My new addictions!

Completing my very intense, very fulfilling masters degree and diving right into--well--nothing, particularly, has been a bit of a struggle. School gives every day meaning and purpose: there is always something to be done for classes, some test to prepare for, some concert program (in my case) to be polishing, etc. etc. etc.

So, after 20 years of being a student, I landed with a thud in this thing we call "free time," and I had no idea what to do with it. At first I wandered aimlessly around our new house and checked my email too many times a day, but as the weeks have passed, I have slowly rediscovered SO MANY things that I love to do--so many things I have a passion for. Here is a quick rundown of what I do to occupy my time these days:


Cooking! Well, when I have enough first-trimester energy for it :) I already posted about my cookbook-reading craze, but I just had to reiterate what a joy it is for me to cook right now! Fast forward 7, 8, 9 months, and I know this enthusiasm will be greatly diminished by the brand new baby that will demand so much time and energy. But right now in this brief season of pure self improvement and indulgence, I am loving it. And I especially like it when Nick comes home to a nice warm meal and tells me how much he loves it.

Reading! I unpacked our books a few weeks ago and decided it was high time I read the many classics I placed on the back burner for all these years while textbooks and music took over my life. I can't even begin to count the number of times I had this thought: "Wow, I wish I had time to read for fun." Happily, the time is finally here! I learned that my Ward Book Group was reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and I eagerly consumed it in a matter of days. I have since started reading Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (oops, I was definitely going to read that before going to South Africa 2 years ago!), but even that has taken a backseat to my newest addiction...

Family history work! Oh my gosh, if you haven't checked out the new family search website, you NEED TO!! It is so awesome. I used to be a family history consultant, and I knew this database was coming down the pipe. But until I got on the website myself, I didn't realize how much it really offers. In a nutshell, it combines everything from the old website, and I get to streamline the information into my very own family line that all my relatives can see and work with (it was a serious headache to share pedigree information before). Best of all, it is very easy to see what temple work needs to be done. Awesome! Check it out if you haven't already: https://new.familysearch.org/

Blogging! Okay, that's obvious! But it has to do with something else I have been terrible at for a long, long time: keeping in touch with people. I have written more letters to missionaries in the past 2 months than I have in the rest of my life combined (sorry to all my older brothers!!). I have also called and emailed people with our baby news, and I have enjoyed renewing past connections with old friends. I am going to see an old BYU friend tomorrow, and I didn't even realize she was here in Colorado until last week! I also have high hopes of sending out a Christmas Letter for the first time this year. We'll see how that one goes!

These are the jewels I have rediscovered and reconnected with. "Free time" is not as bad as it seemed initially, and I know that it will be hard to come by as my life is filled with new responsibilities and purpose (particularly next April).

For now, I can't get enough of it!