It Sure Is Nice to Go Home Every Once and a While

I'll admit that I thoroughly enjoy the freedom and independence that comes with going to school away from home, but it sure is nice to go home every once and while. For one, I finally get to do my laundry exactly how I like it, and as many loads as I want, without having to carry around 5lbs of change for the machines.  But the best part of going home is that I get to see my parents again, and it's also nice to be the pampered kid again.

So Friday my Contemporary Art History class was scheduled to make a visit to the National Gallery in Ottawa (with the bus leaving Kingston Friday 8am) to visit an exhibit on which we are to write a review.  I decided to take advantage of this educational excuse for travel to Ottawa and head home Thursday night to stay for the weekend.  And even better, my Monday morning class is cancelled, so I got to stay an extra day at home.

I drove home Thursday night (thankfully the roads had been plowed after the epic snowfall Wednesday), and my mom surprised me with a dozen baby cupcakes from Thimble Cakes.

They were so yummy, with each cupcake having a different color and flavor of icing.  Such a nice surprise after a tough week at school!

Friday I walked along the Rideau Canal to the National Gallery to meet my class and stopped at a French bakery for a cup of coffee and one of the most amazing croissants I've ever had.  Such a great start to an already glamorous day (skipping school for a trip to an art gallery, yeah, the ONLY time I'll ever get to do this).  After spending a couple hours desperately trying to write down the information of the art pieces, we realized they sold books with detailed info on each piece.  If only I had known before, I would have actually enjoyed the exhibit.  Oh well, at least I now have all the info I need readily available to me in my new book.  Stopping for a late lunch in my favorite Italian Bottega with one of my classmates and then grabbing a latte, it was the perfect end to my artsy educational trip. 

And I really never get the chance to go shopping at school because, well I'm on a slim student budget, and because there are slim pickings in Kingston.  So I lucked out Saturday and managed to convince my father of my necessity for these beauties from Sperry Topsider:

I have a very hard time finding good boots because I have bigger than normal calves.  Which means that as much as I have been dying for a pair of bright pink Hunter boots, I can't get them because they just won't fit over my tree trunk calves :(  So I when I discovered these Sperry Hingham boots on sale for $60, last pair, in my size, I didn't get my hopes up that they would soon belong to me.  But they magically fit! And boy are they comfy!  They are lined in fleece throughout, making them warm enough to use for the rest of winter.  They'll be great to wear as the snow begins to melt, because my uggs cannot live through any more puddles. They will also look great in the fall with my favorite jcrew corduroy blazer.  I think they're my new favorite boots!

And Saturday my parents and I went to see True Grit. I barely go to the movies while I'm in school, so this is a nice treat.  I've heard good things about it, so I was really looking forward to it.  I honestly loved it.  It took a REALLY long time to finally be able to understand what Jeff Bridges' character was saying, but it was a much funnier movie than I expected.

Greatest news of all, my mom starting planning a mother-daughter trip to Italy! I'm so excited! I've been studying Renaissance art for the last couple of years in various art history courses, so it will be great to finally get to see everything in person.  I really hope this trip works out, because I've been DYING to go to Italy! 

Hope everyone in the north is taking advantage of this beautiful weather we've been having lately!

xoxo,