As we get ready to go into break, I want you to anticipate how it's going to go--what's one word you can think of to describe spring break? Describe that word without saying it in this post. Aim for 400-500 words.
Your challenge: we should be able to figure out your word without you explicitly saying it.
I think my spring break is going to be calm, soothing, and refreshing. I am going home to be with my family whom I haven’t seen in two months. The weather is starting to heat up and I live close to the ocean. It’s the perfect combination. I am so glad our spring break is when it is, because the heat is not overbearing, but soothing. There is always a wind gust to cool you down, unlike summer in Florida. Swimsuits and cold refreshing beverages will go around. By day I will stretch out in the sun, push play on my Jimmy Buffett list on my iPod, and soak up the rest time. By night I will see my friends, hang out with my family, and have laid back parties. I won’t have to do anything and I will be content. I have been running, running, running constantly this semester and I don’t care if I just lay in bed the whole break watching cheesy romantic comedies. Some cute movies are coming out over the break too, if I am tired of soaking up the sun or just laying around I will go see the thriller RED RIDING HOOD movie or perhaps a fun college movie like TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT. I can’t wait to go to sleep at night (in my own bed!) and not worry about setting an alarm. The thought of having my mom’s delicious home cooked meals again makes me starve for it. I see Facebook statuses and hear friends talking of “going on a cruise” or “drivin’ to New Orleans for Mardi Gras!” I do not envy my friends, I hope they are safe and have fun. I wouldn’t trade places with them for the world. Trips take planning, packing, getting there, and the stress of finding out where you are going. As Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz said, “There is no place like home.” There is no better place than home. This is the place you can catch your breath and exhale it slowly. Days will pass and before I know it, like a cold chill, I will realize my spring break is over. I will not fret, I will not cry because I have had the time to recover and just chill out. My battery has been recharged to finish the semester and ace my finals. This is all because --I have […….}
ReplyDeleteGoing home for me is all about the abundance of something wonderful that’s always in my house. This thing is always lacking in my kitchen cabinet and refrigerator. And when it’s there I can never quite replicate it to my mother’s standards. I come home late from my internship every night and pop in some left overs or frozen dinner. But Spring Break is a different story. A story filled with scents of pancakes, bacon and eggs wafting through the house and creeping under my door as a I sleep. Waking up to a beautiful breakfast and laying on the couch all morning is my idea of a perfect Spring Break.
ReplyDeleteThen lunch time comes around and mom brings home something delicious. I never have to ask for anything. I don’t even have to think about cooking or planning a meal. Or finding time to eat it. It’s all there and ready for me. Prepared by someone else. The epiphany of laziness that I’m allowed to pursue because of all my hectic days at school. Really, my favorite thing about being home is my mom. I love being with her. I love having her there to put me to sleep like a little girl. It’s just a major plus that she is the best cook in the world. And everything she makes has that little something extra. That things that makes it a meal that wasn’t rushed in order to make time for homework and projects. A slow-cooked something that makes you happy when you eat it. I can’t wait for Spring break, not for the beach, or the tanning or the partying, but for mom’s home cooking. It’s better than any beach I’ve ever seen.
And the best part is mom can pack me something yummy for the beach. I can tan and get drenched in sun. I can swim in the warm, South Florida waters. And then lay on the beach all day long and be a lazy bum. And munch on all the snacks I never think to pack but mom always, always does. Then ride home and listen to reggae with the windows down in sandy, wet car. Grab some smoothies for the ride and take a nap at home.
Then we’ll watch movies all day long. And mom will bring out more snacks while she has a million ingredients brewing in a pot. The smells of home and meat slowly roasting rise into the living room air. My stomach mumbles things to me, despite all of the things it had that day. Then after dinner, she makes some crazy mountain of ice cream with every kind of topping you can dream. My stomach is happy and so am I. Nothing compares to my mother’s home cooking. Nothing makes me want to come home more than that.
My mom, my dad, my two brothers. Oh yes, it is going to be an interesting spring break. I haven’t seen them I left this semester and needless to say my mother is very excited for me to come home. I anticipate going shopping with my mom. Since I am going to London this summer, there are some things I would like to get. However, I really don’t need anything, but, it’s London, and it gives us an excuse to shop together. But, I have to be careful because I’m not going to have much room in my suitcase! I’m excited to see my dad as well. We like to play tennis together…although, I’m not very good at it-tennis is his sport, volleyball is mine, so it evens out ☺. My brother absolutely loves baseball. He’s 12 and is convinced he’s going to the major leagues. Therefore, he plays on three teams…I don’t know how my mom gets him to all those practices and games, but needless to say, I will be watching some of them during the break. He’s a pitcher too, so it is more fun to watch, since he actually does something and doesn’t just stand out in the outfield where the balls never come. Haha. I have another brother who’s 17, and I’m actually interested to see how tall he’s getting. He’s in that teenage stage, but we have a good relationship, and I hope it continues to grow as we get older, as he becomes more mature. And last but not least, my dog Kody! He’s a blonde golden retriever and we got him for Christmas a year ago and he’s gotten so big! He’s really my brother’s dog, but I’m excited to see him. Like I said, I’m going to London this summer, and I leave just a few days after exams get out this semester, so I won’t have much quality time with my parents or brothers. Some of my friends were going various places, and I’m going to meet up with them maybe one or two days, but I’m really excited just to chill at home. I absolutely love college-don’t get me wrong. I got over homesicknesses the first week of my freshman year of college and didn’t look back. But, it is nice to go see the people I am closest to, who love me for who I am, and to know that they will be excited to see me.
ReplyDeleteSpring break, for me, represents the time spent before the begining. Next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. It is the beginning of Lent in which I will die to myself and enter into a time of mourning, reexamining my life, recognizing my failures. I will begin fasting and making sacrifices and it will all come to a climax on Easter when my spiritual life will be resurrected with Christ. So this time during spring break is a precursor. It's a time for me to begin planning and thinking about this upcoming season. These next few days leading up to Mardi Gras represent a time in which I get to lay back and allow myself to be subject to the world before I have to give it up. I don't have to worry about denying myself during these next few days. I don't have to let my day be consumed with prayer. Instead, I am laying out the battle plan. I am living now, but keeping the future in mind. I am bringing together my resources, taking inventory, readying the stage. I'm allowing myself to take comfort in the things that are familiar to me. Leisure, family, food. I can forget about school, stress, anxiety, discomfort. I can enter into an embrace that relieves me of the things weighing down on my heart and mind. I can be happy. Because once this time is over, the next stage begins. This Spring Break, this gateway, this time between times, is a place for me to contemplate what I desire from Lent. What do I want to get from this? Where am I in relationship to God? Luckily, Spring Break will be at home, in a beautiful place to begin this process. St. Augustine Florida is abundant in places of solitude. The beach, the woods, The Cathedral of St. Augustine, Mission Nombre de Dios, The Shrine of our Lady of le Leche, The Shrine of St. Photios, the Castillo de San Marcos. I will go to all of these places in order to allow my thoughts to be realized. I will go to these places to do this thing.This action.To plan. To ready. To equip. To prime. To assemble. To reconcile. To endow. This is what you do before the beginning. This is what you do before you face an enemy. This is what must be done in order to obtain the things that fulfill you most.
ReplyDeleteWhen people think Spring Break they usually think of the beach and everything that goes along with it. Boating, tanning, and maybe even playing a few rounds of beach volleyball for the one week break that we get to recharge out batteries before we head back to school and have to beast it up for the rat race that takes place the last few weeks of school. At least that is the way that most college students feel about Spring Break. This year instead of heading to the beach I will be packing up my stuff on Sunday morning and heading an hour and a half north to Albany Georgia with me fellow Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge team. Packed like sardines in a chain of cars I will probably be sitting in the back acting as the designated paparazzi, snapping funny pictures of people who fall asleep (maybe not so different from a trip that I would have been taking home to Miami). During this trip we will be staying at a camp ground called “Kamp” something or other; getting down and dirty, building houses for those in need. Luckily since I am a girl I won’t be doing any heavy lifting, most likely my job will mainly consist of painting the exterior of the house and getting to hang out and get to know the people who will be moving in. I take part in trips like these because I have always been an active member of society and it brings me happiness to be able to leave finger prints on the world by doing little things like being a member of this team. This is not the first time that I take part of an event like this because I was in another group called Interact when I was in high school, but I didn’t join Habitat here at the University until the end of the fall semester that just ended. Working hard for a great cause can be an awesome way to meet new people who have the same interests as you and might even be lifelong friends.
ReplyDeleteI could sum up what I think Spring Break is going to be in a single word, and this word means unwinding and calming down. With a complete liberation of thought, activity, and life in general, I am going to be so thankful for this upcoming week. Its going to be a time for me to decompress my thoughts. A lot has been going on this semester as far as school, work, and life outside of class. I feel like life shouldn’t be so hectic, and I’m searching for the opposite in my break. It’s what I’ve been looking forward to for weeks now with the intention of stopping to breath. With this week of freedom, I am going to function without a care in the world, and have a much needed reprieve from school. Hopefully, I’m going to lay out in the sun with my friends, my boyfriend, and have a nice release of negative energy that’s been building up for the past weeks through worrying and sleep deprivation induced mostly by schoolwork.
ReplyDeleteMy plans with my friends have changed about ten times already and nothing has really been solidified, but honestly I like that not everything is concrete and scheduled. Because we didn’t plan everything out, we’re veering from the rigid and harsh structure I’m required to follow all the time. Not having a scheduled life for a week is going to be amazing. I am so overjoyed that I don’t have to worry over deadlines and midterms, and that I will be spending that hard-to-find quality time with my best friends. I’ll get away from the rushed and busy life I lead. I really needed this break to catch up with my thoughts, and finally have time to exhale. If I become a shade darker in the process, that’s fine with me.
A girl looks forward to this day most of her teen years. Now this day will not be happening exactly over spring break, but it is the kickoff event! The whole family will be there. Even my aunt is coming from out of town. There will be a cake and presents and merriment to be had all around. I cannot wait until the day actually comes but that will have to wait until March 15. This day however is able to be stretched throughout the entire break. My good friend Eilleen still lives at home and I cannot wait to see her. She is one of those people who makes you so much happier after you have visited with her. She is awesome. My mom is one of my best friends and I cannot wait to spend this last spring break with her before I am legally allowed to drink (hint hint). I am baking a cake for this event as well. I have a subscription to bon appetite magazine and inside there was a decadent coconut cake that I am just dying to make. There will be candles on top of it and I will blow them out! We will eat this amazing cake and sing a song. Not only that but after spring break I will celebrate it for real on Tuesday, then again on Saturday. It is an ongoing event that I never want to end!
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ReplyDeleteI think this week will be great. I will be able to let loose and not worry about what it due for a whole week. Regularly, a vacation from Tally is all I ever want once school starts in January or August. I cannot wait to sit at home on the couch with my dog, Jia, and vegetate and watch the stuff my mom has been saving on the DVR for me and, most importantly, catch up on much-needed sleep. Because Jia does not talk, her favorite thing to do is sleep, and she is always happy to see me and is content to just lie next to me, she is my favorite being in the entire world. Even though they talk, my family often eases my mind. My mom and her life partner are really funny. Lovingly, we are always very mean to each other and play continuous pranks. My sister just had a serious break in her arm when she fell off a Ripstick. It will be very relieving to see her and see with my own eyes that she is okay and not in too much pain. My dad has the most similar sense of humor to me, so it will be nice to be able to have a conversation with someone who understands my thought process. My step mom makes great food, and I have not eaten anything of substance since the last time I went home. My oldest younger brother is my best friend. We have so much fun together. My other brother is so sweet. He is 13, but always gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees me. As well as being very much like me, my youngest sister is 6, so she is always a blast to be around. She is very much like me. My best friends always keep me going, because they love me no matter what. They know me already, and I find it exhausting to meet new people. They look up to me, even though most of them are older than me. In our friendships, they are always there to offer encouragement. A beach is very near in my future. Never does it fail to bring peace to my mind, while I listen to the waves. Genuinely, I am super excited to have this week off without responsibilities or worrying what assignment has to be done next.
ReplyDeleteI think this is going to be a week of calm. Of letting myself get a bit dull. Give my brain a rest. The past month has flown by and dragged its feet at the same time, with the big picture lingering and the days flying by in the blur of well.. everything. This week is going to be a great chance to go to bed with an untroubled mind. Don't set an alarm. Don't plan the day. Treat hours like they're expendable instead of in need of careful rationing. I want it to have that kind of feeling you have when you can fall asleep to the sound of the tide and the breeze. My brain is going down to easy difficulty this week. I want to beat life like an easy videogame that requires little to no thought.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on catching up with people I haven't had time to keep up with, the people who used to come to mind when I said "my friends". Spring Break is an opportunity to enjoy a break from the present and get in touch with your roots a bit. It's all about taking a deep breath nice and slowly, and exhaling out all the small annoyances and difficulties and concerns that cloud you when they accumulate. . Im excited to just have time again. Time for people, and time for myself even. Time to read, or look for music, or play basketball again. The promise of time.
Everything Im focusing on for this upcoming week is about serenity. I want to be permanently at ease for the next 7 days. And between spending time with my family, and the friends I grew up with, and finally just having a little time to take a deep breath, I think I’m going to get what Im in need of. This week reminds me of the essence of my high school history teacher, the most easy going adult I’ve ever known. He always used to say at the end of class “Let’s Chill”. That sounds about right to me right now.
If I could relate how this spring break will go in one word, that’s easy, I’ll just explain how it went last year. I’m going to walk into the hotel room, and I will meet three or four different people all of whom, I’ve seen before, but don’t seem to agree to rooming with. Last year it was exactly like this, walking into a room full of strangers eating your food, and laying down in the bed you could have sworn you picked out first at the “Organizational Meeting”, but nonetheless, here we are. As I stare them in their perplexed and even a little stand offish faces, I realize, that these people will not be the “friends” I was supposed to be making on spring Break, in fact I think I’m-wait no I’m in the right room. So I sling my bags on the couch and introduce myself to the familiar strangers, and they STILL are being rude. Fed up with the apparent ignorance of my roommates, I pay a visit to my real friend, who has coordinated the trip to the World Famous Panama City beach (notice the sarcasm). His door was wide open- because let’s face it, he was a pretty popular guy, and I noticed papers all over hid floor- the papers that included our room assignments. I asked a few of the people waiting in his room what happened, “He mixed up our room assignments”, she said. I thought to myself, “That makes perfect sense; I’m in the wrong room. Perfect!” As I go to my room to retrieve my new Victoria’s Secret duffle bag that I brought for this specific purpose, I insert my key and they no longer are activated, because several guests are standing outside of their doors fumbling with the keys. Well to make a long story just a little shorter, the Hotel found out that a few, around 100 to be exact had planned on, but did, crashing the hotel with our vacation group. So to rectify who did and did not have a reservation, they canceled the entire key cards- smart if you ask me. However, the people who did end up crashing (as I would find, half of my old hotel roommates) were reported to the PCB authorities and returned back to Tallahassee. Poetic Justice? I would like to think so but, I would rather say that none of this would have happened if this trip were just more—{ insert that one word here}.
ReplyDeleteYou know what I do on my spring break? I chill out. I lay in bed for hours. I never have to think to myself "What time is it? I have to get ready for class!" and I never have to go to bed early so I can wake up for class in the morning. I party all night, sleep all day, and I love it. The best part is sleeping in my big soft bed at home and lounging in the living room with m parents. I hang out with my friends a lot but that's something I do in Tallahassee.The one thing I don't get to do much of during the school year is lay around and daydream. I love going in my backyard and tanning while listening to my ipod and reading books. My parents have a nice big backyard with plants and a boat and the scenery is really nice because its open to other backyards on the canal. I can see fish and crabs and sometimes even manatees come for a visit. I love feeding the ducks bread and sometimes they fly up onto the dock and its funny to watch them waddle around. I make myself lunch everyday and I go grocery shopping with my mom and buy all the food I can't afford in Tallahassee! I sleep in and take bubble baths and chat with my friends online. If there's one word I could use to describe my spring break (it starts with an R, hint hint!) it would be _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!
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