It is crazy going home and seeing how much everything has changed.  My baby cousin is getting so much bigger every time I see her.  I can't believe that in a few years my little baby will become a big girl and go to kindergarten.  On the flip side, my grandparents are getting a lot older and sicker.  I never realized how much they meant to me before and now I truly look forward to coming home and spending time with family.  Although I have so much that I want to accomplish in life, life would not be worth living without my family by my side.  I hope everyone has a merry Christmas and never loses sight of the fact that the biggest gift of all is each others company.

It is finals week, the time when the libraries are clogged with students, the aroma of warm coffee fills the air and the stress is so palpable that it blankets campus like a gentle mist.  While most people dread finals and the stress that comes with it they fail to see the big picture.  Finals teach people how to manage time better, which in my opinion is the most important course one can take.  Life is nothing more than a giant juggling act, balancing personal happiness, work, relationships all the while maintaining a smile on one's face.  If there were no struggle, no difficulty and no effort, then what is the point of attending college.  In addition, the major lesson is that if you commit yourself to your studies throughout the semester you do not have to stress so much during finals.  Life is one big grind and saving all the hard work towards the end will get you no where. That being said I cannot wait until finals is over in order to go home and relax with the family.  Although education is valuable, nothing is more important than family.  I would jump off the edge of the earth for them and are the main reason I push myself in school, so it is important that I never lose sight of what is important in life.  To my fellow students; push through it.  Nothing in life worth obtaining has ever been given, it is earned.  Push through the pain and you will be greatly rewarded down the road.