Christmas and New Year's has come and passed, and I've been back at The U since last week. I spent my first week and a half or so between Staten Island and Milford. I headed to Staten Island to see my grandmother. She was happy to meet my fiancé, Liz, and the trip was just fun overall. I took Liz to the Christmas party at Gennaro's, the pizzeria that I worked at for over six years. I was happy to see everyone after such a long time away. (My car "died" about a year ago, so I haven't been able to make very many trips to Staten Island.)

The second half of my vacation was spent in Syracuse with Liz and her family. I didn't think that there would be as much snow as Liz had been talking about, but she was right! It was so nice to see where Liz had grown up, to meet all of her friends from home, and to get to know her family a bit better. About a week and a half of Guitar Hero and "The Office" later and we were back in Scranton.

Coming back to Scranton, like leaving to go home, is always bittersweet. Of course, I'll miss being with my family as often as I am at home, but coming back to Scranton...well, it feels like going to another home, the one that I've become a part of over the last few years.

There aren't very many student here right now. Some students choose to take intersession classes, but the campus definitely lacks the students' hustle and bustle of the fall and spring semesters. Being at Scranton for the winters and summers has given me a peek at a world that most of our students do not see. Sometimes, we get so caught up in the happenings of campus that we aren't able to take the time to truly appreciate the beauty of the campus and the city around us. When it's quiet like this, Liz and I take walks around the campus and downtown. We don't have any place special to go after work (well, not usually anyway), so we just wander. Yesterday, our travels took us to the Steamtown Mall for a pretzel at Auntie Anne's. But we couldn't just eat the pretzel and leave; oh no. We walked around the mall for an hour or so. On another one of our travels, we might find ourselving hitting Marquee for a movie or just walking by the railroad tracks that lead to The U's tennis courts. Whatever the eventual destination, we're just happy to have this quiet time.

During the day, things are a bit different. During the day, I'm working full time for the new and improved Office of Undergraduate Admissions. We've just moved Admissions from the fourth floor of St. Thomas Hall and the Admissions Visitors' Center from the Rupert Mayer House into the Estate, the former home of the Scranton family. This new place is amazing. It's beautiful decorated, full of rich history, and guaranteed to help Admissions further it's mission of welcoming prospective students. I'm more excited than ever to be a representative for our community.

As for Liz, she's representing The U as well by working with the Alumni Office. (I think it's pretty interesting that I'm talking with students who are just beginning and she's working with those who have already had the Scranton experience. We're tackling both sides of the process.) Liz likes what she does and always has a story or two for me when I meet her after work. She'd attest to the fact of the desire to share the mission of The University of Scranton with others just as much as I would.

Winter training for ResLife begins on Friday, and I'm looking foward to seeing all of my fellow Student Staff members together for the first time since summer training. I'll be giving two presentations along with some of my fellow RAs, which should definitely make for a good time on Saturday.

Other than all of this, I'm just getting was rest I can in preparation for my final semester at The U and for my ongoing job search. A lot is coming at me at once, but I am undoubtedly up for the challenge.

That's it for now! (And, as always, comments and questions are welcomed!)

Later days! ;-)