It's a pretty quiet weekend here in Burlington, but it is nice to have some downtime after the craziness of this past week.  And, I went on a run and did an ab workout today!!  I've finally recovered (mostly) from my soreness after doing chiefs on Tuesday, and it felt good to be out and active this afternoon.  Originally, I wanted to try and run a marathon this spring, but I decided I don't really have time now to be training that much.  So I think I'll just see where I am this summer and maybe try and run a couple road races then.  

If you haven't seen this yet, check it out - Jimmy Fallon and Michelle Obama present the Evolution of Mom Dancing. 

Some musical inspiration:

When I saw Mumford & Sons in August, there were a number of other bands that played over the course of the day, including Dawes.  I hadn't heard their music before the show, but I love their song "When My Time Comes."  I'm bummed that they'll be coming to Burlington when I am in Georgia, but I'll have to see them another time.   

I've also started playing my flute more in preparation for playing a little at Fletcher Allen Hospital!  I'm excited to have the chance to play because I haven't really gotten to since this summer.  I know it sounds cheesy and might be hard to understand if you don't play an instrument, but I really do think that sometimes, music is the best way to convey our emotions and express deep feelings. 

Off to make dinner...here's a pictures of sleeping sea otters holding hands so they don't lose each other (aka the cutest thing ever.)  Happy rest of the weekend!

(from http://cuteotters.com/archives/170-Even-More-Otters-Holding-Hands.html)

Long Weekend

One of the nice things about being out in the real world is having holidays off, since Midd never really seemed to go by the normal holiday schedule everyone else follows.  It has been a most relaxing weekend so far, and it's not over yet!  I love being able to check lots of little things off my to-do list. 





Today was a culinary adventure...I made my first soup, a minestrone!  Homemade soup is one of my favorite meals, and I decided to finally be brave and try it.  It was a long process, starting with soaking the beans last night, but it turned out great.  I think soup is the best winter dinner.  It's so cozy and delicious.  I'm excited that I have a ton of leftovers for this week and beyond. 











And another food picture from today, my delicious lunch of greek yogurt, strawberries (that were on major sale since it's post Valentine's!!) and chocolate chips.  Yummy :)









In non-food news: I watched Definitely, Maybe and the latest episode of Glee (Valentine's version).  Both were very cute, and made me hopeful about the state of romance.  I still can't get over that the main character's name in Definitely, Maybe is Will Hayes - it was so weird to hear it over and over throughout the movie. 

And finally, some musical picks.  Maroon 5 usually isn't my favorite band, but I really like this song, and this version of it is pretty cool, especially the didgeridoo!  And secondly, in homage to the flute, here's a cool group called Project Trio that my mom told me about.  They were recently featured on NPR, and they play some pretty awesome chamber music.  Here's a link to their version of music from the Nutcracker. 

Well, that's it for now.  Happy President's Day!

a midweek list

-Downton Abbey is the best thing ever.  I'm sad that the season is ending on Sunday, but I could always just rewatch all three seasons - kind of like how I periodically reread all seven Harry Potter books (and let's be real, who doesn't?).  Also Dan Stevens is gorgeous, though I might just be falling for his blue blue eyes. 

-I really enjoy this video.  It's strange but also perfect, and I definitely have some great inspiration for tomorrow!

-MAKE THESE.  They are the bomb, I just made some for myself for Valentine's Day.  They've been one of my go-to desserts over the past few months.  So start baking, you won't be disappointed.
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chocolate-chip-salted-caramel-cookie-bars/

so much gooey, chocolatey caramel goodness

-I didn't get to see the State of the Union Address last night, but I did read the manuscript/watch the last five minutes.  What a moving appeal to our elected officials.  I'm hopeful that the next four years will bring some important and necessary changes that will benefit all Americans. 

-The Grammy's!!  I was especially happy that Babel won album of the year.  And even though I think Call Me Maybe best describes the past year, I was also happy for fun.'s two awards.  I can't believe I got to see Mumford and Sons and fun. live this past year.  How cool.  Also, Taylor Swift?  What was up with that?  I enjoy your music, but the rabbits were pretty...special. 

-I was cleaning my bench space in the lab today and did a little artwork.  Happy Galentine's/Valentine's Day world!!  Love, Catherine

False Alarm

Well, after a (very) brief foray into the world of Tumblr, I've returned back to the original sunnyside.  Tumblr seems a little too similar to Twitter and Instagram, and for now I'd like to keep all those parts of my social-networking life separate.  There are just way too many options for online sharing!  Anyways, I guess I realized that I'd rather use my blog, when I use it, as a place to share slightly longer musings on happy and exciting life events, or my way of spinning things to see the sunny side. 

At the end of February, I'll be coming up on 6 months in Burlington!!  Kind of hard to believe...time has absolutely flown by since this fall.  I still feel like I have a lot more of this city to experience, mostly involving nightlife.  But I don't feel too bad about that.  At Middlebury, it was always a task to get motivated enough to go out on cold nights, and when you're not living a five minute walk away from your end destination and don't have friends urging you to get ready, it's even harder to get excited about going outside.  This will be my first Vermont summer though (I know, looking ahead quite a bit), so there is definitely still lots of time for exploration.

Well, this week is Valentine's Day.  And honestly, between the Super Bowl last week and February 14th, I'll be pretty excited for March...sorry if I sound scrouge-like.  I just am not a huge football fan (but gotta love Beyoncé).  However, I do love love.  I love romantic comedies, cute "how I met him/her" stories, small thoughtful gestures.  And really, I've been pretty ok with being single these past few months.  But when every ad in the newspaper or commercial on TV is Valentine's themed and when everything is pink and red and decorated with hearts, it's a little hard to grin and bear the solitude.  I think being alone, and even being lonely, can be good for you.  It makes you think - about what you want out of life, out of relationships, out of the activities you do in your spare time.  Mostly, it gives you the opportunity to do what makes you happy.  And I think I have also had the chance to realize who matters to me most in my life and solidify and enjoy amazing friendships.  So, this Thursday, I'll be sending my love out to my friends and family who have make my life better every day and who help me see the positive side of things even when it's hard.  Here's to a year full of happiness and love and kindness and beauty. 

And now, for some more uplifting little gems.  Some of these are repeats from my Tumblr, but there are worth repeating because they're just that good:

Great Commercials:
-slinky on an escalator, can't help but giggle at that laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOUbW2A-e2Q
-Pampers beautiful mornings, these babies are just too much: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdE2W91hxT4
-Kaley Cuoco and one of my theme songs - who doesn't wish they were a little bit taller?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i34jMCPmLFo

Songs I've Been Enjoying:
-Ke$ha, one of my favorites, and an overall awesome video for C'mon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8A4QVop3-8
-I recently watched Pitch Perfect for the first time.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching.  The music is great and it was just a really fun movie.  Here are two of my favorites: Cups (the original, by Lulu and the Lampshades, although Anna Kendrick (Mainer!!) is also great), such great harmonies and I used to (ok, confession, still do) love doing the cup thing.  And the Bella's final performance mash up, but really, you should just watch the movie. 

Well, that's enough for now, and I promise to be back sooner than last time!  PEACE.