CHRISTMAS EVE!

Well, we didn't get Friday off, but the supervisors did. That's okay, though. I am still off today and tomorrow. Since I am off Saturday and Sunday, Pops decided that it would be best for us to go to Mississippi this weekend. We are already packed, so we will be leaving out Friday evening once my class is over with. Plus, the girls and I will able to spend this Christmas with my mom. I am still waiting for some last-minute gifts to arrive in the mail today (Mom's and Angela's).

Matthew sure is glad that I am home! LOL We have been spending a lot of time together. He says that I will get my Christmas present from him after the New Year, but he still bought me a few treats (some goodies from Bath & Body Works) in the meantime. Of course, he won't tell me what my present is. LOL

Honestly, I really wasn't expecting a Christmas gift. I'm satisfied because we have everything we need. Besides, I already bought myself a couple of Christmas presents (my Dooney & Bourke purse, which is sitting in its dust bag in my closet, LOL, and a Sparkling White Diamonds perfume set). Still, it's nice to know that Matthew wants to surprise me.

The classes I took this week dealt with crisis intervention and handling calls from individuals with mental illnesses. We watched "A Beautiful Mind" (the movie about Professor John Nash, who is also schizophrenic), and talked about depression, bipolar disorder (accompanied by some clips from the film "Mr. Jones"), suicide and autism (the fastest-growing mental illness in the nation right now). We learned that there are a lot of famous people, even folks who serve as lawmakers, who suffer with some of these disorders. We also watched a film and talked about suicide. We even participated in role-playing, where one of us played a caller who wants to commit suicide, and our instructor was the call taker. I am quite familiar with the subject matter (mental illness runs in my family) so it was kind of like a refresher course for me, but still I never cease to be amazed.

Adrian