7 Quick Takes Friday (Take 2)

I. My husband and I have decided to start trying for a baby in January!  We’ll be married for six month, settled into our new life here, and while we don’t have a lot of money we feel like we can make the sacrifices necessary to provide for a little one.  Making a sure decision about starting a family has been like a huge weight lifted from our shoulders.  Although I am dreading talking to my family about our decision, I feel like we have decided once and for all to make decisions based on our faith and as a family of our own.  I know that our parents only have our best interests at heart, but I felt that one of the main reasons we were waiting to have a family was because we didn’t want to disappoint them.  And that certainly isn’t a justifiable reason to postpone pregnancy.

II. I got a new job at a daycare, working in the one-year-old room.  I start in a couple weeks and I hope that it won’t scare me too badly about having a baby of my own.  While I look forward to the regular Monday through Friday schedule (more time with my husband!) and the increase in pay, I am scare of the diapering!

III.  I always feel incredibly guilty when I give my two week notice.  I hate inconveniencing my employer and coworkers when they have to hire and train someone to replace me.  I don’t want people to feel that I didn’t like working with them.  This is irrational, I know, since they probably don’t take it personally (and they shouldn’t), but I hate to let others down or hurt their feelings.  Even if I didn’t like the job, I appreciate that I was given the chance to work and help support myself and my family.  I don’t know why I can’t just treat it as the business transaction that it is, but quitting is so hard (although maybe not as hard as starting a new job - that’s just so nerve racking).

IV. Once an avid reader, I haven’t read a full book since I started my job at Starbucks.  Working irregular hours and not having a consistent sleep schedule (wow, I sound old!), I have been too tired to read much.  But I have decided to set an ambitious reading goal for myself: to read a biography of each of the American Presidents.  Have I mentioned I was a history major?

V. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Usually I get in the mood as soon as Thanksgiving passed, however this year, I had trouble getting in the holiday spirit.  That changed December 1 when: (1) it snowed here for the first time this fall and (2) we received our first Christmas card in the mail.

VI. What happened to snail mail?  There are few things that give me as much joy as getting a letter, card, or even a package in the mail.  Email just isn’t the same.  I love sending cards and I usually do so for the following holidays: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It goes without saying that I remember birthdays and anniversaries with cards as well.  Usually they are store bought, if I’m overly ambitious they may even be handmade.  And, actually, one of the few things I love more than getting mail is hearing how much others liked getting something in the mail from me.

VII. Since we weren’t able to go home for Thanksgiving, my husband and I celebrated one of his fellow grad students and his wife, who also had to work on Thanksgiving and couldn’t go home.  I thought it would be depressing to spend the holiday away from my family, but while I missed them, I enjoyed myself very much.  It was nice to make our own holiday feast and have dinner guests to our apartment for the first time.  I’m sure we aren’t the only ones who have spent the holidays without family, how have you enjoyed holidays without loved ones close?  Any suggestions for us as Christmas approaches?