Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Hal writes:

Snow has been the theme the last two weeks. School was called off all over the area today (including Anna's last final at Clarke that was supposed to be this morning) but the university still had school so I had to work today. My parents continue to hope for a snow day up north, but they don't seem to be having as much luck as we are down here with school cancellations (perhaps their singing is a little off key for the "no school tomorrow" song). All Anna wants is an "A" in Ortho for Christmas, but she will have to wait until tomorrow to attempt that. After she is completed with tomorrow's test, she will be done with her classwork. Only two clinical internships this next spring and then she will graduate in May. Aside from studying for her last test, Anna has spent equal amount of time on the phone with her classmates planning social events for the rest of the week to celebrate their end of classes.

With the snow has also come an opportunity for me to give me new skis (and new boots, new poles, and new gloves) an their first time out on the snow. The first day had an ice glaze on top (see second picture below) and the past few days there has been so much snow that my previous days worth of tracks have vanished. Anna's been critiquing my technique, but I still have the feeling that I should be moving faster.

Yeah, it was a little icy...

Don't ask me what this photo is about. It's one of those Anna photos that she thinks is "cute". As in, "aw, look how cute our skis look together..." Anna and I have been skiing four or five times within the last week.

We decided to go with a smaller tree this year and we have it decorate along with the rest of the apartment.

So, we haven't blogged recently, but with it being the end of the semester for the both of us, it has kept us both busy. Although I can anticipate how busy the end of the semester can be (which includes the heightened stress levels of student taking finals) after doing this for a couple of years, it still doesn't make it any less work. By the time next week Friday rolls around, I'll be excited to have a very quiet building.

I also had some fun news this week. The program that I presented at a regional housing conference was awarded "Best Conference Program" out of over 120 programs. In addition to the award, the housing association I belong to is paying for me to present at the national conference this next June in Orlando. I'm a little nervous (in the conference program, my program will have a special mark by it to let participants know it is an award winner), but I've presented on the topic often enough that I will be comfortable with it. Another aspect is that it will be 75 minutes (instead of the tradition 50 minute program) so I will have an opportunity to expand on some points that I have not been able to before.