Taking Full Advantage of Your Break

Hello, all!
Currently, I'm writing straight from home sweet home! Thanksgiving Break has commenced for St. Mike's, and this is the first time I've been home since summer.
It will be nice to sleep in my own bed again, have some home-cooked meals, and see family and friends who I haven't seen in months, but there's an entire other side of break that typically isn't associated with the word "break".
Before I get to that, here are a few photos from the past week!

At last, Alliot had Thanksgiving Dinner on Wednesday. There wasn't a single seat unoccupied, I even saw a few people sitting on the floor. But it was probably worth it- everything was delicious!

We finally got our ski passes for the season! The cheapest one offered by the school is for Smuggler's Notch, a quick 45 minute drive from campus, and it's only $65. Yes, I'm serious. And yes, you do pay that off with a single day of skiing. 

Bathroom blackboard art texted from home: my mom's favorite passage from The Grinch.

 

 

The drive home! Always a pretty one.

First home-cooked meal of break! Homemade pasta with sausage, zucchini, and more. So tasty.

Nalgene modifications! Tons of new stickers and a nifty little insertion that doesn't dump water into your lap whenever you take a sip!

First homemade breakfast of the break! Been craving pancakes since summer.

A trip to Maudlsey State Park with the fam.

New ski boots! I also got my new skis into the shop to get bindings mounted. So excited!

A late afternoon snack after getting back from the ski shop. "Got runs?"

And, finally, a brother-sister-cupcake-adventure last night. We made vanilla cupcakes with a peanut-butter buttercream! So good.

I've already gotten a lot of things done in the day that I've been home, but there's still much more to keep busy with!
That brings me to how exactly one takes full advantage of a break.
Before I left for break and before I got busy packing my life away for the following week, I made sure to write a list in my planner. (If you read faithfully, you'll know that I rely on my planner...and lists...for pretty much everything!) The list consisted of two parts: things I need to get done over break, and things I want to remember to bring back to school after break.
While breaks are always good for seeing family and friends, eating food from home, and relaxing, breaks are also the perfect slot of time to play a little catch-up.
Things to catch-up on may include homework, gathering all your winter gear, appointments, and of course, thinking up the perfect Christmas gifts.

All this being said, it's important not only to see everyone you want to see, but it's just as important to take full advantage of this opportune time to cross all those things off your list. You'll be glad you did when you get back to school right on time for finals!

Stay tuned next Sunday the 30th- I'll be back at school and filled with Turkey-day memories to share!