The Labor Day Legacy

While on the phone with my mom the other day, we were talking about Labor Day weekend. She wanted to know if she could take me and Husband out to dinner if I was going to be in town. Disappointingly enough, because this is the first weekend after the first week of school, Husband and I are both a little more than overwhelmed with all the academic things demanding our time and have been hesitant to commit to too much. Although dinner and catching up didn't work out for this weekend, perhaps once he and I have settled into a routine we'll be more comfortable about setting aside free time to make plans with others. 

However, while I initially worked through the schedule in my mind to see if we could somehow squeeze dinner in for the weekend, I had a sudden realization - I haven't had Labor Day off since 2005. You see, if there's one weird quirk about my small, private, Christian college, it's that while they "observe" Labor Day, this "observation" does not include actually taking the day off. Classes always start the last week of August (the week prior to Labor Day) and my school gives students the Monday of the first week off. But I always wonder, why they couldn't just have classes start on Monday and then ease students, faculty, and staff into school mode by giving them the usual three-day Labor Day weekend off? 

But you may say, "Nicole, you most certainly have had a Labor Day off in the past few years! Remember that year after you graduated where you weren't in school?" Why, yes. Yes I do. However, I was working retail at the time and apparently Labor Day is a good time to buy overpriced body lotions and soaps so I worked a full day on Labor Day 2009 and did not have it free or off, either. 

Considering I still have three semesters left, this legacy shall most definitely continue through Labor Day 2013. Perhaps Labor Day 2014 will come around and I'll find myself free as a bird with nothing to do. However, by that time Husband will be in his third year of medical school (the first of two clinical years) and I'll be a full-fledged RN (*crosses fingers that I will have passed the NCLEX and if I haven't by that point then I might as well give up*) so I'm betting the two of us will be spending our time in the hospital rather than soaking up the last few warm days of summer like the majority of the rest of the world. 

Although I have to be in class reviewing my clinical skills come Monday, I must say this "short" holiday weekend is still turning out to be just fine because I've got this to make eyes at for the next 24-ish hours:

Not too shabby!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend :)