Five Minute Friday: Break

This week the topic for the Five Minute Friday link-up post is Choose your own. So I chose my post to be on the idea of Break. What is a link-up? Essentially a link-up is when you join other bloggers and write on a similar topic. You share your blog posts with one another and begin conversations via a host site. You can head over to Kate Motaung’s page to check out other entries from inspired bloggers. Here’s my five minutes of uninterrupted, unedited writing on this week’s topic:

It is now officially Christmas break for my husband and I. No words can accurately describe the feeling of turning my keys in my classroom lock for the last time in 2015. I stayed a little later after school today to ensure a completely work-free vacation and so I am thrilled to say that there will be no grading or lesson planning happening in my life between now and January 5!

In light of the Holiday season and the break that I have just entered I decided to make a Bucket List today of all the things I would like to accomplish between now and my far-off return to the classroom.

1. Netflix Binging: Aside from reading, Netflix is the best tool for helping me unwind and de-stress. My husband, Arianna, and I have been looking forward to a few evenings of snacks in the living room and a couple of episodes of favorite shows.
2. Finish writing draft 1 of my novel: I still have an end goal in mind for my novel and that is to finish draft 1 by January 1. I’m about four chapters shy of that goal currently so we will see what the next two weeks hold for the future of the novel.
3. Read 3 books: Although I have read a couple books this school year it is increasingly difficult to read as much as I’d like the further I get into the year. I have a “to-read” list that I’m looking forward to putting a dent in this break. Currently, I’m finishing up I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. I love it so far and will let you know what I think when it is finished.
4. View holiday lights: Every year we like to journey to Lancaster, Ohio to a lovely home light show. We always stop at Starbucks, get warm drinks, and then drive through the light display. It’s a beautiful property lined with animated LED lighting. This is a fun family tradition. We also may end up at the Columbus Zoo Wildlights this weekend which is another beautiful and festive display.
5. Take Arianna to see Santa: To be honest we’ve never done this before. This year is the first Christmas where she has asked to visit St. Nick so we are going to carve out some time to stop in and see him at his house in downtown Circleville. That will be the beginning of a new family tradition I suppose.
6. Christmas Baking: Need I say more? It isn’t the holidays without a kitchen lined with goodies.

When I’m not working on part of my Bucket List  I will be totally relaxing, enjoying time with the people who mean the most to me, and not thinking about work.

Five Minute Friday is taking a break over the next couple of weeks. Below is a schedule of the link-ups in the making.

What are your plans this season?