Well I never thought I'd say this with such joy but the semester is OVER and Christmas is 4 days away. I ended up doing better on my statistics final than I feared. I passed with a solid C (75%) which is just fine for me when it comes to facing a statistics class. I don't anticipate struggling in my 3 classes this upcoming semester so it's safe to say I'm graduating in April! Thank you to all my family who were such a great cheering section with facing this semester. Especially my dear husband who not only cheered my on as well but who was often abandoned and ignored as I crammed and studied and did homework assignments. Thankfully this next semester will not be as busy.

Even though we will not have Christmas at our apartment, Mark decided we would spend the money and buy a real tree. When I was little some of my sisters had allergies. Mark decided it was time to put an end to the 17-year tradition of artificial trees. We bought it at Home Depot on the 10th or so. The overpowering pine smell that consumed our house for a week is now gone, but the tree is still living. We donated it to a friend today and it left us still very healthy.

My mom called one day just before we bought the tree to say she had some ornaments for us. Some were sparkly, and then she gave me 4 of these ones. I think they're pretty appropriate. We may have problems if Mark ends up at University of Utah or something. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
This holiday season, I was also proactive and made treats for our home teachers, and a few friends we've made from church. I made rice krispy treats with Christmas M&M's in it. I thought about saying something clever like "Merry 'Krisp'mas" but I forgot. It was probably for the better anyway.
That brings you up to date. Currently outside, we have tons of snow. This morning we brushed off at least a foot of snow from the car. Of course this "blizzard" couldn't have occurred during Thanksgiving when we didn't have as far to go. This storm was predicted to be done by today but as luck would have it, it has stuck around longer. Our 4am departure dreams are dashed currently. We're hoping to be able to get on the road tomorrow. It has finally stopped snowing completely since it began late Sunday night. We're crossing our fingers the rest is just rain and that the roads that are currently closed on our route open up. But the snow is not the end of our adventures. We hear rumor that Saint George is flooding too because of all the rain they're getting from this storm! We may not get out of Utah alive! (That was supposed to be a joke...)

Merry Christmas to all!