Hits and Misses (November 23 - 29)

I'm returning from my unplanned blogging break. Here's a look back at the week that was....

HITS

• It was wonderful to have a week off from the majority of my responsibilities. I was able to take a break from the normal routine and catch up on some television. In the process, I also caught up on some paperwork I had been avoiding and got to enjoy some quality time with my family in the process.
• Thanksgiving week always marks the beginning of holiday cooking in the Geriatric Ward. This year saw more successes than bombs, too! Once again, we made our pumpkin spice cookies with chocolate chips. (These cookies will always make me think of my family in Malibu.....thanks for letting me steal the recipe, Hammy!) We added a few new recipes to our repertoire as well.  The homemade cranberry sauce and snicker doodle cake were huge hits! I'm still working on the amazing hot chocolate we made on Thanksgiving afternoon (which reheats well too).
• Thanksgiving also means that we get to decorate for Christmas! The tree went up on Thanksgiving morning and the rest of the living room is almost completed. Now I move to the kitchen and dining room. I really do love this season of the year and enjoy getting to decorate my home when I have plenty of time to do it.
  
• Since I didn't find myself sitting at the piano for voice lessons, I enjoyed getting in some solo practice this week. It has been a joy to work through some problem passages in my Mozart sonata again and to begin learning a new Faure nocturne. I am tentatively planning a recital for the fall semester. We'll see how preparations go in the coming months, but I'm enjoying playing the solo repertoire again.
• To round out my week of vacation, I treated myself to a trip to the movies. I really enjoyed seeing The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I on Saturday afternoon. Somehow I tend to forget how relaxing it is to spend a few hours in a dark theater with complete strangers while I get transported to another world. I definitely need to allow more time for this in my regular routine.

MISSES

• I am playing keyboards in the Christmas musical at First Marion this year. It's the first year that
  
  I have been involved with the production (or the church's music department, for that matter). Imagine my embarrassment when I got the phone call on Sunday afternoon asking if I was coming to rehearsal! I had written the wrong time in my calendar and was going to be an hour late. Thankfully everyone understood it was a simple mistake and we were still able to get everything accomplished without wasting everyone's time. I'm just thankful that these types of things happen very rarely for me (and that I didn't get a ticket while DASHING to the rehearsal).
• Wednesday was a frustrating day for me. I had a long list of things that simply had to get accomplished -- errands for Thanksgiving dinner and work-related responsibilities. I knew that these things had to get done or else I would be working on Friday instead of relaxing (and shopping). When my mother assumed my schedule was clear since I didn't have to go to school, I was more than a little irate. I am ashamed to admit that I didn't handle the situation very well. My actions were without excuse, but it still doesn't make it any better that I was put in the situation in the first place. I'll just chalk it up to another difficult issue for adult children living with and caring for their geriatrics.
• Even though I rested this week and took care of myself, I am still sick. It looks as though I'm going to just push through the next 10 days to finish out the semester. If I'm still stuffy and wheezy by then, I suppose I'll finally break down and visit the doctor.

There you have it. Hope you all have a great first week of December as you celebrate the birth of our Savior!
~Kennith