This is a Nutshell. Inside are Some Details About Winter Break.

This is a series of lists about winter break.  It is in list format for the following reasons:

• I was wide awake when I decided to blog and by the time I picked a topic I was exhausted.  It's 2 am.  Complete sentences are unlikely, and those that do slide through will undoubtedly include poor grammar, spelling, or the use of vocabulary that I don't really understand.  
• It's a nutshell, it's not supposed to be long.
• I like to list stuff.  It looks neat and orderly.  And I like that too.

Why Winter Break 2009/2010 was Unique:

• It is my very last Winter Break as a student ever.  Whoa.
• It started on December 23, which is all too close to Christmas.  This year, that meant that 80% of the gifts I purchased came from a single store, were purchased less than 2 hours from the time I turned in my last assignment, and were successful despite being poorly thought out.  Thanks for understanding, family!
• It included homework.  A lot of it. 
• As opposed to most breaks of the past, which started to feel long and drawn out, this one is almost over and I could still use one more week to recover from last semester.  
• My social calendar was the perfect balanced of booked/please don't make me put on real pants today.  Usually I feel like break is either too hectic trying to fit everyone in to your free time for lunches, brunches, and happy hours (oh my) or feels like the rest of the planet forgot you.  This year, there was a perfect ratio of social events, get-togethers and what-nots to the days in which I did not shower, get dressed, leave my home or eat a balanced meal.  

Despite being a little different than the Winter Breaks of years past, it was still pretty awesome to have 27 days of limited responsibility.  In those 27 days I did the following:

• Ate myself silly on such delicious food items as cheesy potatoes, egg nog, and frosted sugar cookies.
• Christmas Eve at my Grandma's with a large gathering of extended family.
• Relaxing, wonderful Christmas morning with Mom, Dad, Kim and Erik.  There's no group of people I would rather open 6 pairs of socks with (thanks guys!).*
• Went on a "Girl's Night" with my mom and sister to the Beauty and the Beast at the Ordway.  
• Saw my high school ladies.  It is sometimes hard to believe that we have maintained such a close friendship after being geographically separated and doing very different things with our lives.  At the same time, they challenge me and inspire me and spending even one evening with them is renewing and refreshing.  
• Played with Mom and Dad's new puppy, Sonny.  Luckily I got to spend my days with him before he got too mischievous.  Our favorite sequence of events: go outside for a little jog up and down the driveway, play with the squeaky elephant for a solid hour in the living room, and then pass out in my chair.  8 hours of this sequence on loop for two days made for one tired, worn out, slightly frazzled Mugwump.
• Phenomenal New Years.  While our New Years celebration was pretty typical for young adults (get dressed up, attend a house party) it was one of the best I have had.  I could not have imagined spending it with a better group of friends, I was thrilled that all of the roommates were home and together, and the horde of people in our living room/kitchen in the morning was a true testament to the perfection that is Shivan's Famous Hangover French Toast.  We will be telling NYE 2010 stories for years to come!
• CHE Brunch.  This is best described as a bunch of young women who get together, praise good cooking and complain.  It is here that we discovered that we have a tendency to gossip like old bitties, and we love it just the same.  
• Odds'n'ends (things worth note but maybe not deserving of their own bullet): epic movie days with Kerri, a little retail therapy, lunches, happy hours, laundry day, textbook reading, a tiny bit of painting.  

Okay, so define "nutshell."  I didn't say pistachio or peanut. . . this was like, a Brazil nut's worth of information.**  Coming soon for your reading pleasure, more entries about grad school! Yay!  I promise to try not to make them all complaining.  

* I got other stuff besides socks, but my last minute email pleading for socks was quite the Christmas story this year.

** The Brazil Nut is the world's largest of the nut family.  Word of advice, be very careful and a bit more specific when Googling "world's largest nut."  I had to clear my browser and search history as a result of this hasty mistake.