WINTER BREAKKKK

Who's done with finals?! THIS GIRL. My god has this semester been a trying time for me. Like I vaguely mentioned in my last post, I've had some events in my personal life that have been tough on me. I also worked at an internship, had a full 18-credit-hour schedule of classes, and worked part time at United Colors of Benetton. I had a few breakdowns. You know, the ones where you can't find a paper clip and start crying hysterically? But most of that is over now--FOR A WHOLE MONTH! I'll be in Chicago for another week(ish) working then I'm heading home for a while to spend time with my family and the sunshine in Arizona.

(that's a picture of me being done with finals)

Let's just say that I desperately need a break.

In order to really take advantage of my break time, I thought I'd set up a few fun challenges for myself now that school is out. I know a lot of you might not get a winter break (and this is probably my last one) so feel free to play along even if life isn't slowing down for you right now.

Winter Break Goals:

1) Read for pleasure. I already pulled four books off of my shelf to take home with me. I love nothing more than snuggling down in front of a fire and getting my read on. Let's see if I can finish all of the books I'm taking home!

2) Have (at least) two sleepovers with childhood friends (Kristina and Mattie, I'm looking at you!) When I was little I was all about the sleepover. They're just so much fun. Now that I'm a sort-of-grown-up my sleepovers can involve booze and well-made food. Obviously this is something that should make a comeback.

3) Cross some restaurants off of my list. Since I left Arizona they've been doing some awesome things in the foodie world. I've started making a list of the places I need to try while I'm home and there's really no excuse to not.

4) Photograph something cool with my dad. Vague? Yes. But still something I want to do. My dad and I are both learning how to use our cameras the right way (he's learning much faster than me) and I love taking pictures with him when I have the chance. There's so much beauty in Arizona. Maybe we can capture some of it!

5) Take a day trip to Prescott. Why? It's just pretty cute up there. Danielle of Sometimes Sweet lives there so if you follow her blog I'm sure you've seen little peeks of her cute little town.

6) Take a day trip to Sedona. I love Sedona. It's a pretty quick drive to get there and the red rocks are gorgeous. I think it would be a lot of fun to walk around for the day and take some neat pictures.

7) Cook meals for my family. When I'm at school I cook a lot (as I'm sure you've noticed. Especially if you follow me on twitter) but when I go home I almost never cook. Part of the reason is my mom and brothers are EXTREMELY picky when it comes to their food but the other reason is simply that I wasn't confident enough to cook for a crowd. This year I'm going to try and plan some meals and overcome that fear!

8) Get a little shitty with old friends. I know a lot of bloggers don't drink but I do. I don't drink often and I rarely get drunk but I think the holidays and having a designated driver at your service is the perfect time to do that. It's going to be a little classy and a little trashy and a lot of fun.

9) Update my resume and make some post-graduation decisions. I've been putting this off for a while but it's time to get the ball rolling on my future. I don't have much time to figure things out!

10) Knit something fun. I have not knit in so long. It's about time. I think I might try to make this scarf I saw on Rae over at Eclectic Heap. We met up for some tea a couple weeks ago and she told me how to make it so I'm pretty excited about it :)!

I'm sure I'll come up with more goals because even in my down time I don't like to be lazy. How about all of you? Any big plans for the holiday season?

xoxo
Mal