christmas (to do!) list

i realized earlier this week that the upcoming christmas break may be my last one like it: three weeks sans school & internship! i've been a student so long that i haven't yet had to confront the reality that a vacation of this length doesn't come so easily after entering the "real world" of work. to make the most of my last student-sized holiday, i've started a "to do" list of things i want to accomplish over the break; most are fun, some are necessary:

• read one flew over the cuckoo's nest and watch the movie. i've had two or three patients this semester tell me that their experience in our hospital reminded them of this movie. coincidentally, one of the patients in the book/movie has the same name as one of our psychiatrists. hopefully, that's where the similarities end...
  
• finish two art projects i've started. one is a photo collage to spruce up the office at my internship. the other is a painting to put up in our living room.

unfinished work

• write & send christmas cards. we've already had a few start coming in the mail. i've never really had an extensive list to send cards to, but it sort of seems like a thing married people do. i also can't resist the opportunity to use pretty stationery and send snail mail!
• meet up with some friends from high school. i'll be back home for a week with my parents while chris starts his first week at ge. i'm looking forward to spending some time with friends that i don't get to see often, catching up and remembering old times.
• spend some time with my mom. we like to go antiquing downtown (she knows all the good shops) and eat at the local bakery. you never know what you'll find - as the name of one of our regular stops indicates: merry' s trash and treasures.
  
• start and finish my christmas shopping! i haven't made any progress beyond making a list (and checking it twice, of course). i'm glad my new family members have a custom of providing wish lists for each other to make the job easier. i'm looking forward to getting a jump start when chris & i go together this weekend to get some white elephant/secret santa gifts for two christmas parties we have.
  
• buy the nce study guide and start studying. the national counselor examination is a test i'll take next april to obtain national certification. a passing score is guaranteed with each purchase!