a wee bit stressed

life is quite busy these days. with only six weeks left in my first semester of graduate school, there is tons to do! i have quite a few major papers to do and not enough time to do them (it feels like!). i seem to have this quirky thing about me that is really frustrating when it comes to school work: i work really well when deadlines are hard pressed upon me. the deal is, it's not like i haven't known all semester about all the papers that i need to write. but when i sit down way ahead of time to write, i get no where....no where. i'll try and try and all i do is crappy, and i know it. so, i wait until the week it's due, when i'm really feeling stressed and pressed to get it done, and the results-magnificent! okay, maybe not quite magnificent, but pretty good (and much better than the early works). plus, i am able to get through it a whole lot quicker than if i try to work on it way early. i know, crazy, huh?!? all that to say, the next few weeks are going to be super busy as i try to get everything done! 

in other news, i am a little over 17 weeks pregnant and things are going wonderfully. i know ryan has to be tired of hearing me talk about my changing body. for a while, i've been convinced that i am way too big for being only 17 weeks. after being weighed at the doctor a few weeks ago, oh. my. goodness. but then, i get so upset when people ask how far along i am and i tell them, and they respond with "well, you certainly don't look it." yesterday, i was talking with a girl who is 20 weeks and her belly was protruding a little more than mine and she went on and on about how small i was. :( no! i'm pregnant and i want to look it!! silly emotions! i did have a funny encounter at church on sunday. during the "passing of the peace" (which, if you haven't experienced such a thing-it is beautiful! after our time of corporate confession of sin and the words of blessing and forgiveness, we go around and greet everyone-in the middle of the service!- and it's specifically a time where we share God's peace with one another...so you shake hands with those around you and instead of saying "Hi, how are you?" to start the convo, you say, "God's peace be with you." or something along those lines...very beautiful to experience!)...anyway, during this part of the service, an older man was on one side of me and he walked over and said, "God's peace" and I responded back and then he pointed to my stomach and gave a chuckle and then looked back at it again...an awkward moment, i must say, so after what felt like hours of this, i turned to ryan so he could introduce himself...and he did, and then the guy looked back and my stomach and then up again and paused, and then turned away. it cracked me up because i know he was about to ask something about the pregnancy or due date, but stopped himself because he didn't want to ask such a question if there be a chance that i just had a tummy! hilarious conversation that has me laughing still today! 

well, i guess my papers aren't going to write themselves...

oh one more thing! my sister-in-law had her baby last week!! there are pictures up on the proud grandparent's site: here! i can't wait to meet the little one in person...in just a few weeks now!!! :D