3/9/14 - or Catherine turns 23.5

I want to start off this sunnyside post by acknowledging the scary and sobering disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines Flight.  I can't believe that a large passenger plane can literally just vanish.   While a happy ending is seeming less and less likely, I do hope that authorities are able to piece together what happened soon and give answers to the families of those on board.  I also hope that whatever happened will help make flying a little bit safer.  It's sad that horrible events are often what leads to big changes, but hopefully something good can come of this. 

On a less sad note, it was spring ahead day today, which meant an hour less of sleep but also meant that sunset wasn't until 6:51!  It will be nice to have some more light in the evenings. 

It has been a good week, full of lots of sleeping.  I was exhausted all week, and as a result I slept 9+ hours every night.  I think maybe I was on the verge of getting sick, but sleeping kept it away.  It also prepared me well for spring ahead :)

The Josh Ritter concert last Sunday was great.  He played a mix of new and old music, and it was a very different concert than when I saw him 4+ years ago - much quieter, and more intimate.  He is a really fun performer, because he is almost constantly smiling and high energy.  It was a long way to drive for just the weekend, but worth it!

This is one of the cutest and happiest things I've seen in awhile.  I love Lennon and Maisy on Nashville, and they have the best YouTube videos.  Here's their newest one, a cover of That's What's Up by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures from my weekend.  I made this delicious lentil-vegetable stew for the second time.  The recipe seems to have disappeared from where I found it online, but basically it's lentils, sweet potatoes, onion, spinach, and a delicious mix of spices - curry powder, cinnamon, garlic, and ginger.  If you want the recipe let me know and I can send it to you.  Highly recommended!  I also spent some time this weekend searching for a bathing suit for our upcoming spring break crew trip to DeLand, Florida.  Unfortunately, March is a very poor time to shop for swimming apparel in Vermont.  Apparently it is still too wintery for most people to be considering swimming.  I did end up ordering one online from Boden, so I'm hoping it fits/I like it.  We shall see!  So the picture is of these pretty hideous spandex I found at JC Penney...covered in french fries, pizza, onion rings, hot dogs, etc.  I was almost tempted to buy them but they're just a little too weird.  For your viewing pleasure. 

And a thought to leave you with, from the song Pumpin Blood that I posted last time: "You're a catalyst to your happiness you know."  A good mantra to live by - you're only going to be happy if you decide to be.  Have a good week!

"march"-ing ahead

I'm pretty good at being optimistic and seeing the sunny side of life and just generally rolling with the punches - hence the name of this blog.  Even so, I have days where I feel sad or overly tired or just a little down, and on those days, I turn to music.  This post is in honor of some of the songs I have been listening to a lot recently (both new and not-so-new).  I enjoy a pretty wide range of music and musical styles, so playlists that I make are often a bit eclectic - but here it goes:

happy songs for spring 2014
Hang With Me by Robyn
Pumpin Blood by NONONO
Mmm Yeah by Austin Mahone
What I Wouldn't Do by Serena Ryder
The Heart by NEEDTOBREATHE
Move by Little Mix
Chocolate by The 1975

I'm also really looking forward to seeing Josh Ritter play at Bates tonight!  I'll have to give a review of the concert afterwards. 

And I wrote about it before, but I got my Stitch Fix last week!  I think I had slightly unrealistically high expectations, plus it arrived at a time when I was trying to not spend money, so I was a little disappointed.  But I ended up keeping a bright pink, kind of slinky shirt that I think would look nice dressed down or dressed up.  It'll be a good addition to my "fancier/grown-up" clothing collection that I'm trying to expand. 

Finally, a few things I'm excited about: Chili Fest in Middlebury next weekend, a pile of good books to read, Florida sunshine ( >3 weeks away!)...I'm sure there are more, but that's plenty of happiness for now!  Peace, and have a fabulous first week of March!