I know it has been quite some time since I've posted, but in all truthfulness, nothing too noteworthy happened throughout the month of December, and we've been quite busy since we've returned from Canada. Before Christmas, I was insanely busy with the course I was doing at the time, which was called Innovative Tumor Therapies and was probably my favorite class I've done so far. Lucky for me, I landed an internship with the professor of the course and, in February, I'll be starting a project about lung cancer and combination therapy. I'm really looking forward to getting out of the classroom and into the lab!
Anyway, between Bruges and Christmas, that was the only share-worthy point.
My Christmas break started on December 18. I had a final exam that afternoon and after, I headed out with some classmates for dinner and drinks (sadly, I bailed on the karaoke part of the evening). I don't know why we don't do that more often because it was such a great time!
The next day, I took full advantage of the lounge time and watched TV in my PJ's all morning.....and part of the afternoon. After a really intense 4 months of school (and no long weekends), I was basking in the glory of having nothing to do. Eventually, I realized that wasn't entirely true, and I started packing for our trip home.
We played suitcase Tetris all morning Saturday, and after shuffling stroopwafels from one bag to another, we were finally packed and ready to fly our 50lbs of Dutch food to Canada. Just kidding. It wasn't all food....just mostly food.
We arrived in YEG at 5:00pm on Sunday to HUGE hugs and happy tears. There's nothing like a good hug from your parents after not seeing the for 7 months (we were all too busy hugging to bother taking a picture).
The two weeks we spent in Canada were a whirlwind, but a wonderful one. We started off our holiday by spending a few days with Carter and Cash. I was absolutely convinced they wouldn't know who I was. I figured they would play shy and be reluctant to give me hugs. I couldn't have been more wrong! The second they saw me, both yelled Auntie and came barreling towards me for hugs. It was the most heartwarming thing and a memory I'll cherish forever. I couldn't get over how much they've grown. They're no longer little babies, but running and talking little people!
We spent Christmas Eve at Baba's like we do every year, and it was wonderful. Christmas Eve at Baba's is the reason I love Christmas. In Dutch there's the the word "gezellig" and there's no literal English translation, but it exactly sums up why I love Christmas Eve at Baba's so much. Wikipedia describes it as "belonging, time spent with loved ones or togetherness that gives a warm feeling", It's the perfect word for the occasion! I've spent every Christmas Eve of my life at Baba's stuffing myself full of amazing Ukrainian foods, laughing with my cousins, playing cards and enjoying family, and like I said, it remains my favorite holiday.
After Christmas, Sander and I decided to take a mini vacation within our vacation and head to the mountains. We did a day of super easy hiking and a day of snowboarding. I forgot how much I love the Rockies. I cannot even count how many times I've been to the mountains, and they still take my breath away.
Anyway, between Bruges and Christmas, that was the only share-worthy point.
My Christmas break started on December 18. I had a final exam that afternoon and after, I headed out with some classmates for dinner and drinks (sadly, I bailed on the karaoke part of the evening). I don't know why we don't do that more often because it was such a great time!
We played suitcase Tetris all morning Saturday, and after shuffling stroopwafels from one bag to another, we were finally packed and ready to fly our 50lbs of Dutch food to Canada. Just kidding. It wasn't all food....just mostly food.
The two weeks we spent in Canada were a whirlwind, but a wonderful one. We started off our holiday by spending a few days with Carter and Cash. I was absolutely convinced they wouldn't know who I was. I figured they would play shy and be reluctant to give me hugs. I couldn't have been more wrong! The second they saw me, both yelled Auntie and came barreling towards me for hugs. It was the most heartwarming thing and a memory I'll cherish forever. I couldn't get over how much they've grown. They're no longer little babies, but running and talking little people!
We spent Christmas Eve at Baba's like we do every year, and it was wonderful. Christmas Eve at Baba's is the reason I love Christmas. In Dutch there's the the word "gezellig" and there's no literal English translation, but it exactly sums up why I love Christmas Eve at Baba's so much. Wikipedia describes it as "belonging, time spent with loved ones or togetherness that gives a warm feeling", It's the perfect word for the occasion! I've spent every Christmas Eve of my life at Baba's stuffing myself full of amazing Ukrainian foods, laughing with my cousins, playing cards and enjoying family, and like I said, it remains my favorite holiday.
After Christmas, Sander and I decided to take a mini vacation within our vacation and head to the mountains. We did a day of super easy hiking and a day of snowboarding. I forgot how much I love the Rockies. I cannot even count how many times I've been to the mountains, and they still take my breath away.
We rang in the new year watching the Northern Lights, drinking eggnog, playing cards and visiting. It was a great start to 2016, and I'm happy to report I started the year without a hangover for once! ;) The last few days of our holiday were spent hanging out at the lake. I tinkered on the piano for a bit, we had a campfire, we played suitcase Tetris again and before we knew it, it was time to fly back to Holland and return to the daily grind.
Being back to the daily grind is kind of nice. As amazing as holidays are, it's always nice to return to a routine. I've started a new course for the month of January (Biostatistics) which is keeping my plenty busy. We're also back to our gym routine, working off those extra pounds from Christmas, and we've started packing for our move at the end of the month. Yes, we're moving again, but it's something that deserves it's own post! So for now, here's a sweet pic I snapped near Sander's parents' house.
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