Weekend Happenings: Waterfalls and Northern Faces

Okay, right now I can just barely see the light at the end of the tunnel of work I'm currently buried in but I've been dying to give an update about my weekend so here it goes. This weekend I visited some friends from my abroad trip. While there I went to a Northern Faces concert and explored a waterfall.
It was so nice to laugh with old friends and just get an update about everyone's life.

The venue was called the Hollow. I'd barely heard Northern Faces before but I love going to concerts. They turned out to be pretty good and I'd definitely go an check them out of iTunes or Spotify.

There were two opening bands playing for them. The first was Royal Tongues. They are a pretty new band from the Buffalo area. The second band is called Stellar Young. Out of all the bands I thought these guys were the most fun to watch. The lead guitarists was super funny. My favorite song of theirs is Playing With Guns. Definitely check it out.

Then there was the Christian Forest near Albany. It was a great place to hike around and explore. The hiking was pretty easy and relaxed.

 Also the waterfalls were amazing. They reminded me so much of my grandfathers old house. He used to live on the side of a mountain in the Catskills and a stream ran right next to his house. My sister and I used to play in that stream for hours when we would visit.

Well that was my weekend. I cannot believe I'm just a few weeks away from graduating. Definitely want to drag it out a little longer cause it's going to be so sad. I'm just going to try and take it a day at a time and enjoy it while it lasts.

Hope you had a great weekend!

oxo Caitlin

Thoughts and Photos

Happy Easter! I hope you are all having a fantastic day spending time with family and eating enough eggs to keep you satisfied for the year!  Here are some photos from my week. It was above 60 degrees twice this week which was a miracle if you as me! Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to experience the weather as much as I'd like. We're nearing the end of the year and things are getting a little crazy up here! I was able to catch a few moments of peace as I was walking across campus.

I've found that it's important to take these moments for ourselves sometimes. Life can get so hectic and we are always thinking of the future when we should take time to be in the moment. Anyway here are the photos!

oxo Caitlin

Things You Only Notice When Your Flight is Delayed

I've been a pretty lucky flyer considering the nearly 10 flights I took last year to fly around the globe went rather smoothly. I know there are people who have absolute horror stories about week long delays in layover cities so I can't really complain but last week I did have the pleasure of staying an extra four hours in the Manchester airport watching it snow while I waited for my flight to sunny Florida. During that time I noticed some of the weird thing that occur at the airport when your flight is delayed and is the last flight out for the night.

1. The news has an end. I know it doesn't seem possible that the reporters could ever finish making misguided assumptions about what's really going down in the Middle East or Ferguson. Eventually they will even bring up ebola briefly before they finally can find nothing else to pretend to care about. 

2. When #1 occurs CNN will probably play some religious documentary. At this point many of your fellow delirious travelers will become far to invested in the shroud of Jesus. 

3. You will spend time watching people trickle up to the counter to try and haggle some information from the women standing at the check in desk. They will probably be rude and she will be exasperated. Next time you're travel doesn't go as planned try to be a little nicer to these women. They're job must be so difficult.

4. If you don't go up to the women at the check in desk you will spend countless hours watching her every move and waiting for her to pick up the intercom.

5. The night shift ground crew are a whole new species of human being. They are a rugged, bearded, and gruff group of individuals who are calloused with the countless freezing hours standing outside doing whatever it is the ground crew do. I'm sure they have their own secret society or something.

6.  Airport food is really bad...and really expensive. It's like they have figured out that you are trapped inside this building and they are going to get you for everything that you've got. Eventually you're hunger will win out and you will buy the $6 dollar stale bagel and watered down coffee.

7. At some point you will get so tired of sitting at the gate you will find yourself wishing they would just cancel your flight so you can sleep in some stuffy hotel room for the night. Maybe trying again tomorrow wouldn't be so bad.

Have you noticed anything strange while waiting to catch a plane? I'd love to add it to the list!

oxo Caitlin

My Week in Florida

I spent this past week in Florida on a much needed vacation from school. My family and I went down to Orlando where we did all the things that you should down there. We went to Harry Potter World, ate citrus candy, and sat by the pool for hours soaking up the sunshine. Here are some snapshots from the trip.

This is my sister and I at the airport before be learned that our flight would be delayed three hours. There is nothing quite like being stuck in a snow storm so close yet so far to 85 degree weather.

Day 1: Bok Towers

Day 2: Harry Potter World

If you are in Universal at all I completely recommend going to Harry Potter World. They did such a great job recreating everything and entering Diagon Ally is truly magical. I also highly recommend going on the escape from Gringotts ride first. The line goes pretty quickly and it wasn't too busy early in the day but it definitely got busier.

Day three was spent at Animal Kingdom and day four was spent hanging around the pool. I didn't take many photos but both days were truly amazing. It may seem silly but I have to say my favorite part about the entire trip was wearing shorts all the time. I completely forgot how great warm weather was. It reminded me of being in Australia.

I hope you all have a fantastic week! If you had or have a Spring Break enjoy every moment of your vacation!

oxo Caitlin

White Bird in a Blizzard Review

I have been watching a bunch of movies lately. It's really bad because I've been procrastinating on work almost every night this past week. Recently I watched White Bird in a Blizzard on Netflix. I mostly decided to watch it because Shailene Woodly is the main character. I also saw the trailer at one point and it looked weirdly intriguing.

The movie wasn't bad. A little weird but not bad. The film takes place in the late 80s and follows Kat Connors. She lives with her slightly awkward father and theatrical mother until her mother suddenly disappears one day out of the blue. The rest of the movie follows Kat as she deals with her mother's disappearance during her last years of high school and into college. The movie slowly gives us glimpses into the past until the end when the secret of the mother's disappearance unfolds.

The acting throughout the movie was alright but the dialogue was stifled and awkward at times. Shailene did a great job portraying Kat. What I enjoyed the most about her character was the subtle hints that she is like her mother. These added depth to the character that I don't think you often see in movies. I ended up liking the character quite a bit. It was refreshing to see a character develop pretty normally after the disappearance of her mother.

The ending was well done. I was not expecting the big reveal at the end. The only thing I will say is I wish the writers had devised a better way to show the ending without having it be a flashback. I think it would have made a better statement if Kat had been in the final scene.

Overall this was a good film. If you like mystery films like Gone Girl, I think you would like this. It has the layers of crazy that add suspense to the film. It also leaves you guessing. I was totally surprised by the ending and that says something good about the film.

Have you watched any interesting movies lately?

oxo Caitlin

Mad Hatter Tea

I don't know about you but this weekend has flown by for me. That's probably due to the fact that I have a ton of work to do for this coming week. But after that it is officially Spring break!

One fun thing I did this weekend was go to a lovely little tea house called the Mad Hatter Tea Room and Cafe in Rochester, NY. It was a super cute place that was all pink and pretty. I don't know about you but I love tea cups so I couldn't resist taking some photos of the cute ones they served tea in.

It was such a fun little place to visit. The raspberry scones were delicious and the little cookies at the end were so yummy. I was sufficiently stuffed after high tea. I almost fell asleep on the ride home from the food coma.

Apparently they also serve breakfast which is both inexpensive and yummy. Here is their Facebook page if you want to check them out. If you're in the Rochester area looking for a good place to spend the morning or afternoon. It's a great place to spend a couple relaxing weekend hours with friends.

What did you do this weekend? I hope it was a blast.

oxo Caitlin

Food Snapshot: Ham Sandwiches

I love food! Every aspect of food. Planning my recipes for the week is so relaxing. Walking through the grocery store with a list of recipes and an open schedule is one of my favorite things to do during the week. Unpacking the food and of course eating the food are all things I love to do. One of my favorite things is ham sandwiches on perfectly crusty bread with mustard.

This week while I was wondering around the aisles of the grocery store I picked up some super thinly sliced ham and sourdough bread from the bakery sections. The bakery section is one of the reasons I love Wegmans by the way.

Now sometimes I like to add a couple slices of swiss cheese. The slightly bitter tanginess of the cheese goes so well with the sweetness of the ham. I also like to add some mustard. If you're tired of the regular yellow mustard, though, I encourage you to get something a little different.

I picked up this whole grain mustard a little while ago to make this chicken recipe. Because I'm only buying for myself, I thought it was silly to buy a whole other jar of mustard so I've been using this one on my sandwiches. It adds a whole new texture to the sandwich and the little mustard seeds pop as you eat releasing their flavor.

Yum...that food heaven right there!

oxo Caitlin

Connies Diner and Other Weekend Things

It was my birthday weekend and my friends did a great job surprising me with a great dinner on Friday and a wonderful day out on Saturday! There was also chocolate cupcakes, which happen to be my second favorite. My favorite type of cake are the oreo cupcakes my mom makes complete with oreo frosting. Plus they are vegan so if that floats your boat even better. Here's a similar recipe to her's if you want to check it out.

One of my favorite parts of my birthday was going to a little diner in Waterloo, NY called Connie's Diner. It is an authentic 50s style diner complete with the yummy greasy food and adorable waitresses who clearly love their job.

I am such a sucker for awesome restaurants. It speaks to my inner food nerd self. This place was complete with delicious diner fair. I had a pretty normal breakfast with two eggs over easy but the omelettes and french toast also looked amazing. If you want to check this place out for yourself here is their website!

Oh and they also brought me some early morning cake for my birthday which was four levels of chocolatey goodness. Did I mention I'm a chocolate cake fan to the Bruce Bogtrotter proportion.

The night ended with more chocolate all lit up and perfect. Overall this birthday was one of the best I've had. I was surrounded by amazing friends who care so much about me. They did a great job getting everyone together and I couldn't have asked for more.

oxo Caitlin

22 Years!

Today I'm celebrating my 22nd day of existence! It's weird to think about how much has gone on in the past 2 decades plus 2 years of my life. More importantly, though, I've learned so much about myself and the world around me. Here are a few things I've learned in my 22 years.

1. Forget about physical possession, family and friends are the number one thing you will ever have in your life. Cherish every moment you have with them. I mean every moment.

2. Don't be too cautious.

3. Be yourself and be happy with that. I'm still working on this one. I get upset with myself when I know I'm being especially quiet. Sometimes it's just so hard to accept who you are and accept that others will love you for it.

4. Do what you love. Specifically do what you love even if those around you are pushing you toward something else. Fun fact, I love studying insects. I want to become an entomologist because that field is so interesting to me. Many people think bugs are creepy and people have asked me why I want to study insects. It's because I think they're incredibly cool and interesting. I don't know why I love learning about them more than other things. It just is. So do what you love even if other people doubt you or think it's strange.

5. Allow yourself to take in even the most mundane moments. After all life goes by too fast.

6. Enjoy the outdoors more. It's there and we should be out there too. Get outside and stretch your legs.

7. Be kind to everyone. You don't know what they've been through. I'm not saying you have to be everyone's best friend but you do have to be nice. Plus being a jerk is so much extra work. If you're nice you never have to worry about how others see you.

8. Eat chocolate...lot's of chocolate.

9. Gather as many hobbies as you can because they are fun, they round you out as a person, and that knot tying class you took will definitely come in handy during the apocalypse.

10. Choose to be happy. It's difficult sometimes. You might not feel good or your day seems to be terrible but choosing to look on the bright side can lift your spirits. Also your happiness will rub off on others which is awesome for the world.

That's a little bit of what I've learned during my 22 years of life. I'm sure there are so many other important things but I thought sticking to 10 would be best.  Now I'm going to have an amazing birthday dinner and I hope all you lovelies have a wonderful day!

oxo Caitlin

Swing Dresses for Spring!

1. Madewell, 2. Urban Outfitters, 3. American Eagle

I don't usually post many fashion oriented posts. I in no way consider myself on top of the latest trends. However, I do enjoy shopping for new clothes and buying new shoes. I also cannot wait for spring to arrive so that I can finally dig out my dresses.

I'm a pretty casual dresser. While I'm not a sweatpants to class kind of college student I do live in jeans for most the of year. Right now I've been loving the t-shirt dress look. They seem so comfortable to wear and are easy to dress up or down.  Above are a few of my favorites from three different places in a range of price points. Oh and I don't know why I've was suddenly drawn in by the olive green. I just loved the color.

What have are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

oxo Caitlin

A Little Recipe: Sweet Potato Gnocchi

I love cooking new things to the point where yesterday I found myself procrastinating on homework because I remembered that I had all the ingredients to try and make sweet potato gnocchi. Dinner time is by far my favorite time of the day. I get to stop everything I'm doing for a while and stand by a warm stove of food. 

While cooking I have noticed that I've made things for myself that I've either loved or don't ever feel the need to make again. I thought I'd post the recipes I've loved as a reminder to myself.  It is so much easier to cook things when you have a running book of recipes that you love. So onward to the gnocchi!

First of all if you haven't heard of gnocchi you need to get yourself into your kitchen and whip up a batch sooner rather than later. They are like perfect little pillows of dough that you boil in water and serve with whatever sauce you want. Most of the time they are made with potato but I thought I'd give mine a little boost with a sweet potato. Plus I don't normally buy potatoes. I know they are probably a top contender for the greatest comfort food on Earth but I have never liked them except in their fried state. I know I'm weird.  Anyway, enough about my hatred for potatoes lets get on with the recipe!

These were surprisingly easy to make.  I don't know why but in my head making pasta is such a daunting task. Gnocchi is a great place to start because it is so simple, as in four ingredients simple.

Ingredients

1 medium to large sweet potato (probably about a cup and a half of flesh)

1 egg

Teaspoon of salt and pepper

3/4 cup of flour plus more for dusting

Recipe

1. Bake your sweet potato either in the oven or in a microwave until soft all the way through. I tested mine with a fork. Then wait for it to cool enough to touch. 

2. Scoop flesh from the sweet potato and mash until smooth. A potato masher would work great here. If you want it super smooth you could even run it through a food processor but it's up to you. 

3. Combine beaten egg, salt, and pepper into the sweet potato. 

4. Add in flour in 1/4 cup increments. I found that in the early stages it was easier to use a fork to combine the flour until the dough became less sticky.  Then I began kneading with my hands. Make sure you don't over knead. At the end the dough was slightly tacky. 

5. On a floured surface roll the dough into long cylinders about the diameter of your thumb.

6. With a knife, cut these into half inch slices. You can really make them as big or small as you like. I found that half inch worked best for me. 

7. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie tray. If you're eating them all right away cook them in salted boiling water until they float to the surface. If you want to save some for later keep the on the cookie tray and place them into the freezer until frozen through. You can then remove them from the cookie tray and place them into a freezer safe bag or container. By allowing them to freeze first on the cookie tray you ensure they don't stick together. 

As far as sauces, I suggest sautéing the gnocchi with some butter garlic and greens of your choice. I also threw in some peas as you can see from the top photo. A creamy mushroom sauce would also be wonderful. Also don't forget to top with a good portion of parmesan cheese. 

I hope you enjoy!

oxo Caitlin

Weekend Happenings

This weekend I regret to say that I don't have many photos (and the first photo wasn't taken by me but snagged from a friend). I had a wonderful weekend filled with friends and kitties.  Friday night I went to a play on campus after having some wonderful food with one of my best friends. We made Indian food at her house and downed it with tea. It was a great way to keep warm. Then on Saturday I got to hang out with the big guy below.

On campus, I'm a member of a volunteer club and we spent Saturday morning at the animal shelter cleaning up after some super sweet kitties.  Here is one of my personal favorites.  This big guy was quite possibly the most cuddly cat on earth. Now that's saying a lot. I'm really not much of a cat person at all. I've never owned a cat, my dad is allergic, so I've never been super comfortable around them. This guy was the best, though, and I hope he finds a home soon.

I also managed to make some pancakes this weekend. Usually I'm not a huge pancake fan but I was totally feeling like banana pancakes.

I wasn't totally following a recipe with these.  I basically just threw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl until I got a consistency that I liked. They included 1 mashed banana, a teaspoon of baking powder, 2 eggs, and enough flour to bend it all together. Oh, and a little pinch of salt. 

They were warm and perfect for a Sunday morning. I let a little butter melt on the top and drizzled them with some of this awesome buckwheat honey that I bought a couple weeks ago. It's super rich and has a flavor similar to molasses. 

Overall, this weekend was a lot of fun despite the continued below freezing temperatures and the endless snow. I really felt like I helped out this weekend and made the world a better place. 

What did you do this weekend?

oxo Caitlin

New Imagine Dragons Album

Today marks the release of a new Imagine Dragons album, Smoke and Mirrors, and if you haven't guessed I'm super excited!  I first found Imagine Dragons about four years ago when they just had EP's and Night Visions wasn't even a thing. They are originally from Las Vagas, fun fact The Killers my favorite band is also from Las Vagas. Radioactive continues to be one of my favorite songs. 

I Bet My Life is probably one of the most well known songs on the album but there are so many other awesome songs. The songs, Shots and Polaroid, are some of my immediate favorites on the album. Of course I will probably find other favorites as I listen to the album more. 

Overall, this album is heavier and less folksy feeling than, Night Visions. It has a very similar sound to Radioactive or Bleeding Out. One thing I also noticed about the sound is the use of different musical instruments that often make it feel a little more exotic than the first album.  These give the songs a different emotion. 

I have to say that right now I really enjoyed listening to the album and I would strongly encourage you to check out the album if you were a fan of the first album. I think there is a little bit of everything on the album, making it diverse. 

Definitely check it out!

oxo Caitlin

Weekend Happenings

This weekend was crazy busy but so much fun. My sister came down from her bitterly cold school near the Canadian border to visit me at my equally cold school by a windy lake.  Other than the crazy smattering of snow and cold cheeks we had a blast.

It was Friday the 13th this past weeks so of course me and my friends went on a little bit of an adventure. We spent the afternoon driving around the area and stumbled upon this graveyard. It was not so much spooky as it was freezing cold.  In fact the sunset was actually kind of beautiful.

My sister was a trooper and enjoyed our silly antics even if she was shivering as we got back into the car to drive back to campus. 

Saturday we went to Simply Crepes in Canandaigua, New York. If you are in the area I strongly recommend taking a detour here for some much deserved yummy food. They have a huge variety of sweet and savory crepes to choose from along with many equally yummy soups and appetizers.  The prices are pretty good for the proportions as well so it won't break your bank. 

I got a crazy good apple cinnamon Gullèe.  Basically is it a carefully folded then fried crepe stuffed with apples and cinnamon and topped with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and some seriously sinful buttery spread. In other words, pure heaven.

The rest of the weekend was spent doing homework, per usual. No pain no gain I suppose. Then I drove my sister to the bus station so she could catch her bus home.  Overall, it was such a fun weekend! Seeing my family always reminds me of how lucky I am that I have such a great relationship with them. Seeing them makes me the happiest girl on Earth!

oxo Caitlin

New Hobbies

I think everyone enjoys getting new things. The very fact that we live in a consumer society makes this abundantly clear. It's even better when that item can be used for a long period of time and bring you happiness every time you pick it up.

Recently I've been wanting to find a new hobby. Hobbies are incredibly fun and they also give you something to work toward. They're also a good conversation starter. I've been wanting to learn to play the ukulele for a while now but haven't sprung to buy it until just this week. I used to play the piano pretty regularly, but I don't have a keyboard in my room and the music hall is a bit of a walk from my house this year.  I wanted something quick and small that I could pick up and play whenever.

I decided to buy a soprano ukulele, they're the smallest ones that most people think of when they see a ukulele.  I got a mahogany Makala for just over $50 on Amazon. Everything that I have read has said that $50 should get you a pretty good starter ukulele. Anything less than that and the sound might be funny or it may not hold it's tune.  Of course if you're ready to take the plunge and get something more expensive there are many beautiful brands to choose from. I just wasn't ready to put that much stake in a new instrument. 

I'm so happy I finally sprung and bought this little instrument. It has been so rewarding to learn to play and sing along, although I must confess I'm not the greatest singer. So, if you're thinking about picking up a new hobby I totally recommend you get started. You feel such a sense of accomplishment when you finally learn how to do the littlest things!

oxo Caitlin

Weekend Happenings: Uno, movies, and food what more could you want?

This weekend was quite a bit of fun. I was out with friends on Friday night when I enjoyed a intense game of Uno and celebrated at the 100 days until graduation party. (A party punctuated with music from the past including Hilary Duff and some other oldies that bring me right back to those awkward seventh grade dances).

I've been practicing playing my new ukulele like crazy this weekend. Yes, I just bought a ukulele and I will probably talk about it in more detail later on in the week but here is the picture of my sweet little soprano in the mean time.

One of my housemates just finished her honors exam and I made her a lovely batch of snickerdoodles yesterday.  They were completely awesome morsels of cinnamon goodness.  If you want the recipe it's over here! 

I also spent Saturday watching Jupiter Ascending. I know there have been quite a few bad reviews and I have to say some of what they are saying is true. The dialogue was pretty painful during certain points of the film which was disappointing. On the other hand, the world building was amazing, the alien costumes and makeup were awesome, and the concept of the plot was cool. You could tell that the writers and directors were super excited to showcase their world but I think sometimes that was at the expense of the story.  Still if you're looking for something action packed and some super pretty, exotic landscapes I would go see the movie. It was still fun to watch even if some parts were a little cheesy.  

Also on the menu this Sunday was lovely little concoction of tea and an egg sandwich. You know what is the best mixture? Eggs and pesto. Really you have to give it a try. And because this post has become completely about food I will also say that I'm making chili tonight. Chili is probably my number 1 comfort food. It's warm, spicy and perfect for a snowy day.

oxo Caitlin

What I've been listening to lately

It's hard to get through a long night of homework without some good tunes in the background.  For Christmas I got some new headphones that make listening to music so much more fun. It's weird how with a good pair of headphones you are able to hear sounds that you never experienced using cheap headphones. It makes listening to your old music seem like new again.

Anyway here are some songs that I've been listening to recently. I noticed the other day that I've been listening to many more female artists than usual.

If you're looking for a happy song to give yourself a little pick me up in life this song is great! 

On the flip side Daughter is probably one of the most depressing artists. The tone throughout most of her songs is melancholy and perfect for a rainy day. This version of Amsterdam is one of my favorites because of the building instrumentals.

Finally, the Empires came out with a new album, Orphan. If you like heavier music than this band is a good choice. The lead singer also has a similar sounding voice to the lead singer of the Nationals.  Glow is one my favorite songs off the new album.

What have you been listening to lately? I'm always on the hunt for new interesting music.

oxo Caitlin 

Weekend Happenings: The Superbowl

This post originally began as an overview of my weekend with a slight mention of the Superbowl but it turned out that the Superbowl was the highlight of my weekend.  Before I get too far I have to let you know that I don't know much about football. I guess I'm a Patriots fan. (If I remember correctly liking anything other than the Patriots or the Red Sox in middle school would lead to public ridicule, so I've been conditioned to pick these teams by default when asked.  Don't hate me New Yorkers).
Other than that all I know about football is that it involves impossibly huge male human beings running into each other while two members of their team try to get the ball to the far end of the field.

But the Superbowl this year was actually kind of fun. I still haven't grasped all the rules of Football but I did find some highlights throughout the night. With the first being that I spent it with good friends stuffing my face with amazingly unhealthy food.

The second highlight was the halftime show which was interesting at first. I have to say I was a little weirded out by the fact that Katy Perry was riding a tiger/lion? To me it looked more like the robotic toy dog my sister had growing up.

Remember this guy?

I have to give it to the puppeteers, though.  They were pretty good.  Also, I thought Missy Elliot was amazing as always and Lenny Kravitz sounded great.  Katy Perry also did a great job especially as she was flying over the stage as a firework. The weird part about this Superbowl were all the sad commercials. There were so many sad dads this year and then there was the Nationwide commercial. It seemed as though the popular theme this year was rip your heart out sad.

Of course the dancing sharks made up for that a little bit.

oxo Caitlin

Some Pretty Snowy Shots

Per usual, my little school in upstate New York is getting dumped on. Probably not quite as badly as the "near apocalyptic" amount that New York city is supposed to get but we're still getting snow. Although I have to admit, coming from Maine I always feel as though people overreact way too much. Unless you experience the sudden eight feet which Buffalo experienced this past November you cannot complain.

While I was walking around I thought I'd get some photos of the snow because no matter how chilled to the bone we are I think it's still super beautiful outside. If only I had a pair of skies with me to trek across campus instead of slipping around in my boots.

I have a slight obsession with doors. I just love how beautiful they can be as an entrance into a space. So I couldn't help but take a snowy picture of this barn door.

If it's been super snowy by you I hope you were all tucked safely away in your homes until the storm finished. I know when I was out taking these photos I wanted to be under my blankets in my bed with a hot cup of tea.

oxo Caitlin