And...Christmas Break is Here at Last!

Happy feast of Pope St. Damasus I!

It's a crazy feeling: at 3:30 p.m. today, I turned in my Theology of the Body final, and walked out of Egan. The semester is over, and Christmas break is here. I'm incredibly excited for some hardcore relaxation, reading, writing, movie watching, and enjoying time with my husband and some other random people who live in or near Steubenville. I love breaks from classes/homework, but I really think it's important to continue to learn and grow intellectually and whatnot. So, over this break here are some of the intellectual, spiritual, and fun activities which I am (hoping) to do:

I'm really excited to study the Franciscan spirituality. There's an awesome Franciscan section in our campus library, which I really haven't taken advantage of. I love St. Francis, and I love learning about him, so why have I never frequented this section? Mostly, I think it's because amid classwork, my reading on the side (yes, it is possible to have reading on the side when you're a social college student; it just took me a couple years to figure it out) tends to be recreational and fun. Yes, Franciscan stuff is fun and recreational, but not in the same sense as fiction stuff. So, this break, I'm hoping to grow intellectually and spiritually as I delve into some Franciscan goodness :)

I also am going to work on creative writing prompts, I am a creative nonfiction writer. It's my passion, it comes most naturally to me, and I have a huge interest in that field. However, I also have a fond place in my heart for fiction writing. In fact, over the years, I have acquired several notebooks, scraps of paper, and floppy disks (yes, I remember when those were a thing) with bits and pieces of stories. I typically lack the motivation and endurance to actually finish these, and I never get around to practice creative writing techniques. But, lo and behold, one of my friends is having a December writing group online (with prompts provided), encouraging us to post our creations there or on our blogs. So, I'm going to be working on this over break, I think it shall be lovely and fun, and quite a change of pace from the writing that I've been doing this semester!

I'm going to learn how to make a latch hook rug. I've always wanted to learn how to do latch hook, because it looks neat and involves yarn, and the only ways I can make crafts are if they involve some sort of fiber. I've never really wanted to spend a chunk of money on a latch hook kit, because I've never been that interested before. However, the other week at The Mission, I found an unused kit for $1--how could I pass that up? So yes, I shall teach myself/try to learn latch hook, and it shall be exciting, I'm sure :)

Those are some of the major activities that come to mind, and I'm sure updates about some (if not all) of them will wind up on this blog at some point. On that note, enjoy the end of the Second Week of Advent, and get excited for Gaudete Sunday in just a few days!!!!!!! Jesus loves you!!!