Happy Place

Have you ever had a moment when you stop to realize how perfect things are? Where you're in your favorite place in the world? Where you spending time with people or creatures you care about? Where you want to take everything in and stay as present as possible so you can remember every little detail? The noises of the wind, the way the sun hits the leaves, the smell of the woods, the playfulness and curiosity of your furry companions....

...that was my day today. 

:)

Beach Weekends

These last two weekends Brett and I have been soaking up summer like it's our job! I was sick with a migraine on the 4th, so I think we felt a sense of obligation to make up for it these last two weeks. Each weekend has been gorgeously sunny and 80+ degrees so we've taken advantage and made sure that we made time to be out on the water and laying in the sun as much as possible. Needless to say, my summer-loving soul has been very happy.

It started last weekend when we ventured north to visit my parents & pups on the lake. I picked up Brett at his house after work, and we enjoyed the Undisclosed podcast (which studies the same case that Serial covers) on our ride north (already addicted). When we finally got into town we came across the Raymond Town Fair in full-swing, so of course we had to stop for fried dough.

Pretty much all of Saturday and Sunday we were at the beach or on the boat. There were some paddle boards on the beach on Saturday so of course we had to try them out! (So fun!) We got a solid stick-throwing session in with Kiwi, and capped off the evening with a fire in my dad's new fire pit, s'mores, and Not Your Father's Root Beer floats. Absolutely perfect!

After my #SundayRunday of 9 miles (and where I accidentally wound up becoming part of a 10k in the town center... hilarious), we went back to the beach for a few hours to bake in the sun and swim around some more. The weather was unbelievably perfect and I'm still so confused as to why summer isn't EVERYONE'S favorite season. After getting home and showering, Brett and I made our usual pilgrimage to La Festa and chowed down before returning to MA.

*drooooooollllll*

This past weekend was our trip to our friend Ashley's Cape house! We really couldn't have asked for a better weekend for it either. We spent most of the day Friday and Sunday just lounging on our floaties in the water, which was actually bearable for being the Atlantic Ocean! Because I'm a huge wimp to being cold, I was thrilled that I was able to float and swim around all weekend. I brought my GoPro to take some fun pictures and videos, so be sure to check those out below! :) Huge shoutout to Ashley for having us to her house for sunshine, good food, fun times, and great company! <3

We only really have two more weekends before Brett reports for football camp, so we're really trying to pack as much summer as we can into the month of July. This upcoming weekend we're headed back north to hang out with his family in Ossipee, and the week after that we're planning (as of now) on taking a trip all the way up to Maine to see my extended family for our annual family camping trip! I have a few more beach days planned with some friends after Brett's life is taken over by football, and I'll likely be taking at least one more trip home to NH before the school year takes over mine, but for now I'm trying to take full advantage of this extremely relaxing summer!

Back to the Grind

My life in a nutshell right now... WHY IS IT SO COLD WHERE I LIVE D: *cries in a corner*

Hey everyone! After many a school and work cancellation, I've finally fallen into a routine in my schedule... almost. This week we've had our first Monday in a month and it's definitely thrown me off a bit! Today I showed up to a meeting that I usually have on a Wednesday thinking it was totally normal, only to find out hours later that I definitely was not supposed to show up there. Woops!

Aside from that, the last few weeks have been a bit of a grind. Wake up, go to designated work location, come home, eat, yoga, sleep. It's been really easy to lose myself in my work lately and the spring semester is already FLYING. I've still been able to manage to take some time to visit loved ones regularly, though, which is definitely a blessing.

I spent Valentine's weekend with Brett before he jetted off to warm and sunny Florida. We celebrated with a trip to on of our favorite breakfast restaurants that we hadn't been to in FOREVER (Bill's Bread & Breakfast in Putnam, CT... check them out!), and for dinner we had our traditional Brett & Riley special, some steak tips, and watched the movie Chef, which I thought was a really cute, heartwarming movie! It was a wonderfully low-key holiday and a perfect way to hide from the blizzard outside. (HUGE SURPRISE. IT WAS SNOWING.)

(Did you guys notice how hilarious Timehop was on Valentine's Day? 

I thought this was so cute I had to take a screenshot.)

Work has been a lot of fun lately and it's making me dread the end of the semester so much. Every day that goes by I feel like I'm becoming more and more connected to my students and knowing that I won't be at BSU next year is really bumming me out. These students crack me up so much and make it feel like my work isn't work... that's the dream! I can only hope that the students that I work with next are just as awesome as these bears. (I'm sure they will be, but I'm still going to miss BSU!) I should stop typing this before I start tearing up and just share this awesome item that was on the PC agenda last week...

I was dying laughing when I read this event title.... XD

This past weekend I went to visit my parents and pups in NH. It was a really relaxing weekend which is always nice and it's so fun to bond with Mom & Dad! Mom and I went to get pedicures (which is usually not the most pleasant experience for me because my feet are SO ticklish, but at least my toes look pretty for our vacation!) and the three of us went shopping. My parents were very nice to me and bought me some interview clothes for my #SAsearch (which is a bit slow at the moment but is officially underway!) as well as some vacation outfits!

Truck selfies with Kiwi!

#BusinessRiley in full effect

Since Brett has been away I've really been trying to get ahead in my school work. It's been challenging because I'm really putting way more on my plate than I actually need to and I still am working the same amount at all of my positions, but I keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it when I don't have to worry about assignments when I'm lounging in the sunshine on vacation (11 MORE DAYS). So excited! 

My favorite study buddies. :)

The next week and a half is going to be hectic what with getting homework done, scheduling blog posts, pretending to know what I'm doing when it comes to looking for a job, and still packing for our trip and attempting to have some resemblance a social life (insert Liz Lemon moment here). Not to mention I'm headed off to a professional conference this weekend which is always a whirlwind! As stressful as it is, I'm sure I'll accomplish everything I need to before jetting off to the warmth. And hey, it's nothing a coffee and a brownie batter donut can't solve, right?

*heart eyes emoji*

A Snowy Thanksgiving

Hello friends and family! I've been extra busy with school work the past few weeks (#finals -_-) so I've fallen off my blogging game a bit. I am so close to the end of the semester, though! Today I finished coursework for 2 of 3 classes, and I only have two assignments to complete and two more classes to go to before I can officially be on winter break! I CAN'T WAIT! Anyway, here's what I've been up to while I've been drowning in homework.

I went up north for Thanksgiving and New Hampshire got hit with a nice holiday snowstorm. Of course, the power went out in the whole state (the news said about 200,000 homes lost power!) and we were without power for a solid 3 days. Luckily, we went to my grandmother's house in Maine, where they had  power, for the holiday. Though we were without power, the snow made for some pretty beautiful scenery the next morning!

We packed the car full of food, people, and puppies and drove to Maine on Thanksgiving Day! It was so good to see everyone (even though I was doing homework the entire time), eat some good food, and just catch up with everything that's been going on with the rest of my family that I don't get to see all that often. I also got to participate in a new family Turkey Day Tradition - the Silly String 5K! It's a fun run my family came up with last year. This year my parents made bibs for everyone, including Kiwi and Mikey! Such a fun way to kick of Thanksgiving (and not feel as guilty for stuffing your face)!

A little bit last minute, Mom, Grammy and I all decided to head out to the mall at 12:00AM for Black Friday! We somehow managed to avoid the crowds and waiting outside, and scored some pretty sweet deals at Macy's! I got a much needed new bed set (which I'm in love with... so comfy!) and the fact that I went out on Black Friday to get bedding made my childhood cry a little bit, haha. But it was fun to go and take part in a fun event with them!

Last week, I submitted my application for graduation! I don't finish my course work until May, but you have to let the college know that you're about to finish far in advance so they can include you in all of the graduation planning, prepare your diploma, etc. It's so surreal that all of this craziness will be coming to an end in 5 months!

I also finally got my Filofax in the mail! After a lot of consideration and research, I made the choice to make the switch from an Erin Condren Life Planner to a Filofax, and I'm loving it! I got the personal size Cover Story in Floral Burst, which I thought was the perfect starter Filofax. (I'm almost positive I'll graduate to the A5 next, and I've only had it for a week!) I can't wait to start using it on a daily basis! I'm definitely going to be doing a comparison and set-up post so you all can see how I'm going to use it!

PC had their Secret Snowflake gift exchange last night, and my student got me an adorable mason jar cookie mix! He also got me a Tina Belcher shirt (which I am PUMPED about) but it hadn't come in the mail yet, but I'm sure I'll post it to Instagram as soon as I get it! :) I made a arm knit infinity scarf for the student I had, and she said she really liked it! Very encouraging to continue to give craft gifts in the future.

Winter break is so close I can taste it, meaning I'll be posting more regularly, so look forward to that!
I hope all is well with everyone!

Don Draper, Quadcopters, and Bonfires

Wow, it's Wednesday again already? This past week flew by!

I'm writing to you live from my temporary apartment at BSU! Because we work a lot of late nights during Orientation, they're putting me and my coworker Kelly up in a student apartment for the duration of the program so we don't have to worry about driving back and forth on little sleep. The rooms are pretty tiny (though to be fair, my room at Dean is HUGE so I'm a bit spoiled), but we're the only ones in our apartment that houses 6 people which is awesome!

Anywho, this past weekend was spent with Brett and my parents up in NH - a much needed escape. The weather was pretty gross the first few days, so we spent the majority of it vegging on the couch and watching Mad Men, as we often do when we're at my parent's house. (We watched the entirety of season 6 and are now all the way caught up to the current season. Now we have time to catch up to the mid-season break and be ready for when the show returns!) We also went out shopping with my mom on Saturday, and since I had some birthday money to spend I decided to splurge. I'll have a whole haul post and video ready for you guys in a few days! :)

When we weren't being so lazy, Brett and I spent some quality time outdoors. I got my dad a quadcopter for his birthday, so we decided to take it out practice our piloting skillz.

We were pretty crap at the beginning (I may or may not have roofed it...) but with some practice we got pretty good at it. Afterwards, I showed Brett the Phantom and how awesome it is and now it's on our mile-long wish list. One day, when we're rich, we'll get one. ;)

Sunday it started to brighten and warm up, so we took the pups out for a walk to the pond so we could throw sticks for Kiwi (her favorite pastime).

Because it rained the majority of the weekend, I was a little nervous that we wouldn't be able to have a MDW bonfire. Luckily, my parents are in the process of completely gutting out our kitchen so we had a surplus of dry wood to burn, and I got my obligatory first s'more of the season! :) (And my obligatory second s'more of the season. :X)

Before headed back to MA, Brett and I made the pilgrimage to La Festa - the world's greatest pizza place. ;) I had my usual cheese slices and cinnamon knots while Brett got a little experimental and tried out 2 new slices in addition to his usual pesto slice. He's much more adventurous than I am when it comes to pizza! 

I also brought him up to another place that my friends and I frequented in high school - Cafe on the Corner. I had told him about Cookie Monster Smoothies, but he had never tried one before and we always stuff ourselves too much at La Festa before we get the chance to grab one, and though that was still the case this time around, I insisted that we at least get one to share. Brett, who was stuffed to the brim with pizza and knots, reluctantly agreed, and we made the trek up the hill to "Cafe".

The smoothie was better than I remembered it, and even though Brett was super full he couldn't resist sharing pretty much half of it with me! Imagine a Oreo chocolate cream pie, but in drinkable form. That's a Cookie Monster Smoothie. They're amazing.

After rolling back down the hill with our food babies, we headed back to MA and chatted all the way home. The weekend was definitely something that I needed - delicious food, quality time with Brett & the fam, and some good ol' NH fresh air. It's nice to know that I have a place to escape to every so often! Please never move, Mom & Dad! ;) 

I hope you all had a fabulous start to your summer like I did!

Post #100

1. Beautiful sunset I saw after class one evening.

2. Breakfast at this little place in Putnam, CT Brett & I found last weekend.

3. Playing in the snow with my puppies yesterday morning.

Happy 100th blog post! It's hard to believe that I've already hit 100 posts here on FivEleveNinety, but I suppose it's getting close to a year since it's been launched, so it makes sense!

I've been traveling a lot the past couple weekends. Last weekend I visited Brett at his new job and we did a bit of exploring around his new area. The town he stays in is right on the border of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, so we have lots of places to explore! This weekend I visited home. It was nice to see my parents and dogs and have a real chance to relax. I feel like when I'm at my apartment during the school year, I can never fully relax because you never know when a crisis may arise in the res hall!

I'm looking forward to the end of this week. I'll be finishing up my intensive Group Therapy course (meaning I will only be taking two classes until the end of the semester!), and also will be attending the NACA National Convention in Boston! All good things coming up - just got to get through the week!

Hope you all have a wonderful week with lots to look forward to! :)