Florida Trip!

 
A few weeks back, I went to Orlando for the weekend for a conference. The conference was for the Society of Professional Journalists, and was called Excellence in Journalism, or EIJ. When registering for the conference, I also got free tickets for Disney World, which was extremely exciting. We went down to Orlando on Friday morning, and once we got there, we darted straight to the hotel.
 
Our hotel was beautiful, as you can tell from the picture above. (that was just the lobby.) When we got to the hotel, we settled in. Then, we registered for the conference. That night, we went to a club called B.B Kings, which was a great place to mingle with fellow journalists. I met some awesome people that went to an outstanding journalism school, and hung out with someone named Danielle that was in my chapter.
The next day was the longest day. In the morning, I went to two back to back workshops. Both of them were about technology in the field and how to use it in an effective way. I thought that was interesting, and both conferences were amazing. After the conferences, I headed down to lunch with our advisor and Danielle.
Some shots of the afternoon parade: 
 
 
After the conferences, we decided to go to Disney World to use our free passes. We took an Uber there, and decided to go to Magic Kingdom. We arrived just in time to see the afternoon parade, which was amazing.
 
Cinderella castle. 
After the parade, we wandered around Disney for a while and went one some rides. My personal favorite was the Teacup ride, which I think is a classic. However, my favorite had to be the Light Parade after dark. The light displays were amazing! If you ever go to Disney, I highly recommend that as a must see. It's simply beautiful, and my pictures don't do it justice!
Parade Pictures! 
 

 
After the light parade, my friends Monica and Anisa went to watch the fireworks, while I went to go pick up a few things with my friend Danielle. (my mom gave me a full-blown shopping list.) Then, the park closed and we went home. It was such an exhausting day, but it was worth it. We didn't get home until almost midnight.
 
So basic, but YOLO.
The next day, we enjoyed a few minutes by the pool before we packed to go home. Our flight was in the early afternoon, however, we still managed to make the most of it. Overall, it was an amazing weekend, and a great experience.

Why Sometimes You Just Gotta Take a Vacation.

 
The pool of where I stayed; I really didn't want to leave.
This past weekend, I went to Florida for a conference. (More about that will come next week--there are a lot of pictures to sort through). When I went, I was so stressed out about everything that I had going on which included school, working three jobs (it was an accident I swear!) and just trying to survive the semester with my sanity semi-intact.
However, when I came back I was totally relaxed. I'm talking so relaxed that I actually had time to get ahead on my homework. Since when does that happen? I think probably in the summer.
Then it occurred to me. Sometimes, we just really need to take a vacation from everything. Whether it's across town or the country, I think everyone in the world needs time to get away from the stresses of life and just chill. I think we sometimes overwhelm ourselves with the responsibilities of being a student and trying to be the best, and sometimes we need sometime away to simply enjoy ourselves. After all, life is too short. Do you really want to spend it stressing out about everything?
But, let me stress. Sometimes, you just don't have the money to put down for a tropical trip to Florida. And that's okay. For some, it's as easy as taking a day trip to the next town over and exploring. The term "vacation" doesn't always have to mean going on an airplane, however if you really want to then go for it.
So, if you're feeling down about something the answer to me is clear. It's a sign that you really need to get away, whether it's for a few hours, days or even a week. Trust me, you'll come back refreshed.