Madelynn Hop & Co.

This summer I decided to focus on my health. 

Regular exercise, more veggies, ect...

When thinking about this healthy summer I went straight to Pinterest to look up some inspiration. There I kept on seeing these people doing a water detox. So the first step to healthier living I prepared a whole week of water! I did some research and looked at different recipes and then just modified some and made my own. So here's my recipes!

Preparation:

Sliced Fruit

First I soaked all of the jars in soapy water to make sure they were clean. Next I cleaned the fruit and herbs and sliced them to my liking. 

Strawberry Mint Half cup of strawberries and mint to your liking.

Pineapple Rosemary Half cup of pineapple and rosemary to your liking.

Cantaloupe and Rosemary 1/2 cup of Cantaloupe and Rosemary to your liking.

Watermelon Mint  In this one I added about a 1/2 cup of Watermelon then about 10 leaves of mint. I wanted mine to be really minty so I added a lot of mint.

Apple Ginger Sliced half of an apple and then added about 5 slices of ginger. Can't wait to try all of them!!!

My airport tips and tricks.

This year I have flown back and forth from the West Coast to East Coast about a half a dozen times. I have flown from small town airports and from some of the largest airports in the country LAX, JFK, ect... From the overpriced airport food to being delayed hours here is what I think about airports. 

I got home to Oregon yesterday. I flew from Newark Airport instead of JFK for the cost of it. Both are the same distance from where I live in CT. I got to the airport about an hour and a half before my boarding time. I had to check a few bags so I wanted to make sure I had enough time to get through security. You never know with security. Sometimes it takes 15 minutes other times you are standing there for an hour. So I always try to get there an hour and a half before my boarding time. After my bags were checked and I was through security I found my gate. After being confident of where my gate was I started wandering around the airport. I found some snacks for my trip.



I try to keep hydrated so grab some water and filled my hydroflask up. I tried to grab food that would fill me up. Traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast is exhausting and takes up a whole day. So I grabbed some yummy mangoes and snacked on some almonds. Also I couldn't go without caffeine on this long day so I picked up my fav vanilla latte from Starbucks. After the food situation was figured out I just wandered aimlessly around the airport. My logic was, I am going to be cramped into a tiny space for 6+ hours why not walk around and stretch my legs while I can. So while talking on the phone I explored what Newark had to offer. 

Next we were off!

To San Fran we go. 

In San Fransisco I had about an hour layover that turned into 3...
With that I grabbed a bite to eat. After that I checked out the SF airport. Something I didn't know about the SF airport is that they have a yoga room. After my gate changed about ten times my flight took off earlier than the delay. So off I went home to Oregon!





My outfit for the airport.


I always want to be comfy when sitting in a plane for 6+ hours, but I don't want to look like I just rolled out of bed. With that I chose
My black matte Hunter rain boots. It was pouring that day in New York so for me this was a great option. The comfiest rain boot I have ever owned.
Next I wore just a pair of black jeans they are Level 99 I got them from a small town boutique and they are my fav jeans to wear super comfy!


My shirt was just a slouchy grey crew neck tee from Old Navy.

I also wore an army green and jean coat from PacSun.

On top I wore a my Brandy Melville hat, to cover up my not so nice hair that I was going to get on these plane rides.

And off to the next airport I go!

Sophomore Year of College.

As finals are completed and I am packing up all my summer clothes to embark on my journey back to the Pacific North West, I reminisce about my first year living on the East Coast. Here are some of my favorite memories from this year!

Fall.

New start. New school. New friends.

Starting the Interior Design program, learning the logistics about what I love and I am passionate about. Starting this program has made me grow and become more of the person I have always wanted to be. Also I have so much fun everyday!! 

Meeting some of the greatest friends! And from so many different places. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and more!

Adventures in the NYC! My love for the city exponentially grew. The first adventure of the year was with my friend Kerri. WE WALKED EVERYWHERE. (I soon learned the subway system haha) 

The "hikes". To any Oregonian these hikes would be considered a walk. Not a lot of mountains in Southern CT, but the views where amazing. A hike in the fall in New England PERFECT. With new amazing friends it was definitely a highlight of the fall.

Winter.

My favorite thing from the winter season was spending two different days with my amazing boyfriend in two of our favorite cities Boston and New York City. In Boston we went and wandered around the farmers market trying crazy fruits we have never seen before and definitely aren't grown in Boston and then made our way over to Quincy Market and saw the huge Christmas tree. We accidentally/ we're really lucky we went on the tree lighting weekend. So we went and we're super New England and got clam chowder and a lobster roll. It was perfect. 

Then came NYC. We did everything Christmas. Macy's window displays, Bergdorf Goodmans window displays, and the grandaddy of them all Rockefeller Center. It was utterly amazing. 

Winter also brought the snow. It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought. I was terrified of the East Coast winter, but I survived and it wasn't that bad! February came and brought Valentines Day. My incredible boyfriend took me to the city and we wandered around The Met all day. The perfect date if you ask me.

Spring.

It was still cold but there was spring break. I explored every nook and cranny of the tiniest state Rhode Island! I'm so glad I had an amazing tour guide to show me everything in that precious little state. Shout out to Kerri!! 

Next came the opportunity of a lifetime. I saw JIMMY FALLON LIVE! It was unbelievable. Definitely one of my favorite memories! I was front row laughing the entire time to Jimmy and his guest Melissa McCarthy. Shout out to Katy for making it all happen!!

Next came one of my favorite visitors! My friend Ali from Oregon. We adventured what seemed like the entire East Coast. I blogged about her visit. Reference 48hrs in Boston and New York to read more about Ali, tips and tricks, and our journey.

One of my final trips on the East Coast was going to Six Flags NJ with my boyfriend and our friends. It was a great trip to end the year. Churros, popcorn, screaming my head off, and a million rollercoasters!! Oh and if you were wondering there is always traffic in New York yes we drove back at 10pm and sat in traffic till midnight. TRAFFIC SUCKS!! But it was still the perfect, crazy fun day. Also I dodged riding King Da Ka the 3rd fastest roller coaster in the ENTIRE world hitting speeds of 127mph and that made the day so much better! (Yes I get freaked out on rollercoasters). 

The end of another school year they seem to go by so fast. I can not tell you how thankful I am for my experience, the knowledge I have gained, the friends I have found, the quality time I got with my boyfriend adventuring the East Coast, my amazing Professors and classes, and everything in between. I can't wait to see what Junior year has in store for me!

8:00AM 

Wake up and go back to sleep till 

8:25AM

Get ready.

Which actually means slap on a pair of sweats and throw that hair in a pony tail.

8:45AM 

Breakfat.

Coffee and fruit

9:00AM

Studio Time. 

That means working on our recent floor plans, drawing elevations, rendering perspectives, or making a model. It really could be anything!

11:30AM

Social hour.

I've been working for too long now I walk around and talk to whoever I can and look at other peoples work. 

12:00PM

Lunch.

Quick stop to fuel up. 

12:30PM

Drawing Class.

Lots of lectures. Lots of drawing.

3:00PM

Work.

I work in the main office of the Art building doing whatever they need, usually it consists of me sitting there watching Netflix and doing my homework.

4:30PM

HOMEWORK TIME. 

I usually have drawings or floor-plans to finish up, Indesign work to complete, fabric samples to search for, or CADD files to review.

6:00PM 

Usually go and get some dinner. 

And usually I'm at dinner till 7:30 trying to avoid homework while chit chatting with friends. 

7:30PM

Finish Homework

BLEHHHH.

9:00PM

I have Hall Council meetings where I use my planner mind set to plan events for my dormitory. 

10:00PM

Get Ready to do it all over again. 

Everyday is exciting and new as an Interior Design student. New projects, new samples, new connections, new events, its an ever changing world that I am so lucky to be apart of. 

I had a dear friend of mine travel from the West Coast to the East Coast. She had never seen NYC or Boston before. So we decided to fit everything in. She flew in to JFK at 6am. Then we met at Grand Central and took the subway to where our hotel was. Her first subway experience on a New York weekday morning. Let's just say it was a little close for comfort. We made our way to our hotel located in the Finical District. We stayed at the Club Quarter Hotel World Trade Center Location. The accommodation were amazing floor to ceiling windows that made it so you had a great view. Clean, quite large for Manhattan, and affordable! Once we dropped off our bags we checked out the 911 memorial which was a quick walk around the corner from our hotel. A very powerful place and beautiful reminder of what happened in this city. Next we walked over to the Brooklyn Bridge. We were so lucky to catch such nice weather, we were constantly taking off our jacket from being to warm which was crazy since it snowed on the east coast not to long ago. We walked about half across to see the New York skyline and all the bike commuters from Brooklyn coming into the city. We opted to walk to our next location {and a lot of place} because we felt like we would see more of the city. So with that in mind we made a long trek to the Highline park. On our way we stopped at an amazing soap store called Soapology we received a free hand treatment which left our hands so incredibly soft for hours and smelling like a blooming garden. Check them out they only have one location but they are online. Our favorite product was the creamy scrub black coconut it was so amazing and left our skin feeling so clean and fresh! After that amazing unexpected stop we went into Chelsea Market were we feel in love with the local vendors and products. Next we jumped on to the Highline one of my favorite walks in the city. It's a breathe of fresh air and a touch of greenery. Definitely a have to in NYC. Onto lunch we grabbed a sandwich and salad at Fresh&Co. A great easy, fast, healthy, affordable place with a fun atmosphere in the city. After we were fueled up we made our way to Rockefeller Center. The top of the rock is breathe taking. The views!! You can see all of Central Park and a great view of the Empire State building. Perfect picture opportunities and a great time to just bask in the glory of New York City. We stayed up there for about an hour just enjoying the relaxing view, and we were quite lucky that it wasn't busy at all. After that we started walking to Serendipity. On our way we had a major gossip girl moment and stop at the Palace Hotel on Madison. At Serendipity of course we indulged ourselves in a humungous frozen hot chocolate. I definitely recommend getting a reservation as it was packed! We got to relax our aching feet for about an hour and then just a hop skip and a jump away we were in the gorgeous Central Park. On this bright, beautiful sunny day we went to The Mall, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, enjoyed watching row boats on the lake, the bow bridge, and seeing Belverde Castle. After our walk in the park we made our way through the Upper East Side to our subway station and back to our hotel to change. We got back on the subway and ended up in Time Square and made our way to our first Broadway show. We used Tickets Today to get discounted broadway show tickets their representative was right outside the theatre waiting to give us our tickets. They were great and we didn't have to pay the big bucks for an amazing show. We saw the show called "Fully Committed" with Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Let's just say AMAZING. He played forty roles and it was unbelievable. Winding down our day we took the subway back to lower Manhattan and ended our night at Shake Shack with glorious crinkle fries and burgers. One Day in NYC done!

Morning came and we caught the bus to Boston! We were so excited to sit for 4 hours and let our extremely sore and blistered feet rest. A short bus ride later we ended up in the beautiful city of Boston. We again were blessed with amazing weather. Our first stop was Quincy Market! We watched the famous street performers, wandered through the stores, and took in the amazing smell of all the different foods. After a short time in Quincy we wandered to The Commons. We instantly fell in love. Everything about it. PERFECT. We walked through the park to Beacon Hill where we didn't know it was possible to fall more in love. MORE PERFECT. Cobblestone streets, beautiful townhouse, and flowers blooming it couldn't be more picturesque. We later found our self on the famous Newbury Street. We got Georgetown Cupcakes, died in the lily pulitzer store, and had an amazing lunch/dinner at Stephanie's on Newbury. The perfect day. After eating we went back to the park because earlier that day we had saw an ice cream sandwich truck and had to indulge. So we picked up two salted caramel ice cream sandwiches and made our way out of Boston. 

A whirlwind of a trip. We made memories to last a lifetime. Im so glad I got to be a tour guide for my West Coast friend and show her the beauties of the place I call home, the East Coast.