Classes are done and all assignments turned in, except for a paper due January 10th. That means it's time to enjoy the holidays with Seth and take a bit of a break!
We have a dinky little Charlie Brown tree set up on the side of the desk with a small pile of packages underneath. We've gotten some packages in the mail from our families, and the rest of the boxes are presents we bought for each other. While we were together. So there won't be many surprises this year since I know exactly what Seth bought for me, but it was really the easiest thing to do. When you can't just hop in a car and drive to the store, it's much nicer to have company during the walk into the city centre.
Christmas really isn't about the gifts this year (not that it is any year, but even more starkly this year). There's no point to accumulating "stuff" for Christmas when we won't be able to bring it back home. We bought each other things that were either edible or small things that we needed (a 2012 daily planner for me, new slippers for Seth, etc.), and asked for things we missed from home from our families (Kraft mac & cheese, Caribou Coffee, etc.). Our real gift to each other is a trip (hopefully) to Edinburgh, Scotland for a week. Since we're living off of loans anyway, we might as well enjoy our access to travel that we won't have again for ages.
But Christmas itself is going to be most likely the only Christmas that will be relaxing and commitment-free. It will be just Seth and me - nowhere to go and no one to see. In all actuality, as much as we're going to miss our families, we're really looking forward to Christmas. Sleeping in, opening gifts together, cooking Christmas dinner... that kind of relaxed holiday doesn't come around that often.
Last Sunday, we went to a candlelight Christmas carol service at Ebrington. It really was a beautiful service: carols alternating with scripture readings and accompaniment by a Flute band. Since church is at 10am (instead of 11:30am) on Christmas day and we have a 45 minute walk, we're not going back until after Christmas and going to that service was a good reminder to get my priorities in check for the Christmas season. Hopefully, having a nice quiet Christmas will also give me the opportunity to reflect on what Christmas is really for without all the normal distractions.
So, here's to a Christmas season of firsts: first Christmas with Seth, first Christmas away from home, first Christmas in another country. God has done so much for us this year, and I know we'll be in good hands for 2012. :)
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
It's Winter Again
It's getting to the point of my time here that the romance of being newly married and living in Northern Ireland is drifting away. Now, that's not to say that I regret anything: absolutely not! I married the man I love and I know I'm following God's plan, but it seems a lot more like everyday life than an exciting adventure right now. It's not "new" anymore.
I think it's because it's December now, and winter has a whole different feel than the fall. Going out to the grocery store is no longer an enjoyable walk that we can do together; when the rain and icy wind sting your face and hands when you go outside, staying in sounds much more preferable. Waking up for class seems much more like a chore when the daylight is no longer creeping through the curtains when I have to get out of bed. The semester is drawing to a close (bringing more intense coursework) and the holiday season is just around the corner. As excited as I am to have a quiet Christmas with just Seth, it will still be my first Christmas in 23 years where I won't be with my parents and family. The same goes for Seth, too. Christmas will be small, quiet, relaxed, and likely stress-free - hooray! - but possibly a little bit lonely in the deserted dormitories.
I know this post seems like I'm feeling down, but I'm not. I love where we are and I love living with Seth (even if he is currently snoring during his afternoon nap while I'm writing this), and were I given the opportunity to change anything, I'd still be here, with him.
Fortunately, we've had more of an opportunity to travel in the last month. At the beginning of November, we went with the Magee Christian Union to Ballintoy, which is on the northern coast of NI. It's right by the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and Seth and I made sure to go and see it while we were nearby. The coastline there is amazing - one of the most beautiful places in the world.
It was a busy weekend, but it was blessedly free from rain all weekend. I may not have been here long, but I've been here long enough to know that beautiful weekends like that don't come around too often.
There are a lot of good people in the CU too, and I think both of us enjoyed getting to know them a little better over the weekend.
A couple weeks later, Seth and I took a day trip in to Belfast. It was the day of the Christmas light switch-on and the first day of the Continental Christmas market (and a Saturday), so the whole city was flooded with people. We made it a touristy day and took a bus tour of all the landmarks in the city: Seth has never been there, and I was there with a host family on England term so I saw some parts of the city but not others. It was good for both of us to be able to do the tour together.
The Christmas market was by the City Hall, right in the center of the city. We stopped by to explore after we ate an early dinner (TGI Friday's - sometimes, a little taste of home is appealing) and the market was a mass of people. I had to clutch my purse to my chest because there would be no way to notice pickpocketing, and if someone with a baby stroller stopped in front of us to give their kid a sweet (which they did - a lot), we'd be trapped for several minutes until we could shoulder our way into the crowd slowing parting around them. Still - mulled wine and fudge made everything better.
It was an exhausting but fun day, and we're hoping to get back to Belfast sometime when the holiday shopping season isn't in full swing.
So there's a brief update - I'm off to take my "Sabbath evening of rest" after typing up an essay outline earlier. A little relaxation can go a long way for morale.
I think it's because it's December now, and winter has a whole different feel than the fall. Going out to the grocery store is no longer an enjoyable walk that we can do together; when the rain and icy wind sting your face and hands when you go outside, staying in sounds much more preferable. Waking up for class seems much more like a chore when the daylight is no longer creeping through the curtains when I have to get out of bed. The semester is drawing to a close (bringing more intense coursework) and the holiday season is just around the corner. As excited as I am to have a quiet Christmas with just Seth, it will still be my first Christmas in 23 years where I won't be with my parents and family. The same goes for Seth, too. Christmas will be small, quiet, relaxed, and likely stress-free - hooray! - but possibly a little bit lonely in the deserted dormitories.
I know this post seems like I'm feeling down, but I'm not. I love where we are and I love living with Seth (even if he is currently snoring during his afternoon nap while I'm writing this), and were I given the opportunity to change anything, I'd still be here, with him.
Fortunately, we've had more of an opportunity to travel in the last month. At the beginning of November, we went with the Magee Christian Union to Ballintoy, which is on the northern coast of NI. It's right by the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and Seth and I made sure to go and see it while we were nearby. The coastline there is amazing - one of the most beautiful places in the world. It was a busy weekend, but it was blessedly free from rain all weekend. I may not have been here long, but I've been here long enough to know that beautiful weekends like that don't come around too often.
There are a lot of good people in the CU too, and I think both of us enjoyed getting to know them a little better over the weekend.
A couple weeks later, Seth and I took a day trip in to Belfast. It was the day of the Christmas light switch-on and the first day of the Continental Christmas market (and a Saturday), so the whole city was flooded with people. We made it a touristy day and took a bus tour of all the landmarks in the city: Seth has never been there, and I was there with a host family on England term so I saw some parts of the city but not others. It was good for both of us to be able to do the tour together.
It was an exhausting but fun day, and we're hoping to get back to Belfast sometime when the holiday shopping season isn't in full swing.
So there's a brief update - I'm off to take my "Sabbath evening of rest" after typing up an essay outline earlier. A little relaxation can go a long way for morale.
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