I'm alive! I promise.

I have been busy working practically every night, editing pictures for my good friend Kevin's woodworking portfolio (how gorgeous are those rings? and that bowl is my favorite of his), working on a top secret 21st birthday project for my brother, and packing and preparing for a trip to Charleston to celebrate said birthday with the family.

And to top it all off, we had a massive severe thunderstorm swing by yesterday afternoon and were without power for about 5 hours (just in time for me to leave for work and come back home at the end of my shift. I'm extremely lucky sometimes.) The bad news, I came home last night to no cable or internet, and woke up this morning to the same thing. Which is why this post is just now being published instead of last night like I had originally planned.

Anyway, I could really use a vacation. Thank goodness we are leaving for South Carolina first thing tomorrow morning.

I will have more pictures when I come back later next week. I will also hopefully have Kevin's portfolio completed and ready to share by then as well.

staying warm.

This semester is a lot busier than the last. Last semester, I had a very light class load and I found myself bored during the day between classes. This semester, I get why college students run around like crazy people. I like it, though. I am much a happier person when I'm crazy busy than when I'm completely bored.

And although my schedule is crazy this semester, it works for me. I'm up at a decent hour every day. I work out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the two hour gap between my first class and my second. My days go by quickly and I have enough time in the afternoon and evenings to do extra work, take a yoga class, or relax and get dinner with my boyfriend.

I think the main good thing about this semester being crazy, especially this time of year, is that I am moving. And the important thing is that I am moving forward. Staying active is one of the best pieces of advice I've been given when it comes to dealing with winter in the mountains.

Other ways that I have been coping with the below freezing temperatures include crocheting scarves(my roommate knits!), painting my toenails a sparkly silver, and bringing some green life in with one of the ferns that the Environmental Club was giving out in the Student Union.