After a month and a half of an increasingly difficult semester, fall break is a wonderful thing. It is something I was looking forward to so much. I cannot pick out one distinct thing about it that makes it so enjoyable for me, but I can definitely say that it has been good to get away from campus for a bit.

In no particular order, here are the things that I think make fall break so enjoyable:

1. Being in My Hometown and Own House Again

No matter how much I love being on campus throughout the year, it is always nice to be able to stay in my house again for a week. It takes a little bit of adjusting to get used to having more than just my bedroom, a common room, and a bathroom as a living space, but I love being back at home. It is comforting. Plus, being back in Pittsburgh is always nice too.

2. Home Cooking

I cannot even begin to say how exciting it is to get away from school food. The cafeteria food had become so boring and gross after only the first few weeks of classes, which led to eating at the Grill and Quakeria so often that those also became boring to eat at and the food lost its flavor. However, being home for fall break means that I get to eat home-cooked meals at both my dad's house and my grandma's house. Not to mention, I guarantee that I will be sent back to school with at least a few containers of leftovers to eat as meals the first few days back from break. Yum!

3. Sleeping In

No workouts to wake up for, no early morning study sessions to be awake for, and no classes. All of that put together means that I can sleep in every single morning of break. One of the best feelings is not having to set my alarm for an entire week. Plus, this gives me a chance to catch up on all of the sleep that I lost out on while writing last minute papers during midterms. Sleep is very important.

4. Family

Both of my siblings are away at college and our fall breaks are not all at the same time, but I still have my dad around and my extended family. Living down the street from my grandma, an aunt and an uncle, and one of my cousins has its perks. I love being around family and having a chance to catch up with all of them after being away from them for a bit.

5. Fur Family

Yes, I do count my dogs as family. I love going outside to play with them in the backyard, take them for walks, and watch them run all over the house. It is especially comforting to curl up in my bed at night with my German Shepherd laying next to me on my bed.

6. Sweatpants Are Acceptable Anytime

During fall break, I feel no need to really dress nicely or wear anything other than sweatpants or yoga pants and t-shirts or sweatshirts. I can be as lazy as I want to with how I dress and it is so nice. My fall break is mostly about being comfortable and stress-free, and not having to worry about how I dress helps that.

7. Netflix, TV, and Movie Marathons

I have not had nearly as much free time the past few weeks as I'd had at the very beginning of the school year thanks to the crazy amount of work my professors have assigned, the intramural job I have, and lacrosse practices and workouts. This means that I have not been watching nearly as much Netflix as I used to watch. Or movies. Or TV shows. So fall break gives me the free time to binge-watch, have marathons, and catch up on shows that I fell behind on. Right now I am going back on forth on Netflix between Arrow and Gilmore Girls, and catching up on NCIS and Bull on live TV.

8. Being Away From Any Drama/Problems

Fall break is also a good opportunity to get away from any drama that has been happening or problems that have been occurring within your friend group. It is nice to get away for a bit, get some space and some air, and just have some time to yourself and away from it all.

9. New Stories to Tell Friends

As much as I love being around my friends, it has gotten to that point in the semester where we do not really have as much to talk about anymore other than the same old stories and topics. Being away from each other during break is a good way to avoid the awkward silences and repeated stories. Whether your family does something funny, your dog stole your hamburger from your hand, you went to a sports game, or did something incredibly awesome during break...each thing would be a good story to tell to your friends and give y'all more to talk about again the next time you're all gathered together or eating lunch.

I hope all of you are enjoying your fall break as much as I am!