Wanderlust.

People are blessed in a variety of ways. Tonight I was looking through some of my old photos and I realized I have been extremely blessed in the amount of traveling I have been able to do. I have taken trips all over the country, and even to Europe several times. I know some people have traveled a lot more than I have but I also know that a lot of people have never left this home state.

For starters, I have been to Canada more times than I can count. For people from the Detroit area this is no surprise I'm sure. We go there for a trip to a certain store, restaurant or even just to sight-see. We also have been going there a lot lately for highland dance competitions for Jilly! Also, my aunt has a cottage we go to in the summers that is right on Lake Erie in Canada.

This is Nick, Jilly, Charlie and I at the cottage last summer!

Aside from Canada, another place I seem to visit a lot is Northern Michigan! I love this part of the state and could spend every day of my life up there. I have been going to Traverse City every summer since before I could walk, so I don't like to think of myself as a tourist when I am up there. The northern part of Michigan is just so beautiful and all the beaches that span for miles... Love.

Theseare from a beautiful city we stayed at right on Lake Michigan in Goodheart, MI in 2009. 

 

Those photos are from two separate summers but both taken at the Old Mission Lighthouse, just north of Traverse City. I love to hangout there, especially around sunset. 

My cousin Fiona and I building sandcastles in Traverse City - Summer 2011.

Jilly, Nick and I at the Traverse City State Hospital 

(which i featured in an older blog -- Closed for Business.) 

Aside from Northern Michigan, I've taken several trips to one of the most popular "tourist" locations and amusement parks in the Midwest .. Cedar Point!

 I can also say that I have ridden every single ride at Cedar Point, aside from GateKeeper, which WILL happen this summer. I am determined to keep my record up. 

Another location that I have traveled to several times that is somewhat close (at least in the same region  and only about a 5 hour drive is Chicago! Many of the Chicago trips I have taken have been with my high school German classes, which I can definitely say were some of the best trips of my life thus far. I made so many friends and so many amazing memories through those trips and ever year in that first week of December I wish that I was on the bus with them en route to Chicago and watching Elf (or did that fad die off with Emily and I??)  We also took a few family trips to Chicago, once with our favorite German exchange students - Katharina and Tristan! 

"The bean" and the German group from Dec. 2009.

The beautiful Windy City as seen from the John Hancock Tower. 

Silly Chicago photos with great friends! 

The Drzinski/McIntosh Chicago trip with "the Germans" in 2010! <3

 More photos from exploring Chicago... Navy Pier and The Bean. 

Aisde from staying local, I have taken six major trips to other parts of the country... a trip to Florida, which I cannot find any photos from but I was about 6 or 7 years old, a trip California for my senior year Spring Break with my sister and grandpa, a cruise to New York, Boston, Maine, and some other locations on the east coast and in Canada, a trip to Washington DC for Halloween 2010 and two trips to Pennsylvania. 

At Universal Studios, Hollywood with Jilly, Grandpa and Aunt Delores in 2011.

More California photos, enjoying being in the warmth while there was a snow day at home!

Daddy/Daughter trip to Scranton PA to see Dave Matthews Band up close! 

(10 hour drive for a concert... crazy right!?)

  

Photos with friends I made on our cruise and a pre-cruise shot in NY with Jilly! 

Segway riding, site seeing and relaxing in DC.

Photos from my trip to Philly. Even though this trip didn't turn out to be what it was supposed to be I had a week-long vacation and learned a lot about a city that I know I could learn to love. However, I also learned that living in a big city like that is not for me. 

And now we come to a point in my travels that requires leaving the United States. I have been fortunate enough to travel to Europe 3 times. Twice to Scotland and once to Germany. These were amazing trips and words cannot even begin to describe the amount of things I learned from them. I cannot wait to return to both of these beautiful locations and spend much, much more time learning and exploring them. I do not have many photos of my trips to Scotland on my computer, in fact I only found one, as they were from when I was 2 and 14. If you would like to come over and look through tons of photo albums of the photos, you are more than welcome to ;)

While in Scotland in 2007, some of my family and I climbed Bennachie. This is us at the top! 

However, when it comes to my trip to Germany, I have tons of photos.

The other girl from the US that went to the same school as me in Germany, Erin! We spent lots of time together discussing our situations and picking each other up when we had a rough day. I am so thankful to have had you there with me, especially at school, Erin! <3 

Katharina and Julia, my "sisters" from my host family, plus some of their friends! Love and miss you!

The night my french fries and mayo obsession began. Or should I say "pommes mit mayo."

Half in East Germany and Half in West. -- Berlin, Germany. 

Great times with great friends in Marburg. 

The school I attended in Germany. St. Lioba Schule <3

Exploring Frankfurt with Katha and Nick! 

Looking back on all of this pictures makes me want to travel in the worst way, but it also makes me feel so thankful and so grateful to have had all of these amazing opportunities to literally travel the world. In my (almost) 20 years of life I have seen so much and been so fortunate. How many people can say they have been to Europe 3 times before they turned 20? 

Are you making plans to travel now?

xoxox

Lettered for Life

I was looking through my blog and realized that my "crafty" section only has one post. This is shocking to me as I do LOTS of crafty projects and apparently I just don't blog about them...  So I am going to do one large posts of all the crafty projects I have done right before or during Spring Term. All of them are sorority related and most of them include letters. They are all of the things that people always ask me "did you make those yourself??" and I always proudly answer yes. I don't like to buy things when I can make them just as easily and customize them as much as I want.

The first project I wanted to share are bows. I have made bows two different ways with two different outcomes. They look slightly different but both are equally cute! It is just your opinion of which style you like/want I guess. (Thanks to Jes for teaching me the second way. Jes is the queen of bows.)

The two methods to doing this are the sew/cut method and the hot glue method. For those of us without sewing machines.. I would suggest the glue method. But if you like sewing, then I would say go for it! My two sewed bows are slightly lopsided and also my first two so they are far from perfect. Also, I sewed them by hand. 

Sew method: Cut two pieces of fabric the approximate size you want your bow. Turn them inside out and sew completely around the edges. Once is is like a little pocket you cut a small slice on one side and flip it inside out. Grab some fabric, ribbon or yarn and wrap is around the center. Ta-da!

Glue method: Cut one pieces of fabric that is about 4x the size of bow you want. Fold it in half hamburger way, then fold it in thirds. (This is extremely hard to explain with words... maybe I will make a YouTube video to follow or something.) Glue down the sides so it is a complete square. Pinch the middle and glue all the middle folds down. Wrap the middle once again and.. BOW!

Most of my bows go along with a set of letters. (Letters meaning a shirt/sweatshirt or something with my sorority letters on it.) 

These are just two of MANY examples.

The next crafty project I've done is the actual letters. Two t-shirts to be exact. The one on the right above, in Vera Bradley Marina Paisley, and one that is a doubled letter with lavender and teal polka-dotted patterns. 

I have made MANY many of these shirts, as have every other sorority member (at least at Alma). It is a very simple project once you have the right tools and materials to do it.

You'll need stencils, Heat Bond, fabrics, a t-shirt, fabric scissors and an iron.

All you do it cut a square of fabric large enough to make three (or two, depending on your greek letters) letters.  Iron on a piece of Heat Bond. Draw/trace your letters on to the back of the heat bond -- BACKWARDS! *Very important!* Then cut them out. Once cut, peel the backs off the heat bond and position them on the shirt. Iron for a minute or two or until all corners are not lifting. Let sit for an hour or two and then they are ready to be worn! (Don't wash for about 48 hours to make sure it is firmly set.)

Last but not least, my third project, which is not yet complete... big, fat, foam hanging letters! 

They are still a work in progress, mind you, but they're coming along well. Kayla and I (the best "big," "momma," or Sapphire Sister in the whole wide world) went to Walmart to find something to make hanging letters. We found sheets of foam but weren't sure if they would be enough so we ended up leaving with a big roll of 4 or 5 feet of foam. We drew stencils onto wrapping paper and then copied the stencils over onto the foam. We exacto-bladed and cut the letters of out the foam and began covering them. It turns out it is much lengthier project then we imagined, however, they're original and some of the coolest looking hanging letters I've ever seen!

I'm pretty sure over the past few weeks I have filled my crafting-quota for quite awhile, and definitely gotten enough glue gun burns to last a lifetime.

Keep Calm, Be Crafty and Go Greek!

xoxox

Time Flies

I cannot believe how time has flown by over the last few weeks. Tomorrow is the start of the end. I have my last Monday class until the fall. Thursday is final presentations and I am out of here and headed up north Thursday night.

I feel like I just moved in yesterday.

There are many things I will miss being away from campus such as the free workout center, friends being around every corner, sisters and spending evenings at the Phi Sig house, and afternoon walks downtown. Other things, like my miniature bathroom, Sodexo food and 50 year old mattresses  I won't miss for a second.  I cannot wait to get back to my home-cooked meals that I plan, shop for, and cook myself and know exactly what is in it instead of eating "Banana Surprise" - a breakfast desert made from what appeared to be cake, pudding, oreos, bananas and cool whip - good job, Sodexo! I will be so thankful to be sleeping at home on my brand new bed and enjoying all the comforts of home again, including spending time with family and Nick of course!

Speaking of Nick, I am not sure if I mentioned this on here or not yet but the reason we are heading north this weekend is for Nick. He will be running his very first marathon on Saturday morning. It is called the Bayshore Marathon and spans the length of the peninsula running alongside the bay the whole time. It is going to be truly beautiful and is my favorite city at least in Michigan.

Then we will have a weekend of celebrating his completion and birthday (Sunday!) I feel like it was just the other day when he was up at Alma visiting and had to get up bright and early to secure a spot in the marathon. Ever since then he has been training and working his way up to run this 26.2 mile journey.  I am incredibly proud of him and his determination to do a marathon before he turns 20, which he will be doing by less than 24 hours!! And I am so happy that I will get a chance to be there for it.

Sadly, being there means I have to miss Highland Festival in Alma. I have always wanted to be here for it and haven't had the chance too, yet. I will (hold me to it!) be here for it next year. It is a day of all things Scottish from food, to music, to attire and everything in between. My family will be here and my sister will be competing in the Highland Dance competition. I'm sure they will have a great weekend.

Anyway, back to Spring Term ending. I am pretty sure part of the reason it has gone so fast was that I went home two of the three weekends and this weekend my aunt (and Alma College Alumni) and two of her friends came up for the night. I took them on a tour of "what has changed in Alma" and we got Pizza Sams! We also went to Petticoat Junction for breakfast this morning. It was a good time and I was so glad to see them.

Another thing on my mind today is that this weekend is both DHS and EFHS's proms. I cannot believe it has been two years since Nick and I attended our senior proms. (They were NOT on the same weekend - that is just crazy!) We had such a great time and I sincerely hope that all the seniors this year have the same experience we did!

Throwback prom photos!

Now I am going to be reminiscing through "old" photos all day!

Happy Sunday! Go plant a garden or something!

xoxox

Life is What You Bake It.

Spring Term is more than halfway done! It is amazing how quickly it has all gone by and in less than two weeks I will be headed North to Traverse City! Knowing that, the rest of the time is going to fly by!

For the last few days I have been busy planning things out for my business endeavor Cravings by Cailee <--- if you haven't read that blog, be sure to check it out!

I have been working on everything from logistics, to flavors, to prices, to advertising/social media planning.

I have officially planned a "debut event!" Cravings by Cailee will have it's first official sale at the Edison Street sale on June 1st. I was already planning on attending this event and selling off some stuff I've been collecting for the sale, but now I will be setting up two separate "booths" in my location and doing a little bit of both!

I am currently working on a menu for this event, but am thinking of doing 1 or 2 flavors of cupcakes, 1 flavor of cookies, 1 flavor of cake pops and possibly some homemade donuts! I will also have coffee available (as that was a big sell for me last year!)

Be sure to stop by and satisfy your sweet tooth! I will provide times and address closer to the day-of the event.

Flavors.... there have been lots of flavor ideas floating around my head.. I need some feedback. For cupcakes, I've been thinking about making Strawberry Lemonade, Salted Carmel, Boston cream pie, Red Velvet, some sort of Peanut Butter, or maybe even Mocha Coconut Frappuccino! Which of those sound good to you? Do you have something else you would like to see? I love getting thoughts and feedback, so let me know!

My business cards and other "loot" should be arriving any day now.

I am so excited to get everything up and running and cannot wait to begin brining smiles to faces through the power of a sweet treat. There is nothing better than to see happiness with someone enjoying one of your creations, and that is a big part of the reason I love to bake.


Somehow, though, I need to remove all of these thoughts of sweets out of my head and buckle down and finish up my Spring Term class strong, get all of my classes for the next two years laid out, and move out (wasn't I just moving in?!) After a short weekend up north, I will be returning home to get everything in order and have less than one week before the big day. I hope to see many of you there and be able to provide you with some tasty treats.

Life is What You Bake It.

xoxox

Some big news...

I have something big and exciting to announce!

I always talk of my dreams of opening a bakery or a coffee shop. I imagine and plan it in my head quite often. Well yesterday I took the first step in making it a reality.

I am officially opening an at-home business called Cravings by Cailee.

So far I am just a Facebook page. I am going to see how business goes through that and business cards (which should be here next week!) I can begin taking orders after June 1st.

My logo is a Cupcake, in honor of my favorite thing to bake and my tagline is "Any occasion is a good occasion for baked goods."

The logo and Facebook profile photo - image is also featured on my business cards!

I am going to need lots of support over the next few weeks as I begin to get things up and running and the most important thing I need help with is getting traffic to my Facebook page. You, as blog readers, will be the first to have the link and than you can take it from there to share, share and share some more.

Also, keep me in mind for any orders you may have, especially over the summer. :) Birthdays, graduations, fathers day, ANY OCCASION!

So here is the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/CravingsByCailee
"Like" the page to stay updated with my progress and then SHARE the page with anyone and everyone.

I cannot thank you all enough for being supportive in me trying to get this started. I am so excited to see how it goes!

Thank you.

Like, Share and Eat a Cupcake

xoxox

Spring in the Bubble

Just to clarify for those of you that don't know... people that attend Alma tend to say we live in the "Alma Bubble." Which is where "Spring in the Bubble" comes from :)



Imagine turning a corner to green lawns, people on bikes, people laying around studying on blankets in the sun and even some people playing frisbee. That is what it was like when I turned into campus last Sunday afternoon.

Mind you, I hadn't been on campus since the first week of December. When I left it was cold and snowy and most people were hidden inside under blankets.  Seeing campus like this, alive and outside, was refreshing.

Spring Term is so different than a normal semester. Most people only have one class that last just a few hours a day. Others are in class 9-5 right now, but are leaving for Europe or some other exciting place this weekend. I, personally, am in a class that is just 2-2.5 hours a day and the homework is relatively easy, which means I have a lot of free time. I am working between 10-15 hours a week, on top of RA work and duty, but I still have incredible amounts of free time.

Over the course of this week I have studied outside on a blanket, read under a tree, got a sunburn, spent lots of time people-watching from the service learning house porch, got ice cream at Stucchi's, been on duty twice, worked out several times, kicked a ball over the roof of the service learning house (did you ever make it Heather or Kayla?!), spent an hour catching up with people in Marketing and Communications and also quite awhile catching up with admissions staff,  and so much more. When would I have time for that in a normal semester?

Also, Kayla and I began a bucketlist for the rest of Spring Term. Go for a bike ride (with borrowed bikes), get Coldstone, get Tim Hortons (which is conveniently in the same building as Coldstone!), play tennis, go for a walk... I can't think of the rest off the top of my head, but you get the point.

We have lots of free time to be outside and enjoy the lovely (hot!) weather we've been having.

Get Outside and Enjoy It!

xox

Catching Up

It has been over a week since my last blog post. A lot has happened in the past week.

We're going to rewind to Thursday and Friday, as I was prepping for Relay for Life.

First and foremost, I met and exceeded my goal of $750. I actually ended with more than $800, which is absolutely amazing. I spent all day Thursday and Friday running errands and making sure we had everything in order for Relay. I made signs, went to party city for decorations twice, and baked more than I've ever baked in one day, ever before. I baked over 4 dozens cupcakes and close to 100 cake pops.

Did somebody say Bake Sale?

Then before I knew it it was Saturday morning. We got our site set up and we were all decked out in neon and ready to rep the 80s. 

Our team, Notorious C.U.R.E. or "The Little Team that Could" raised over $3,500.  It was a great day or celebration, remembrance and lots of people fighting back! As an event, we raised over $111,000! Thank you to every one who was involved, no matter the amount of involvement!

After Relay, bright and early Sunday morning, I returned home. I power-showered, took a quick cat nap, packed up the car and headed north back to Alma.

I knew moving back to campus after 6 months away was going to be an adjustment, but I never knew how hard it really would be. I've been at home cooking, spending time with family and having the freedom to go and do whatever I wanted. Now I am back in a dorm room, not to mention alone for the first time, with suite-mates I don't know and trying to make the best of it. Keeping busy is going to be key for me. I have made a promise to find some time, every single day, to do some sort of workout whether it be a run, a walk, some time on the weights.. anything. Just something to keep me up and moving.

I will begin "work" (one of many) tomorrow and will be working about 6-8 hours a week in the lab. Friday I will begin giving tours again, which I am really looking forward to as I really enjoy the interaction with potential students and their families. 

Friday evening I am actually heading home for the weekend. This was not planned, but came up as I was spending time with some of my sorority sisters and realized that one of them is actually heading home my way on Friday, which has really helped me pull through this week.

After I return from the weekend at home there will be only 18 days left until I can return home for summer and not have to be back here until Mid-August. I am definitely looking forward to having Ashley & Jes as suite-mates in the fall, because I know that will change the whole environment of my living situation. 

Until then, I'll just keep pushing through. Just keep swimming... just keep swimming.

Cailee

xoxo