the final stretch.

busy, busy, busy. finals are next week and you can bet i'm stressed like no other and i have the pimples to prove it. this semester taught me a valuable lesson - don't take on more than you can handle! i really thought i could take on the challenge of an additional class and maintaining a 4.0, but i'm faced with the possibility of getting my first B this semester. the horror. the only upside is that one of finals is a take-home, which is a huge relief and caused me to rejoice the minute it was announced. thank you, God. i've registered for next semester and with a lesson learned, am taking only 2 classes. they're both upper level courses but i feel confident after all i've been through this past semester.

z is happy to know that i'll be going back to taking 2 classes. it's funny because one summer, he couldn't wait until i went back to school but when i am in school, he misses our evenings together. tsk tsk. oh! i forgot to mention that our anniversary celebration over the weekend was so wonderful. thank you all for the support and the loving words you shared with us. i took him out for a special brunch sunday morning, after we exchanged gifts. i made him a thoughtful photobook (thanks to kodak) and he gave me a special necklace with a pretty dragonfly pendant, which i've worn every day since, and a beautiful diamond heart pendant, which i wore that night for our traditional anniversary dinner at Javier's in Crystal Cove. i've always wanted a simple white gold chain that i could wear everyday, so i was very touched that he remembered :) the past 5 years has been such a growing experience for me and i'm so blessed to have someone like z to be there to help and support me in becoming the woman i am today. it means so much.

okay, enough with the sappiness! hehe. i'm looking forward to finals being over and having 3 weeks to enjoy the holidays and life in general. how nice will it be to get off work and enjoy a glass of wine, while cooking dinner? i can't wait for cozy, relaxing evenings at home with my two favorite stink monsters. it really can't come soon enough....


xoxoox