Christmas Season Starts Today

The Christmas holiday season officially starts now for me, on this 15th day of December, 2006! I finished my last day of PM&R rotation today. It has been another great rotation, I saw patients from cerebral palsy to spinal cord injury to stroke to run-of-the-mill chronic back pain. I am now a believer in physical therapy and feel comfortable advising my patients in the future on the utility of PT and the general field of physiastry (a.k.a. physical medicine). Speaking of rotations, I made a list of ones I’ve done this year and ones I have left. I can hardly believe that I have just three more months of rotations to go as a MSIV (4th yr medical student)!!

As much as I love medicine and seeing patients, I really relish my days off at home. The way I see it, it’s my time to be “domestic.” I love staying home and waking up, not to the alarm clock, but my own body. I love wearing my cotton robe all day, and slowing working through the chores of the home. I love folding a fresh load of laundry in front of the TV, I love sorting mail and organizing the living room while listening to NPR in the background. I love taking a nap with Kitty in the middle of the day. I love greeting hubby at the door with a clean home and hear him say, “wow, good job, honey!” Our small apartment of a home is rarely up to the level of clean that I want and most of the time I forgive myself but no excuses if I’m home all day.

I do have a tendency to be overly lazy and become a couch potato, so I made a list of what I want to accomplish before the New Year’s and before I return to work:

Winter Break To-do List:

1. Make the bed everyday
2. Sprout broccoli sprouts
3. Try making a delicious new recipe or two
4. Cook a complete dinner for hubby
5. Study, believe it or not
6. Exercise, on more days than not
7. Clean out kitchen pantries
8. Spend wedding photography credit
9. Clean out e-mail inbox
10. Negotiate new phone from T-Mobile

I am especially excited about advancing my skills in cooking, albeit slowly, one recipe at a time. I use to think, I’ll pick up cooking when I have the time to focus my mind and energy to such things. But you know what? If I keep waiting, such a time might never come! So, I’ve already picked out two (just two) recipes to try: a fish stew and a baked apple dessert.

So, that’s my rather conservative, but realistic list of to-dos. I definitely don’t want to overwhelm myself with “cook every night” or “read 3 books” or “lose 5 lbs.” type of list. Aside from being a very short-term full-time housewife this holiday season, hubby and I will be heading back to Arky again for a few days to see my parents and friends. I also have a sleep-over planned with two of my best friends and little baby Zachary.