October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain

and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

It's been a bit quiet around here, eh? Biochemistry took over my life. What is supposed to be the joyous conclusion to my undergraduate years has become quite the pain in my tookus. After the first exam I was sure I was going down in flames, destined to be a mere 4 credits away from a bachelors degree for the rest of my life. Dramatic? Probably. Although I'm still apprehensive about the outcome grade-wise, I've let go of the fear of failing. I do wish it was a calmer, more assured end to a rather long journey. 

Last week's exam had my mind in its grasp, so blogging wasn't on the agenda. Once it came and went, I still wasn't feeling it. So I didn't. Though never far from my thoughts, a post wasn't waiting in the wings. And I let myself off the hook. 

Despite the sound of crickets, the gears have been turning in our house. Big lifestyle changes, really. I've tried no less than 10 new recipes in recent weeks, creating everything from my own trail mix (a 2-day process involving soaking and dehydrating raw nuts), almond milk from scratch, Paleo coffee creamer, and numerous meals. Only one or two didn't make it onto the repeat list. I'll do a post dedicated to the subject this week.

In the meantime, here's a glimpse into life as of late:

My goodness. These two things could pretty much sum up last week. I spent many an hour at Starbucks the first half of the week reading and prepping for the exam. More caffeine consumed than I care to admit.

In mid-October I had to miss a couple classes because I was fighting a bug. As a result, I had to attend 5 classes in the last 8 days to ensure I got what I paid for. The workouts have been hard lately, often taking 20+ minutes instead of the usual 12-15. But a strange shift has occurred and I find myself missing it on my days off. On a whim last week, I grabbed one of the pairs of jeans off the too small pile in my closet. They slipped right on. What a nice surprise! In the end, what matters is that I feel good. Strong. Powerful. And what else can I ask for, really? In fact, today I was feeling tired and rundown but went anyway. I gave it my best. At the end of the workout I realized something: my "off" day was better than a good day two months ago.

Today I woke up to a generous dusting of snow and ice on my windshield that necessitated scrounging through my trunk for a scraper. I'm not ready for winter. And because it's our last in New England, I have this sneaking suspicion that it's going to be a doozy. On another note, the skies this fall have been breathtaking. Beautiful cloud formations and colorful sunsets. I've been looking up a lot. 

This most fabulous of kiddos. He's quickly fallen in love with fencing; is a superb lab assistant with a knack for pipetting; a Lego master. This is a little penguin warrior he came up with yesterday. There have been some amazing creations gracing our coffee table as of late.

Now that I know what it's like to have this dude home every night, what am I going to do next month (and the dreaded first quarter of the year)? We've developed a natural rhythm I don't want to give up. Enjoy every second, I say. 

I think we may be, as a family, obsessed with our cat. We have never been like this with any other pet, so it's rather strange. He has beautiful fur that, unfortunately, gets very long and prone to knots. So we finally gave in and had the groomer give him a lion cut before it gets too cold (even though he's an indoor cat, a chill definitely permeates the air). He also has a new gingerbread house/scratching post. And I think I caught him giving himself a timeout last week. I'm convinced he's part human. 

That's all she wrote for today. Until next time, my friends.