Christmas Break

I worked crazy hours last week so I could wrap up some projects enough to walk away from them for a while. I decided to take off two weeks of work this Christmas and enjoy some time with my family. I really need it. Work has been really consuming lately.

So I've been relaxing with my family since last Saturday and it has been great! We've got lots of plans. We're hoping to go swimming, roller skating, and maybe ice skating. We're going to go play at one of those indoor warehouse-size places that house all kinds of huge inflatable toys like the slide in the picture below. We might go bowling and we are definitely going to camp out one night in the living room, have popcorn, watch a movie, and sleep on the couches/floors. We've done that a few times in the past and even though we don't always sleep all that great, it's a lot of fun.

I did all of my shopping online this year, so I didn't face any of the shopping madness. I don't watch TV, so no stupid commercials to ruin the holiday spirit. My kids want to buy or make a few more gifts for each other, but other than that, I think we're just about set. We still have to wrap presents, but I enjoy doing that, especially if Emily and I do it together. So I think we're about ready for Christmas and I'm enjoying the break without any of the holiday stress.

There is a small piece of work that I haven't quite left behind, though. I've been spending an hour or two each day preparing for my class next semester. I've taught in lots of different venues, including filling in for a colleague of mine in his college course, but I've never taught my own full semester-long course before. I get to do that next month and I'm really excited! I've written a syllabus, course outline, two homework assignments, and most of my material for the first three lectures. I've also solved the first homework set, so I know it's structured right. I don't know why, but I'm really enjoying this preparation and the fact that I do it willingly while I'm on vacation is a really good sign. I think I'm going to enjoy teaching next semester.

In the meantime, I'm piddling around with this course preparation stuff and enjoying the rest of my time reading, relaxing, blogging, and playing with my wife and kids. I hope your Christmas is as wonderful as mine is shaping up to be. Have a Merry Christmas! And God bless you.