late summer turns to Fall

I'm not going to lie; it's been a very tough couple of weeks and these past two days have been a very tough couple of days. Today is the first day where I have caught my breath. In the vein of being honest, I'm not too crazy about my job lately. It's felt more like babysitting than creative programming and empowering students. But I still have hope that this semester will get better and better. sigh.

So my fun in life has been to find releases to distract and encourage myself at home. The latest project? Canning! Peaches are done. Pears were canned last night (and the house smells so amazing). Next comes tomatoes. I'd love to try green beans, but I'm afraid the season will end before I can get to them. Maybe I'll try apples... are canned apples good? Daniel has been doing this with me, and we have a lot of fun. The pears were slippery and a little mushy, but they look great now.

We had a wonderful Birthday party for Daniel last weekend! It's so nice to hang out with friends and relax. I made a special dinner and desert, and we all had a good time. Daniel and I have challenged each other to find projects outside of work because it's healthy to have, you know, a life. Mine are both really typical: cooking (LOVE IT) and knitting - I know, such the wild one! Both are actually really calming. Daniel's is his birthday present from me - a home brewing kit! Our basement will soon be known as the Witches' Brew when he and our friend Wolpa start their concoctions. So, soon we'll eat our canned fruit while drinking our basement-beer and wearing our homemade sweaters. Then we'll have to find new things to learn!