Like jumping into an icy river ... without the fun

For the last two weeks, my school stuff has remained tucked away in my grey shoulder bag. I've been busy cooking and cleaning, hanging out with my kids, visiting with extended family, going out to the movies with Spouse, reading books for pleasure, surfing blogs, eating big meals, or just sitting by the fire. The teenagers in the house are nocturnal when they are on vacation, and I have fallen into their pattern. It's been a relaxed, lazy time of staying up late to watch old movies and sleeping as late as I wanted.

This morning, the alarm rang at 6 am. It was dark outside. And cold, bitterly cold.