Back to Business

Image: here

I cannot express enough how relaxing last week was for me. I'm going to be so upset when I graduate and Spring Break is not an option for me anymore. I will say that by Spring Break standards, it was rather uneventful--the struggles of the poor college student. I was quite alright with this though; after a week of study, study, study I was very happy to have the chance to just be lazy for 10 solid days. I'm talking sleeping in, camping on the couch in front of the television, making whatever food I want, and blazing through some leisure reading. I have another Book Club post in the works for ya already!

But that dreamy, relaxing week is over. It ended with the long and boring bus ride back to the 'Burgh yesterday. It's time to get back to business. We are in the last stretch of the semester and things are going to start getting busy for me all the while my friends and I are going to be planning as much fun as we can before we are separated for four long months. So I apologize in advanced if the posting is a little thinner than it has been--I think I definitely stepped it up this past week though! Time to attack the last of sophomore year!

<3 Ashley

Any other students on Spring Break have fun plans?! (I know a bunch have break this week!)

Spring Forward

Image: here

Happy Monday everybody!

As I'm sure you are aware, this past weekend we set our clocks forward and lost an hour of sleep. What followed was probably the longest Sunday I have ever experienced in my life! I was up early to get coffee and breakfast with my mother. It felt like we had been sitting there talking for hours before we left to go to the store. When we came out of the store we saw that it was just past 10 AM!

However, I have big plans for the rest of this spring break! I will enjoying the fact that these next two days are going to see temperatures in the high 50s and possibly low 60s? I've heard rumors. :) I am dedicating a majority of my time this week to some spring cleaning. My room may be small but I can be quite a hoarder throughout the year. It's that time to lighten the load again. Then I have a day set aside to hang out with the few friends of mine that are home now too.

<3 Ashley

Do you have any plans to enjoy this sneak peak of spring?

A Little Hope for Spring

 

Image: here

                 

Well, we are about a week into March and tomorrow I am heading home for spring break 2014. I hate that we have spring break so early because it never actually feels like spring...at least the kind of weather I associate spring with. I check ahead on the weather at home and it looks like it could get up into the low 50s for a few days though! In any event today it's a cool 30 degrees. But the sun is out and I had quite the vision this morning when I was sitting at my desk by the window working: birds! A few flocks of birds made rounds right past my window and one bird actually sat outside it for a few minutes. Does this mean that spring is finally making its way back to the mid-Atlantic?! Man oh man I hope so! I am bursting to bring out the spring wardrobe!

<3 Ashley

Are you seeing signs of spring where you live?

Spring Break Ideas

So as I was looking through my desk calendar, an exciting realization hit me: Spring Break starts next Friday! Next Friday at 2 PM my bus will be rolling away from Pittsburgh to take me home for the week. I will admit that my Spring Break will be spent at home catching up with family and friends that I have missed since I came back. Let's be honest, I have three more Spring Breaks to do something awesome. I know that many of you will be embarking on your adventures at the end of this week actually. So I decided to find a few Spring Break ideas ranging in price.

1. The Beach!

Unfortunately for those of us here in the north, that requires a long drive down south because the beaches are nowhere near warm here at this point. Florida is a popular destination for college Spring Breakers as are certain areas of Mexico. At the same time, if you are looking to go somewhere less crowded and not as popular, the Outer Banks are also a lovely beach destination. I know some of my friends are actually venturing to the Bahamas for break (jealous!)

2. Road Trip!

One thing I have always wanted to do is take a road trip with just a couple of friends. Ideally my road trip would be cross country; this would probably be better suited for summer. But there is still a lot of asphalt you can cover in one week! So grab a few friends, pack the trunk, grab a map and discover some new locations (you should probably establish a budget in that process as well!)

3. Skiing!

While it doesn't exactly sound like a spring activity, it's not exactly spring yet, is it? Make some reservations at a ski resort for the week or just a few days. There are also places where you can go for the day to ski, snowboard, or go tubing (Ski Roundtop for those of you in South Central PA)

4. Volunteer Trips!

Some people also opt for the alternative break: volunteer trips! A lot of colleges and universities have organized volunteer opportunities that you can partake in during spring break. While these are fairly expensive (ours are about $300) they offer you the opportunity to reach out and help others for the week.

5. Make Discoveries at Home!

Okay, in exploring places you haven't ventured to close to home you probably won't encounter any caves or awesome cliffs like these, but how awesome is this picture? This break, my friends and I will be mapping out something cool things to do and interesting places to eat that we haven't been to around home. We are going to become one with our surroundings! Find some interesting hole-in-the-wall café or restaurant that you haven't noticed before or go for a hike! (We live in a valley in the Appalachian Mountains so we can do this!)

These are just a few ideas how you can spend your week away from classes during break. There are definitely other options out there! For those of you getting ready to go on break after this week of classes, have fun and be safe!

<3 Ashley

How do you plan on spending your spring break?