SBXI

You know how it isn't over until the fat lady sings?  Well, I say spring break isn't over until I blog about it!

Let me begin by saying it's strange to be typing on a real keyboard again.  I used my iPhone a good amount throughout the week, but I haven't been on a computer since last Saturday morning.  I feel absolutely refreshed after my technology cleanse!  (Speaking of which, I definitely took zero pictures this week and need my friends to post theirs. :D)

I also feel refreshed because, for the past 8 or 9 days, I let myself escape Tuscaloosa and all the stress that comes from being at school.  I did some schoolwork the Thursday and Friday before I left, but I literally did not think about school from the moment I rolled out of Tuscaloosa.  It. Was. Glorious.

I was extra excited because this was my first real spring break at the beach.  Freshman year I went to Vegas with my bff Amanda.  Sophomore year I went home to San Diego with Mom, Kenny, and Scotty.  Last year, I'm pretty sure I went home and slept.  (To clarify, I was taking 18 hours of classes last spring.)  I had to cram super amounts of fun into this spring break to make up for my lack of cliche spring break adventures for past 3 years.

Here's a quick rundown of the main part of SBXI... because there's no way you would read (or that I could remember) details of the past week.  Actually, looking at my twitter would probably give me some pretty good reminders.

Location: Gulf Shores, AL in an awesome duplex very close to the beach.  We were thankful for everybody's sake that nobody stayed in the other unit in our building!

Ride Down: Provided by my big brother Kenny, who was conveniently staying right down the road, and his friend Bryce.

Housemates: Laura, Erica, Chase, Chris, Ryan, Joey, Colin, Krista, Kenneth, Marissa, Matt, Sarah, John, and me.

Songs:  There were quite a few theme songs of our SBXI.  OF COURSE, the official one was "Friday" by Rebecca Black.  I think we can credit Colin with introducing that masterpiece to the house a couple days into the week.  Another very popular one was "What the Hell" by Avril Lavigne.  Every single song by Ke$ha and Lady Gaga. "F**k You" by Cee Lo Green.  "Firework" by Katy Perry.  There were probably many more, including every one from our lip-synching competition, but I'm blanking right now.

Activities: Beaching, getting sunburned, imbibing, lip-synching for our lives, almost getting PIs the first night, partying with strangers, sleeping, looking hot, walking the beach at night, "the game," causing drama, bonding, eating entirely too much (and usually, ahem, late at night), outlet shopping, Flora-Bama-ing on St. Patty's Day, etc.  This week was so much more than any of those things, but we'll just say the sum was greater than the parts.  And it was pretty freaking great.

After exhausting amounts of fun with my friends, it was family time!

I felt very fortunate that my mom was willing to drive up from Destin to Gulf Shores to retrieve me for a few days with the family at the end of the break.  She picked me up after a hellish drive on Friday morning and drove me to the condos in Destin where my Uncle Chuck and Aunt Ethel (actually great uncle and great aunt, and also my godparents) stay during the winter to escape the cold of Chicago.

Mom and Grandpa had been staying in another condo in the same building since last Sunday, while Uncle Chuck and Aunt Ethel's daughter Marla and grandson Ty (neither of whom I had met before Kenny and I had lunch with the fam at McGuire's in Pensacola on Wednesday) stayed in the condo with them.  I stayed with Mom and G-Pa, and Uncle Tommy picked up Scotty from PCB and joined us later that evening.

We swam Friday and Saturday nights in the heated pool, went to the beach, ate out a few times, talked a good bit, played Paper Jams with Ty and taught him to say, "Roll Tide!", and just had a good time.  I was sad to miss the end of SBXI with my friends, but family is very important to me.

My mom drove Scotty and me back to Tuscaloosa after a huge breakfast at Golden Corral with the fam.  We got home around 4, and I have been unpacking, doing laundry, etc. since then.  I'm trying to prepare myself mentally for the next 6 weeks before graduation!

Overall, I have to say this was the best spring break I have ever had.  I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend quality time with my friends (who I don't get to see anywhere near as much as I want to) and my family (ditto).

Thanks to everybody who made this week possible.  And fun, fun, fun, fun!