Gone with the Wind

Epic fail. It's been over a week and no new blog post, as I promised. BUT, I think I shall get a pass on this one. Mother Nature has been unleashing her fury in the Northeast. First the earthquake that struck in Virginia and was felt from the South to Boston, practically. (For the record, no, I did not feel anything, but some of my friends on campus swear they did. Maybe I thought it was the wind or something or a slamming door? Oh well, I say I still lived through it.) Then, instead of hitting my beloved Charleston as predicted early, Hurricane Irene decided to make landfall in North Carolina AND New Jersey, with tropical storm type weather in my area this past weekend. It is really peculiar weather, around here, and I would not be surprised if a snowstorm hit on Labor Day. It would kind of be appropriate, right?! (I'll knock on wood, just in case.)

So, I moved to New York in June 2010, expecting to live in the North for two-ish years. And in those two years, I have halfway experienced one of the worst winters ever, to date. An earthquake. AND, the first hurricane to make landfall in three years, only the sixth hurricane to hit within 75 miles of New York City, ever. I won't even mention everything that comes with these weather phenomenons: shutting down the NYC subways, flooding, etc. I mean, I am used to hurricanes and tornadoes in the South, but all this, which is mostly uncommon in this area, all in just two years. I think the world may be coming to an end, and I'm okay with being a part of that. :)

My class starts at 7am. This is what Roth looks like that early in the morning. I thought I would document it, seeing as I have never been awake at this hour on campus before.

I am loving my class this block, Confectionery Art and Special Occasion Cakes, with Chef Cavotti. This class is basically the Harvard version of cake-decorating but only taught in three weeks time. Class is project-driven, and on an individual basis, except for two assignments. We are given two days for each project, over each medium. And, let me just tell you, I wish I had more time, a lot more time. Tomorrow, we will complete our third official project, though we have started the fourth. Sugar. Check. Chocolate. 3/4 Check. Four-side fondant cake. 1/2 Check.

I have only officially completed my sugar showpiece. (Though, "showpiece" is a stretch because it is rather small.) Sugar is hard, but it is easier than I thought. It is hot, and I found that I like wearing two pairs of gloves when pulling sugar, even though I do have a tendency to burn through one pair. :) Chef taught us the tricks of the trade, and let me tell you that she is very talented: how to make sugar shiny, how temperature affects sugar, how to pull sugar (from granulated sugar to hard crack), etc.

Each person in the class had to pull one batch of sugar. 4 pounds of stock syrup (sugar, glucose, corn syrup, water). Cooked to 137*C and add color/ 12-14 drops of acid. Continue to cook to 157*C. Pour on marble. Cool. Stretch. Pull. You get the picture. I was the last person for the day to pull sugar, and we were running out of the color white (which just means no color is added). I was slightly disappointed that I did not get the excitement of seeing my sugar turn color (yes, I'm five years old). Chef told me that white can be really beautiful and it shows skill to pull white sugar (and not slightly caramelized, amber sugar). Ok, fine, Chef. I said that I would like it better if we called white, pearl! She was amused. When she critiqued my sugar piece, as she does every project for each person, she asked me if I named my swan "Pearl," and thus, the name stuck. I still have my sugar piece sitting here at my desk (though she seems to be "melting" from the humidity and is rather sticky), and I introduce her to all impressed as Pearl, because, well, that's her name.

Components of the Sugar Piece:
*Straw Sugar
*Swan (or blown piece)
*Ribbons
*Rose
*Bud
*Leaves

Sugar Station (Uncle Gerry, can you make me this? I have complete faith in you!)

Chef Cavotti's Sugar Demo Piece

Pearl!

Back of piece.

Rose and bud.
And again!
Pearl deserves two full body shots.

My partner, Emily's, sugar piece.

Jordan's piece. I asked him if I could include his on the blog because (a) it is awesome and (b) it is a little different than most. His blown sugar piece is an octopus! :)

Our second project was our chocolate showpiece. I am almost finished with this project. I just need to make the rose, out of modeling chocolate, and put it all together. Tempering chocolate, though becoming easier and easier, is still not on my top 10 list of things to do in my spare time. Every time I did a 3-5 minute "temper test" to see if the chocolate shines/ sets properly, I would ask my friend, Liv, if it was tempered, even if it was clearly still wet. Her response was, "Haley, you're in denial." Yes, this pretty much sums up my feelings about chocolate. To finish my piece, I have to put all the pieces together by tempering chocolate during lunch or something. So, hopefully, I will have pictures of this one day to show you, but until then, you get a picture of Chef Cavotti's.

Components for the Chocolate Piece:
*White Chocolate Base
*Dark Chocolate Base
*Scrolls
*Sphere
*Modeling Chocolate Rose
*Striped Ribbons

It is in a display case, and that is why this picture is fuzzy.

On Thursday, as fears about Irene began to become realistic, I decided to get ready by making a hurricane preparation kit. I went to EMS Sports, the gas station, and Home Depot to stock a few things in my dorm. I needed waterproofing liquid, because my rain jacket tends to well, not be waterproof anymore, which is really the whole purpose of a rain jacket, to not get wet; and, well, hurricanes bring lots of rain, rain that an umbrella just can't handle. I figured that in case I needed to evacuate for some reason that I would need gas, to not pay an arm and a leg for it if the time came and not have to wait in awful lines. Also at the gas station, I bought the necessary items for consumption: water, lemonade for my Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka (hello, if I have to sit in the dark in a hurricane...), and flamin' hot cheetos. You know, these are the basics! At Home Depot, I bought a lighter, even though we aren't technically supposed to have candles, etc. in our dorm, and a mini-flashlight, that doubles as a safety device, complete with whistle and strobe light.

As far as this past weekend, I spent the majority of the time watching Season 4 of Gossip Girl, which I received in the mail on Friday, and gearing up for the storm. The Rhinebeck (where Chelsea Clinton was married last year, a cute quaint town) fair was also last week and was supposed to be open until Sunday. However, they decided to end the fair early and not open on Saturday or Sunday. Rhinebeck's fair is, probably, the second largest fair in New York, next to Syracuse, and Melissa and I wanted to go with some of our friends. I must say that for $12 plus the cost of food (I didn't pay to ride rides), it was money well-spent on a fun, Friday afternoon adventure. Enjoy my fair picture book below, and I hope you feel like you were there with me!

We stopped at Stop n Shop on our way to the fair. Hurricane Irene is coming, which means people stock up on bread! You don't have to be a food scientist to know that bread is shelf stable and doesn't require refrigeration. Bring on the PB&Js.

We stopped at the horticulture tent to see the pretty flowers.

Not far from the flowers, there were cows from farms across the Hudson Valley.

And just a step from the cows, there were goats, that looked like cows?!

My pretty roomie was brave enough to pet the goats.

And, finally, we saw the sheep, fashionable sheep, if you ask me!

This fair was so awesome that it had two Ferris wheels. Ferris Wheel #1.

And, cool, not the greatest picture, of Ferris Wheel #2.

Jason, Mike, Melissa, and Andrew rode the Ring of Fire or Fireball or whatever it was called. I am not a huge fan of spinning or going upside down in a circle. (Like the swings... my least favorite ride ever.)

And, why pay for rides, when money is better spent on other things?!

No, these were not all for me. If you know me at all, you know I love Oreos, Coke, and Cheetos. (Ask me my opinion on double-stuft versus colored, seasonal Oreos, but be sure you have plenty of time on your hand, as I am super passionate...) Well, fried Oreos are just a step above the real deal. I have only ever had the fried ones at Shokiti, a sushi restaurant in Athens, and while those are delicious, everything tastes better at the fair. (And, sidenote, I also had a jalapeno cheddar sausage dog, with a Coke, of course. Mmmm.)

On Saturday morning, Hurricane Irene made its second landfall in New Jersey as a Category 1 storm. I slept through the worst part of the storm, and honestly, it didn't seem more than a regular rainstorm (which we have had a lot of recently), even though it was tropical storm conditions outside. Though it was not as bad as expected, millions of people in the Northeast were affected by the storm, with flooding, power outages, storm surge, washed roads, etc. The main issue in Hyde Park was the wind. The wind was the cause of our four-ish hour power outage. Below are some pictures of the storm. :)

This is the foot of my bed, a window and a tree, ideal hurricane conditions, right?! I did not wake up to wind, but it was slightly scary on Saturday during the day to look out and see this tree going crazy.

My dorm, Pick-Herndon, did have some flooding. It was not THAT bad, but it was slick. You needed to be careful walking the halls, down the stairs, etc. Compared to the pictures on television, I know this picture seems really dramatic.

Roth, beautiful in the calm after the storm. Not a cloud in the sky!

Irene did seem to stir the Hudson a bit, and it seemed dirty and brown after the storm.

On Monday, Nelson, Jenn, and I went to eat Dumplings at a place in Poughkeepsie. On a whim, we decided to go to the Woodbury Common Outlets, about forty-five minutes away. Well, you have to take I-87 South to get there, and that was closed for five hours. We made it to I-87 but could only take North. We decided to venture to New Paltz, across the river from school, for ice cream and exploring. For about all of the ten miles we were on I-87 North, traffic was bumper to bumper on I-87 North, due to the aftermath of Irene and flooding. Poor people.

Then, Nelson, Jenn, and I went to Nelson's apartment for "bubble tea" and a movie, Tangled. Nelson makes these tapioca pearls with sugar and adds them to a drink, in our case, real fruit popsicles mixed to slush. It was delicious. I can see why Jenn loves it so and asks Nelson to make it often. And, I rather enjoyed the movie, too! Love a fairy tale.

Bubble Tea. I wish you could actually see the "bubbles" or pearls at the bottom.
Our campus newspaper, La Papillote, publishes once every block, or every three weeks, at the beginning of the block. In each edition, it welcomes back all returning externs from the previous block. I thought I should document that I was printed in the paper and am now CIA famous, right?

And, to end, for Confectionery Art and Special Occasion Cakes, we have piping homework for five of the thirteen days. Tonight, I started my piping, which includes six roses, basket weave, dexterity piping, rope, pearls, shells, reverse shells, and lace. My hand is killing me, as I have not piped a lot with buttercream since, well, cakes class before extern, really. I hope it will get better.

My grease cream piping. This is not the greatest picture (maybe on purpose because I am not super proud of this work), but hopefully, I will have a better one to show you tomorrow.

IT'S ALMOST FOOTBALL SEASON

YOU SEE ART, I SEE SUGAR BLISTERS

Hay Reh

Swimming in New Jersey

I am going to turn over a new leaf. I am going to try to blog at least every week. This way, I do not have to back blog weeks and even months past. Posts will be shorter. My family will be happier. I will be, well, tired and less tired all at the same time. Thoughts? This sounds like a good idea, but we shall see how long it lasts.

I cannot believe that today is Thursday. This week has gone by crazy fast, and I am not sure how I feel about it. Before I know it, Monday will roll around, and it'll be back to the kitchen for me. Only eight more classes to go. Can you believe it?

I guess I should start by telling you about last weekend. My Friday night and Saturday were very low-key. I went to Target on Friday night, and Saturday I cleaned like Cinderella, minus the helpful mice and birds. I changed my sheets, did laundry, vacuumed my rug, and Melissa cleaned the bathroom. I must admit that, whether it is my slight OCD-ness or not, living in a clean space makes Haley a much happier person. I just feel better, ya know? Melissa did make me venture out for an hour or so to meet with a few people, who knew me as Georgia. Hm.

On Sunday, I woke up super early to head to the City, Jersey City, New Jersey, that is (by way of that other City). 8:40 train from Poughkeepsie to Grand Central. S Subway to Times Square. N, Q, R Subway to 34th Street/ Herald Square. Journal Square PATH Train at 33rd Street to Grove Street, NJ.

As most of you know, my dear friend, Erin Cross, left her job at The Ocean Room at Kiawah Island to move back North (she's a Jersey girl at heart) to work in New York City. She drove to Jersey on Friday and moved her Jeep's worth of stuff in to her apartment on Saturday. (Her furniture arrived yesterday for all those concerned.) Therefore, I went to see her and her new place. I am about-to-pee-in-my-pants, beyond excited, pumped, ecstatic for her to live in the same region of the country as me again. New York City does not even know what is about to hit them, when Erin takes it and Lincoln Restaurant at Lincoln Center by storm.

People claim that people in the South cannot drive when the weather is anything but sunny. We can't handle snow (duh!). We can't handle rain. Well, I argue that people in NYC don't know how to function in the rain either. It started raining on the train from Poughkeepsie to GCT and continued for the majority of my time in Jersey. (It didn't rain on Monday until I was riding from GCT to Poughkeepsie, go figure.) Everything slows down when it rains, and it's annoying. Of course, it didn't help me that I was carrying a rather heavy bag and Erin's birthday bin full of goodies. (I mastered holding the umbrella, while balancing her gift, which was rather large. See last picture below.)

Erin said she wanted me to get to Jersey City, her new town, by noon, and I think I arrived around then, despite the R word (rain). We met at Starbucks where we got a pick me up and some lunch. We walked to her apartment, where I met her mom, we ate, and we continued cleaning/ unpacking her stuff, etc.

I did not take any pictures, really, from the weekend of anything EXCEPT Erin's cat, Bowser. I love Bowser. Most people think he is mean because he bites. I don't think he is mean at all, just misunderstood. We are clearly buddies. Here are some pictures. :)

Bowser's new favorite spot, until at least the furniture arrives, the stairs.

Erin lives in a loft. It's only a dozen or so feet from the loft down to the lower level floor. Heart attack? "Hey, look at me. I can see you. The fastest way for me to get to you is to jump..."

I bought Bowser a housewarming gift, a laser toy. He seems to like it.

See, he can't be mean; he's adorable.

After Murphy oiling her floor, we walked to her friends, Joanne and Tim's, apartment to drink a beer before dinner and to play with Riggs, their adorable kitten. We swam the whole way from Erin's apartment to their apartment. Okay, not really. The rain was steady, and Erin almost slid out of her unreliable flip-flops a few times, but we finally made it. (And, Erin told Joanne and Tim about my blog and that she only reads it because it mentions her. Maybe Joanne and Tim will start reading now that they have graced the blog?! :))

A beer and an Asian wrap for me later at the Iron Monkey, it was time to head back into the rain to Joanne and Tim's apartment. Just about the time we dried off after watching some DIY television, Erin and I decided to go back to her apartment. The rain was really coming down at this point. (Word on the street is that Long Island recorded ten inches of rain just on Sunday. I believe it.) Rain. Swirling in all directions. Wind. An umbrella was useless at this point in time. I was soaked from head to toe, literally. Jeans were heavy because I was walking through water. My sandals were gross. My shirt, well, here's a visual... if I had been wearing a white t-shirt, I... you get the picture. We finally just got a cab. (I still owe you for that ride, Ern.)

This picture does not do the situation justice. This was taken right before we got a taxi. It doesn't help that my fish face makes me look possessed. Just try to look past that...

On Monday, Erin had to go to Lincoln to sign some paperwork, and I stayed at her apartment to wait for Larry the Cable Guy (ha?). Okay, so his name wasn't Larry, but the Comcast guy did come while she was gone to setup her cable and internet. After Erin came back and we ate some leftover Chinese, it was back to Hyde Park for me. Peak Train. More rain. Less bags though. And back in Poughkeepsie around 7-7:30.

I did stop for a snack at a fast food restaurant that I refuse to name because I am a CIA student. :) I ordered a Happy Meal and look what I received as my toy. I named him Chmurfie.

Lobdell, it's you! Except, you are less blue. :)

It's Finals Week for me this week. I have taken two finals, and I am now done with two classes, Management and Nutrition. Tomorrow, I have two finals, in Costing and Menu Development. Wish me luck. Two more classes and L Block will be history. Yay. I can't wait.

In Management on Tuesday, our topic was teamwork. Professor Ligouri separated us into teams and gave us spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow. As a team building exercise, we had to build a tall structure, with the marshmallow on top. The team with the tallest structure would win a prize. It was all about communicating, working together, etc. My team almost won but lost by a few inches. Here is our structure, and yes, it is harder than it looks.

Oh, and it should be noted that my mom sent me an email today that I owed her. For what you ask? Well, apparently, I was summoned for Jury Duty in September. I AM NOT OLD ENOUGH FOR CIVIL DUTIES SUCH AS THIS. Right? Oh boy. Well, I guess I am not too old for my mother to handle such things for me. No jury duty or jail time for me. Thanks, mom, for helping your baby girl out and getting me out of this!

PATH STANDS FOR PORT AUTHORITY TRANS-HUDSON, JUST FYI.

Hay Reh

And, p.s. it is pouring here as I type this. I really wish it would stop raining. I am fairly certain that I do not live in Seattle.

*Congratulations, Jonathan and Katie Alligood, on tying the knot on Friday, August 12th. I've been told by the 204 crew that it was a magical ceremony, Christ-centered and full of love and hope for the future. And a pharmacy cookie cake, Jon? I love it! I wish more than anything that I could have been a part of your special day, but I promise to make it up to y'all soon. How about I come to Georgia-Florida and we beat those Gators?! Sounds like a perfect plan! I wish y'all all the best.

*Happy Belated Birthday, Cuzzy, Kristy Swann. I hope this new year in Charleston is the best ever! I heart you!

*Well Wishes to Wade Floyd and his new bride on exchanging vows on the 13th. I hope to visit Colorado soon!

*Happy Belated Birthday, BT, father-to-be. I hope you had a fun weekend with Kristy, Kellee, and that cute bean, Tynlee! :)

*Finally, Happy Birthday, Boo Bear! I hope your day was as fabulous as you are. And, I cannot wait to hear about EMP.

Drink a beer on me, Ern.

Spaghetti O's at the Ocean Room?!

Hello Strangers.

The CIA is on a block system, as opposed to the traditional trimesters or semesters systems, like most traditional colleges and universities. As a result, all classes are three weeks or six weeks long. In addition, the Culinary has rolling admission; every three weeks, new students enroll and externs return to start "second year." Therefore, with all of this being said, schedules at the CIA are complicated in some respects. There is no traditional three month summer break, and school continues, except in July. There is a three week break in July, which is simply a "block" break.

So, yes, for those of you who have this somewhat sorted out in your head, I returned from extern, only to be in school for three weeks, to go on break for three. I know, I have the worst schedule ever here, but I just embrace it. It was a little stressful to move back for only a short time and actually be in class, but I did not mind too much, with everything I had to look forward to over break.

My original plan was to fly out of LaGuardia on Friday night, July 8, to Atlanta to connect to Panana City Beach. Well, of course, I was scheduled to have afternoon/night classes during L Block, the block following extern. And, because the CIA is annoying/awesome/super frustrating/sometimes really not helpful at all or accommodating, classes the day before a break or the day immediately following a break count as a double absence. Great! And, with me being so sick and L Block being six weeks, I could not risk two absences, when if you have three absences you fail the course. Therefore, I spent a ridiculous sum of money to change my flight by two hours to fly to Atlanta and THEN drive to Destin.

Why did I need to go directly to Destin? Why for my best friend's Bachelorette weekend, of course!!! Besides scaring Katy Capers by calling her at 5 AM Destin time and 6 AM Boston/NY/Georgia time, after driving the six-ish hours directly from Atlanta after flying from NY after attending class, the weekend was perfect!!! It was sunny. We "showered" Katie with some fun things. ;) We ate at some great restaurants (Louisiana Lagniappe, Dewey Destin's, Shake's, etc.). We sketchily found a gelato manufacturing plant in the middle-of-no-where Fort Walton Beach. We soaked in the sun, getting our wedding tan (burn for me?) on. We laughed. We celebrated Katie being super awesome and single for only a week more before living happily every after with her prince, Mr. Kevin Mooney.

Katie before hitting the town. (We did not go crazy but every girl needs to go out on the town with a sash and veil on her Bachelorette weekend, right?!)

Between Beach Bachelorette and Wedding Week, I stopped in Thomasville to spend a "weekend," in the middle of the week with mother dearest. It was great to sleep a little before driving again and then finishing up wedding details and driving miles and miles around North Georgia. :)

Wedding Week was crazy and fantastic and tiring but totally worth it. My favorite part? Spending more than five minutes or just a meal with BOTH of my best friends, Katie and Katy, planning and preparing for Katie's Special Day. Zaxby's. Kinkos. QT. Panera. Granola. Tiramisu. Flower Catastrophe. Mary Mac's. Kinkos. Kroger. Granola. Purple String. Clarkston. Driving. Grace Church. Rehearsal. Granola. Purple String. A great week for a match-made-in-heaven!

I stayed with my sister for a night. Look who was excited to see me and wanted me to stay longer?!

165ish bags of homemade granola for the favors. (That's about 15 batches.) Perfection. Fun. Delirium. Love it.

MOHzilla and Bridesmaid Models at the Rehearsal.

Aren't my best friends GORGEOUS, especially the one in the middle?! Well, they are just as beautiful on the inside!

Haley and Anna with the Botans at the Reception at the 5 Seasons Brewery in Midtown Atlanta.

Katie's sister, Leslie, made this tasty and beautiful cake all with a HAND MIXER. I was impressed, to say the least. She is in pastry school in Seattle and is super talented, great, sweet, addicted to Starbucks. :)

To see more pictures from the wedding, check out Kaitie Bryant Photography on Facebook! (Look for Mr. and Mrs. Mooney.)

After the wedding, I spent a day with my sister in Winder, before heading to Jasper, Georgia, home of SharpTop Cove, my favorite summer spot in the whole world. I surprised my dear friend, Teena Bain (you may remember pictures from her wedding last September on the blog), who also happens to be one of the reasons I decided to go to culinary school, as she was my baking boss at STC. I visited and saw sweet YL friends, including the best Summer Staff coordinator and one of my closest friends, JCon (you may remember her visiting me in Poughkeepsie last summer, among other mentionings of her on the blog). I honestly did not know that visiting STC would bring out so many feelings and emotions. Part of my heart, a large part, lives at that YL property; I have met the greatest people there and experienced some of my life's biggest adventures. I am thankful that I was able to spend just a day there over break.

Thank you, Teena and Jacob, for showing me your house and treating me to an evening at Taco Mac. And, thank you, JCon, for allowing me to stay with you, again.

New STC sign. (Or new to me.) Isn't it snazzy?!

After STC, I drove back to Thomasville to plan for my cousin, Kellee's, Baby Shower. As I have mentioned before, my three cousins on my mom's side (my mom only has one sibling, who has three daughters) are more like three sisters to me. Kellee is the only one out of the five (three, plus me, plus my sister) granddaughters that is married, and she is having our first great-grandDAUGHTER in October (or, at least, her due date is in October). I do not like the idea of being first-cousin-once-removed, and my sister and I have voted to just be Aunts. :) In all seriousness, my family could not be more excited for this sweet little baby girl to arrive. It was a blessing to be able to throw Kellee a shower. Here are a sampling of pictures.

Key Lime Cupcakes (the baby's colors are pink and green if you cannot tell) with Cream Cheese Icing.
Dessert Table. My pride and joy.

White Chocolate Pretzel Favors. I had so much fun making these. ;) Sarcasm? Nahhhh.

I love how this turned out. This is me and my mom's labor of love. I might have missed my mark in that I am better at making diaper cakes than real cakes. Oops. :)
Tynlee Brooke Roberts is spoiled already. :)
My sister and I had accumulated so many baby clothes just ourselves since finding out Kellee was pregnant. Instead of wrapping them individually, we tried to come up with a more creative way to display them. It turned out so cute and was a perfect photo opportunity. (Yes, we have gone crazy, by the way, with the buying. Kellee doesn't mind, I don't think. :))

Cousins/Aunts with Mommy-to-be and a Tynlee/Butterbean baby bump in our perfect photo spot.

After the shower, Jess, mom, Gam, and I went to the beach for a few days. It was a glorious time of rest and relaxation for the party people.

Heaven On Earth.

After leaving Jess to be invaded alone at the beach (ha) and returning to Thomasville, I spent the rest of the week trying to organize my worldly possessions and figure out what I need/ might need between now and February in New York. And, finally, after hours of work, packing, and help from my mother, I loaded the car.

My room in Thomasville before.

After.

I decided to drive from Thomasville to Charleston for a few days before driving back to New York, to visit Kiawah, my cousin, and my SC friends. I had a blast with Kristy, Erin, and others, playing by the pool and eating, for the most part. Zias. Jack Daniels Honey. Mellow Mushroom. Sun. Southern weather. Firefly vodka. Flying flotation devices. I love Charleston.

Eating included a delightful evening out at the Ocean Room. (I awkwardly did go visit Jasmine, but it just was not the same.) For dinner at the OR, Kristy, Erin, and I dined on everything from sushi, shrimp rolls, limp fries (joke), salad, chicken, grouper, risotto, sorbet, plum tart, to bourbon ice cream. Thanks, Erin.

This is tomato risotto NOT spaghetti o's. :)

I love this picture outside the Sanctuary of me, Erin, and Kristy.

Early, early, early Monday morning, Erin and I woke up and packed up. I dropped her off at the Charleston airport, where she was flying to New York. Then, I hit the road to drive to New York. Do you see something wrong with this picture? Well, to be fair, she had already bought the tickets months and months ago and couldn't ride with me. :) I was in Virginia by the time she made it to NY. Oh, B word. :)

Do you know how discouraging this is? (Notice those miles.) Gertie, come on!

I made a pitstop in Washington, D.C....

... for DC Cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake (Chocolate Coconut, Banana Split, Red Velvet, Chocolate 3, Cinnamon, Chocolate 2).

Finally, I made it back to New York, after watching the sun rise while driving and the sun set while driving. What a day!

For the past two weeks, I have been getting back into the rhythm of school. Unpacking. Studying. Projects. Organizing. Laundry. Etc. I had a low key weekend last weekend. After this weekend, I am sure it will begin to feel normal to be back here, after a weekend trip away. I am doing well in school (100 on my Petal Menu!!!) but it is busy with L Block ending next week. It is great to be back. Thanks for going on the second leg of this journey with me!

I'm replacing my signature sign-off with a picture, in honor of the kickoff to college football being less than a month away....

Yes, that's a Florida Gator tag, in the CIA Student Parking Lot. And, yes, they can't park. So, you can't even try to get away from these orange and blue pests, Gators follow you and are still just as annoying in the North as in the South. :)

Haley

*Happy Belated Birthday (8.4.I'll leave out the year) to the best mother in the entire world. I love you, mizzom.

*This is my 100th post!??! Wowsers. Who knew I would have so much to say? Bahaha.