Christmas break

After an extended sabbatical from our blog I have returned to write at least one. It was much harder to contribute to our electronic family history (like that Meredith?) when I was so busy with school.

Carrie made us delicious food for Sunday dinner in our crock pot: chicken, red potatoes, carrots, beans, garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, and butter. I thought Carrie was culinarily talented when we were dating, but I did not realize that I would be eating this well. My waist has blossomed, and I have grown "muffin tops" (rolls of skin in the love handle area that rest on your side on top of pants) as they are called in the Crane family. I thought that maybe I would exercise during this break away from school, but I have been supremely lazy. Hopefully tomorrow I will get my butt in gear and head down to the gym and get a free week's pass so that I can exercise.

I think that I have learned and changed a fair amount since our move from Utah to Springfield. This is going to be a bit stylized, so brace yourself. I came here thinking that I would like to move away from Utah. I finish these three months knowing that it was a good decision to leave Utah, but I miss my sisters (of course that includes Jill) more than I thought I would. I came here thinking that I/O psychology would be interesting and practical to study. I finish the semester excited about the material I have learned and will learn and for future job opportunities. I have really liked the applied opportunities that I have had here at MSU. I came here thinking it would be cool to be in a "normal"/non-BYU ward. I finish the semester invested in my teacher's quorum, and I have realized that working in the young men's program is harder than it seems. I came to Springfield thinking we had a great car. I finish the semester humbled by our car's total lack of consistency. That is not true. Our car's check engine-light has been torturing us on a very consistent basis. I came here with Carrie knowing that my school was going to put her in a situation where she would sacrifice her own growth for awhile. I finish my semester grateful that I have such a wonderful wife, who dealt with a lousy job, a difficult cub scout calling, a faulty car, and a very imperfect husband with love. My love, appreciation, and admiration for her has grown. One thing has not changed- we came here grateful for the help of our family, with Laurence and Linda making our move possible. I finish up the semester grateful for our family, eager to spend Christmas break with both of our families. If I don't get to write in here again before the end of the year MERRY CHRISTMAS!