I mentioned last week how the holidays have snuck up on me this year. It’s still hard to believe it is now December. I guess everyone is right when they say that every year seems to go by faster and faster. I must be getting old.
But I am feeling back into the swing of things. I enjoyed a much-needed Thanksgiving holiday over the past few days. This is actually the first year I actually got both Thursday and Friday off from work since college, so I definitely enjoyed having a little time to unwind and enjoy spending time with my family. It has been a full four days, but I am feeling better about the holidays since my husband and I picked up our Christmas tree today and managed to get the house decorated and clean!


I am really looking forward to enjoying these next few weeks of holiday celebrations, even though there is still a lot to do! I have my final paper and project due to wrap up my first semester of grad school. I still have the majority of all of my Christmas shopping to do. But what’s most important right now: this week is IBD Awareness Week.
Every year, the first week of December has been set aside to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. I believe we have been making good strides in the way of this, but there is still a lot of ground to cover. So be sure to get involved this week! You can change your profile or cover picture on social media sites (The Great Bowel Movement has some good ones) or post facts about IBD on your blog or social media sites (use hashtags like #IBDAwarenessWeek). I am excited to get involved with all of you in spreading the word.
And to help kick off IBD Awareness Week, I will be posting my first giveaway tomorrow with a Crohn’s disease / ulcerative colitis theme, so be sure to check back in tomorrow morning to see what you can win and how to enter! (Or use the “Subscribe” button in the right column to have it come straight to your inbox.)
But now, on to the rest of my goals for the month and the rest of the year:

• The Stolen Colon
  • Get involved in IBD Awareness Week.
  • Pull off a great first ever Stolen Colon Giveaway!
• School
  • Write final draft of paper. Put in the time needed to make it really good!
  • Prepare for final presentation of my paper topic to the class.
• Exercise
  • I did not stick to my 3 days-a-week plan, so we’re going to carry it over.
  • Today is exactly 19 weeks until my next half-marathon. Must get myself in gear!
• Personal
  • Out of bed by 6:15 every weekday morning (again).
  • Finish Christmas shopping with time to spare.
  • Enjoy the holidays and finish out the year strong.