Editor's note: Purdue forward Laura Meadows, a 6-foot-3 fifth-year senior who transferred from Kentucky in 2000, will share a weekly diary with ESPN.com throughout the season.

Nov. 27, 2001

Hello. I hope everyone had as fabulous a Thanksgiving as I did. My family made the trek from my hometown in West Virginia to spend the holiday with me here in Indiana. This was a wonderful thing on so many levels. Not only was it awesome to be with them, but it saved me from dining on macaroni and cheese and hot chocolate (these being the only entrees my culinary skills will create with any amount of expertise).

	Meadows

Now that I think about it, eating consumed a significant portion of our break. Between our team's daily meals together after practice and my roommates and I rummaging through the kitchen for leftovers, I am surprised we all don't weigh 300 pounds by now. Christmas break might be dangerous.

Although my roommates Lindsey Hicks and Erika Valek can be heard down the hall praising "7th Heaven" with the full power of their bellowing voices, the rest of us are diligently working on school assignments and running errands before our trip to Louisiana. On Wednesday at 4 a.m., we are to be seated on the bus in front of Mackey Arena to begin our journey to New Orleans to play Tulane. I might voice some complaint about the brutal earliness of our departure time, but between the Cajun food, warm weather, and basketball that awaits us, I think it best to keep my mouth shut. Besides, I doubt assistant coach Pam Stackhouse, who from now one will be referred to as Stack, would give serious consideration to my protests. Oh well.

Our two games last week went well. I absolutely adore getting to take the floor with my teammates. I think they all work so hard and play with such enthusiasm. They have already made redshirting last year worth the wait.

I have an English professor who seems to think I should write my term paper by Wednesday, so I will end here. Have a great week, and I'll report back on the joys of traveling south during the winter later.

Bye.

For more on Laura Meadows and the Boilermakers, visit Purdue's official athletic site.