The Best of Spring Break

And today is it: the end of Spring Break 2008.

And it is my last, so it has a bit more of a special meaning. I will no longer have any obvious breaks in my routine to look forward to, perhaps except for holidays and weekends (oh, and hopefully a week or two in the summer between job transitions... wait, do I have a job yet?). Spring break has always been about spending time away from school and work, and with friends instead. By and by large, a lot of my spring breaks have always been spent with one person, so this past week has been unique: I've spent time with a lot of my friends, on and off. I also spent lots of alone time curled up with my fiction, my music, and my games (Audiosurf *drool*).

Looking back at this spring break, I could not but help ask myself: which spring break has been the best for me? Like all comparisons I do, I organized, sorted, and decided. Summaries and results below.

Spring Break 2004: My first spring break away from BGSU was anything but. I was firmly attached to my new job at Meijer (Systems Department) and was enjoying escalating responsibilities there. Without much money or desire to travel, my first spring break was spent at work or at home. This break was just into the first weeks that I was dating Lacey, and we spent lots of time together...

Spring Break 2005: Fuck Ohio? Deep into our relationship, Lacey and I decided to take a vacation proper during spring break, and we thought that sunny Los Angeles would be perfect. With $700 a piece out the door for airfare and hotel, we set off for 6 days and five nights in... cold, cloudy Los Angeles. So the March weather there isn't great. We enjoyed mid-sixty degree temperatures and cloudy skies, but no swimming or beaches. Still, we got around (on foot and public transportation!) to see lots of downtown, tons of shopping, Hollywood, and lots of local food (okay, well Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, but still...). All in all, it was one hell of an experience, especially for someone who has been sheltered all his life.

Spring Break 2006: Well into my miserably single life (although by now I has just met someone rather special...), I set out for the Smoky Mountains with an old friend of mine, Brent, and had the single best five days of my life. From a long road trip to random stops in Cincinnati to the sheer challenge and thrill of mountain hiking and camping, I sat awestruck every day of the trip. I got to experience basic survival techniques during the trip, particularly when it came to water (I constantly ran out, and I now respect water far more than anyone else I know). I also took plenty of pics.

Spring Break 2007: Off year? Because of finances and other factors (busy with school work, actually), I took this spring break off to enjoy time at home (I took a good portion of it off work as well). Nothing exciting, but certainly a needed break. Realizing that I would be going to BGSU for a fifth year, I decided to use this break to organize myself for a full, painful year ahead of me.

Spring Break 2008: And again, here I am. Everything about this break has reflected my recent attitude changes about life: moderation (small trip), desire to see my family (trip to Middletown to see my sister, time spent at home), and self-healing to make sure I'm on the right path for graduation (alone time has helped a lot). Suffice to say, this break has been a bit random, and very fulfilling overall, and I don't regret any minute of it (well, I did want to go to Mammoth Cave pretty badly...). Overall, a big thumbs up, I think. Too bad I go back to my normal routine tomorrow (I have homework to do for this week!). I also took plenty of pics this break.

So if I had to rank my spring breaks, which would come out on top? It's an easy choice for the most part.

1) Spring Break 2006 was easily my favorite: the Smoky Mountains were an incredible learning experience that allowed me to connect with nature in ways I never have before.

2) Spring Break 2008 comes in second, although I debated about 2005 being second. Los Angeles was a great learning experience as well as fun all around, but 2008 let me be with the people I love the most day in and day out (IHOP, anyone?), and the variety of things that I did - from traveling across the state to sitting on my ass for days at a time - has made it one to remember.

3) Spring Break 2005 rounds out the top three, with the other two breaks just tossed near the bottom for good measure. It's been an interesting five-years at BGSU, and an even more interesting spring break every year.

Well, here's to stress-free time off... I'll miss spring breaks a lot.

B3 out.