Merry Christmas Eve and a Happy Christmas to you!

This fits my sentiments exactly!  I feel like someone who is coming out of a cave. One of the girls from my class posted this on facebook...I think we all feel this way!  For those who looked at my photo blog you might notice I didn't get out much... not really anyways.  I haven't really updated much. I think I was still in shock when I posted on the 9th.  The last week of the semester just really exploded.  A lot of studying for the various finals.  I'd study, take a test, and then move on to the next thing to study so I could take that test.  It was a very vicious cycle! But the hard work paid off.  I finished the semester with A's and A-'s. I also got the news that I got the top grade on one of the finals!  I was stunned.  It was the one I put the most work into, but still felt like I didn't do all that well.  I guess the hard work paid off! I think this is my best semester I've had yet!  It's also the semester I've worked the hardest and succeeding meant the most to me.  I'm grateful for the help that I've had, especially from my husband and my family's support.  My husband got a good laugh at me.  We were talking about my break and Jeremy mentioned 'it's only been a week'  I couldn't believe it.  I swear its been two!  It has to be.  But nope, its only been one.  Can't say I'm really complaining.  I hope the rest of the break goes by as slowly as this week has.  I haven't been exactly bored, I've gotten Christmas shopping done, cleaned, spent time with family, and slept more than I should.  I've also started walking. Its a habit I want to get into before school starts again.  I think if I took an hour to get out and walk it will help me.  I guess because I'm not running pillar to post it feels like the days are luxuriously long!

After my last final I got a special treat.  Jeremy and I were able to go Temple Square and hear the choir!  It was amazing.  We've been planning this for ages.  We put in for tickets right at midnight when they opened up (we sorta 'happened' to still be up)  I was so excited when we got two for Thursday night I thought it was the perfect way to celebrate the end of finals.  We went and tried a new Brazilian shop.  Its on the corner of 94th and 7th east in Sandy at Union Square.  It's called the Sweet Spot.  I've decided I do like Brazilian treats!  Jeremy had this really rich chocolate cake like thing, and I had a caramel one.  Can't really describe it to you but if you're in the area give it a try.  Yummyness  Then it was off to dinner at our favorite pizza place...Only we usually get the calzones.  Those are the best there.  They are huge, so you can either eat the whole thing and be stuffed for hours...or have it the next day.  I always think if something is good the day after then its quality food.  The concert was amazing.  Nathan Gunn was fun to listen to.  He has a nice voice, but he also had some humor that was very surprising.  He is very much a dad of 5 kids and I'm sure he torments each one.  He did a fun fun arrangement of 'Twas the night before Christmas'  We'll have to keep an eye out for it next year.

Then Sunday it was off to my grandma's for her Christmas party.  :-)  I made off with a ceramic set of knives.  Can I say I'm very happy. :-)  They are super sharp.  They will be nice to use.  It was fun to see all my family.  Even if it was pretty short, just a quick up and back trip.  We also went to a late showing of Sherlock Holmes.  It was pretty intense show. I really liked it.  I think I'll have to watch it a few more times to decide if I like it better than the first.

Today its off to see Jeremy's family.  It feels like ages since we've seen them.  With Jer's schedule and my school its hard to get a day off together that we can go and visit.  Mostly  they've had to come see us!  I'm excited for tonight and tomorrow.  I can't believe Christmas is here.  It hasn't quite felt like it with no snow here, but I've been listening to Christmas music to make up for it.

I also started a little project.  Putting together all my letters to my mission president in a binder so they can be read.  I'm so grateful President Pfile printed them off and gave them to me.  I had saved copies of them, but its so nice to have them already printed or else I might not have ever put them in a binder.  I think I will also print off copies of the big letters to my family and put them side by side with the President letters.  And if I'm feeling really adventurous maybe writing up a page filling in some of the gaps or expounding.  I think When I'm done it will be a nice collection of my mission.  Reading through those letters really brought back a rollarcoaster of emotions.  I remembered alot of people, more than I thought and events.  I've changed so much.  In  some ways reading those letters was kind of like reading a stranger.  I'm certainly not Sister Downs anymore.  She changed me, thats for sure, and there are highlights of her in me.  But its nice to be me now.  I kind of felt like, at least for my personal journey, the olive tree in Jacob 5.  Originally the branches were on a tame tree.  For a while those branches flourished and gave good fruit.  Then after a time, they began to wither and give bad fruit.  So the master of the vineyard put them on a wild tree.  Once again they flourished and gave good fruit.  Then after a time the wild tree began to overcome them, so the master of the vineyard in order to save them, put them back on the tame tree and they brought forth good fruit.  I felt much like this.  Growing up as I did, I was a good person.  But not as good as I could be. So I was transplanted into the 'wild tree' or else my mission.  So much good came from that.  But I didn't realize it until I came home, in my mission I feel like I lost some aspects that were me.  I think I lost some of my softness and perhaps tenderness?  No it was back to my 'tame' life and I'm flourishing.  I owe so much to my mission.  My testimony and beliefs are incredible because of it.  I'm so much more tolerant and understanding and so much less afraid of the uncertain.  (not that its completely gone..)  But now I've gained back some of the good things I lost on my mission to create this hybrid of me.  But anyways...I would like to have some sort of book or something to pull out to have those memories.

Well I believe that is all...  I'm very happy with life right now.  I've never been more happy or content for the most part.  There is always bumps and divots in the road but overall, I think this is the happiest I've ever been.  Merry Christmas to everyone!  I hope you have a wonderful one.  Also don't forget the reason for Christmas.  We have a loving Father in Heaven who sent us his perfect Son.  Tomorrow we celebrate his birth and life.  What a gift for us.