Delight is best explained by Calvin and Hobbes

 Today, Monday November 29^th is significant for many reasons:
It is the birthday of our dear, wonderful program administrator, Kadie.  It is a week before we leave for the United States.  And it marks the beginning of finals week.  And this is the first time in my college career that I have finished any of my final papers by the time finals week proper rolls around.

Usually it goes something like this:

But no, this time I was prepared!  And as I sit on the couch in Apartment Lucy on Monday , three of my four papers are complete and have been turned in.  “Aha, you’ve finally learned!”  one might say.  But one would be wrong.  It is not that I have suddenly, halfway through my senior year, learned to work on my papers in a timely manner.  This beautiful, momentous occasion is due entirely to a weekend at the Cabana.

The FNO Cabana sits in the small ski-village of Straja atop Mt. Straja, 9 km due "up"from Lupeni.  Straja is home to summer’s Viața camp, and the Cabana at Straja is home to Viața’s summer leaders.  In the winter, though, it is home to Adi and, for the past weekend, Kadie & us studenții. 

On Thursday night, after a beautiful Thanksgiving day of fellowship and food at the Bates’ home, the five students, Capt’n Kadie and Adi drove up Strada Straja (Straja Road) to the town of Straja where we intended to stay two nights and return on Saturday evening.  Upon our departure, we laughed at ourselves for the excessive quantity of food we had packed.  By this morning, though, we had just about finished it off.  I worried beforehand about how little homework I would get done, locked in a Cabin on a mountain with a mess of fun people for the weekend.  By last night, though, I had accomplished a good cite more than I ever would have in Lupeni.  So now, an extra two nights later, here we are back in Lupeni, thanks to a glorious weekend of snow.  There is simply nothing more delightful than being snowed into a warm cabin in the mountains on the weekend with no urgent need to leave.  And the extra time just made the time even more relaxing, productive and delightful!   

Much of our semester, to date, had looked like this, in hopes of seeing snow on the Transylvannian alps before our departure. And so great was our delight over a good solid snowfall that I think I understand now how perfect Calvin’s comparison of a snowfall to a lottery win is!

Other than the many papers completed, here are some of my make-you-jealous highlights of the weekend: 

Good conversation with great company.

Warmth, hot chocolate, down comforters and a den-like living room for cozying up with a good book.  

(Granted, we didn’t have a fire…or even warm tiger tummies, but this is the feeling.)

A nearly-constant snowfall, huge windows overlooking the fog-covered, mountains, town, valley and steady stream of children and sleds flying down the hill or the snowed-over road…  Glorious! 

Laughing at (and later joining) Kelly & Julie as they danced around the living room to the sounds of Luther College Choral Christmas music.

Hiking up to the Straja Cross and then through snowy pine woods down a darling little trail. All accompanied by a massive, extensive snowball fight. (Photos stolen from Kelly Larsen – Thanks Kelly!)

And, of course…knitting with Kadie! 

Relaxation, homework, and snow?  The perfect way to spend the weekend of finals?  I think so!