Columbus day weekend

Sometimes there is nothing better than three days off from school, away from your books and papers, and spending some time in the comfort of your own home.  It was a nice little respite for some good rest and relaxation for all of us!

I make fun of my parents A LOT for how much they talk about Maddie (the new daughter), but after spending a lovely weekend with her I now understand.  She is just adorable, cuddly, and genuinely sweet!  So I SUPPOSE I understand now, a little bit better at least, how their lives have become dominated by this new fuzz ball.

Other than that, we were able to accomplish a lot of chores (four thousand pounds of laundry for example) and just spend some quality bonding time.  There was almost no fighting, and we barely got on each others nerves!  It was fantastic!  Family time at its best :)

New wheels!

So it has been an eventful couple of weeks at Geneseo, as teachers gave out tons of assignments before and after Columbus day break, making students curse the day they signed up for their classes.  But probably the most exciting thing that has happened recently is what Lex and I got to bring back with us after Columbus day weekend....a new car!

New wheels! (With a rare sisterly moment captured on film)

Thanks to the generosity of my lovely grandmother and my parents, I now have car at school!  It has already made so many things easier in my life.  Lex and I were able to drive back to school, just the two of us, without worrying about finding rides, balancing everyone's schedules, or any of that nonsense.  Plus, this weekend my friends and I went to the Rochester Public Market (more to follow on that).

It is just so luxurious to have a car my senior year.  I have flexibility that I've never had in the past, and although my friends have been VERY understanding and go out of their way to help me with rides etc, it is nice to be able to start paying some of that back, bit by bit.Plus it means that I can go and pop up to see Lex whenever I want (i.e. next weekend!)

A new side of town

Since I am now 21, my friends and I have been able to enjoy so many more different aspects of our little town here in Western New York.  It is so relaxing to go grab a beer at one of the local bars in a calm atmosphere, before it gets too crazy with younger kids and their silly antics.

As seniors, we have even been making new friends, and in fact hosted a PARTY, yes I said it, at our new apartment to christen the place.  It was fun, calm, sophisticated, and an all around great time.  Plus I think even our new friends had a good time, and there has been talk of a repeat!

Part of our party gang!

Rbk kids (Ally, Lucy, and I)

New friends! (Me, Ally, Vinny, and Paul lurking in the background) 

Roomies <3 

We even set out snacks for our guests! Such good hostesses.

We are so gourmet!

Sorry that it has been a while since I have updated this, and for that I truly apologize!  But I have been crazy busy with school, friends, and enjoying college so I feel like that is a good excuse!

But the one thing that I have been enjoying the most about living in my own apartment is cooking for myself (slash Gina cooking for me).  Gina and I tend to eat the same kinds of things so we have been combining our meals and making fun things!  Even when it is a simple meal, we try to put a fun spin on it and always enjoy it.

Last weekend we went to the Rochester Public Market, which is the coolest farmers market I have ever been to.  There are just rows and rows of fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and meats, breads and baked goods all at fantastic prices.  Gina and I were so overwhelmed but in such a good way.  My favorite purchase was HUGE zucchini for 75cents!  Such a good deal.  They were literally humongous.

Anyway, our most recent favorite meal has been combining all of the fresh veggies we got at the market (zucchini, red and green peppers and mushrooms) and sauteeing them.  Add some homemade pasta and some good cheese and we had ourselves a gourmet meal!  Not only was it delicious, but just tasted healthy and good for us.