Well it is that time again, time for the holidays. I was remarking to someone the other day about the fact that I know I'm old now because I count down the days to the holiday in a panic as opposed to looking forward to it. A child says, "Only one more week until Christmas" and is genuinely sad that the week in question is sure to seem like an eternity. The adult says, "Oh no - I've only got one more week until Christmas!" and is in a complete panic about how she will fit in work, holiday shopping, cooking, houseguests, beauty appointments, holiday parties, etc...and the list goes ON!

Of course, nothing can stop the inevitable moments of simple reflection and joy on the season. I had ZERO problem turning off the TV, the computer, and the BlackBerry in order to decorate our Christmas tree with my husband and daughter. I even spent part of that night just lying on the couch watching the lights and recounting the significance of every ornament on the tree.

One of my treasured Christopher Radko ornaments.

I watch the students here at Saint Leo approaching the holidays with the same love/hate relationship...the kid in them is looking forward to spending time with family and friends and enjoying their many holiday traditions. But the newly formed adult in them is now having to adjust to some serious pressure - final exams, projects, presentations and the like. All of this stress takes a bit of the shine off of the time leading up to the holidays. But I am confident that, just like me, when they do finally get home and turn everything else off so they can just enjoy the time that they have with their loved ones, they will find the same thing I do....you can appreciate the festive and carefree moments of the holidays even more when you have had to do so much to get ready for them!

Posted by Saint Leo University at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well this is my first blog entry for Saint Leo University. I suppose that I should take a moment to introduce myself. I'm CJ, and I have the honor and the pleasure (well, most days anyway!) of working in the Office of Undergraduate Admission here at SLU. My job is never dull and definitely keeps me pretty busy. I spend my days figuring out how best to communicate with our prospective students and their families.

These very blogs are just one of the things I get to investigate and set up for us. Online chats, text messaging...the list of fun stuff just goes on and on! I also work to help our amazing admission counselors figure out how to stay in touch with the many students interested in Saint Leo. Personal attention is important to us here at SLU, even before students are admitted to the university, so it's my job to help the counselors manage to stay in touch with their students while also maintaining a grueling travel schedule.

I love the fact that I get to spend so much time interacting with students and helping them at a time that is going to do much to shape the people they will ultimately become. Saint Leo students are an amazing bunch of young people and I'm glad to call so many of them my friends. Their mothers all apparently raised them right, because they all seem to start off calling me 'ma'am'. However, their self-preservation instincts quickly kick in when I express to them that if they want CJ to help them out, they HAVE to stop making her feel like an OLD LADY! Thirty-something isn't old I suppose, and I give credit to our students for keeping me young...

What else should I tell you about me? Well, when I'm not working here, I'm probably at the barn with my beloved show horses. I'm a fifth generation horse person and am thrilled to say my daughter has inherited the horse-crazy gene.
My daughter Annelise and I with our American Saddlebred, the aptly named Answered Prayer

I also spend time traveling around the country and around the world (hello AFRICA!) promoting the American Saddlebred horse and my particular style of riding, which is Saddle Seat Equitation. I'm sure I'll have more to tell you about that in some upcoming blog, so I'll say goodbye for now...

Posted by Saint Leo University at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)