christmas songs, like the Alvin and the Chipmunks one....

I can't wait for the winter vacation! Two weeks of zero schoolwork, until I go back to student teaching in early January. I'll spend a week with Shane and his immediate family in Rochester, and then Shane and I will spend a week in Tucson. I am looking forward to sledding, if there's snow in Rochester, and being in the balmy Sonoran Desert again.