Good morning, sunshine (from Boulder, Colorado)!

Before I give you the lowdown on how I got to Boulder, I want to wish all the mamas in the world a {belated} Happy Mother’s Day! Y’all are real life superheroes— ones who are beautiful, strong, and loving. Of course, I am especially thankful for my own mother. I love you so much, Madre!

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You're an incredible reflection of Christ's love to all. You're unapologetically yourself. You're always making me laugh. Happy Mother's Day, Madre. ❤️

A post shared by Alison (@alison_grooves) on May 10, 2015 at 8:54am PDT

Alrighty. What the heck is up!?

I finished my freshman year of college!!! All I can think is: “That just happened” and “IT’S BLOWING MY MIND.” I’ll expand more on my feels tomorrow.

Final exams came and went, and so far they went well, despite organic chemistry being a sweaty and sniffly experience. While I was taking my last final on Friday, Madre helped me move out all my stuff from the dorm (I’m telling you— superwoman), and then we departed from Boston.

I had a heavy heart saying goodbye to my friends and to the city of Boston, especially when my roommate threw this sap bomb on me:

the cutest way to ask me to be her roomie again // love you, girl!

Also, Rachel wrote me the most heartfelt note that triggered some waterworks. But I’ll be back in Boston a couple times this summer to visit some friends, so it won’t be long until I return!

Upon arriving at home in New York (which almost feels like my secondary home now— whoa), I was craving my favorite oatmeal cookie dough smoothie, so that’s what I ate for dinner.

with plain Greek yogurt for dipping, like old times

I also picked up some tapioca pudding at the grocery store. I’d say I got it because it’s my childhood favorite, but I probably got it mostly because I was feeling emotional/moody/tired. No regrets.

Saturday was pretty busy, but I made sure to start it off right by “makin’ banana pancakes…” (I used this recipe from Cookin’ Canuck.)

eaten with plain Greek yogurt, Nuttzo power fuel, and maple syrup // these were fat and fluffy pancakes! 🙂

And lunch was mama’s home cooking, which is always a win.

curry catfish with sautéed tofu and zucchini over salad

After a long day of unpacking from Boston, packing for Colorado, working on a top secret Mother’s Day project for Madre, and Mass, my family and I went out for dinner at an upscale Laotian restaurant in the city called Khe-Yo.

We ordered the special tasting menu, hence the epic amount of food (which we almost totally finished). So much delicious fish and so much sticky rice— Laotian food done right.

Our 4:45 AM wakeup on Sunday came much too quickly after I stayed up late packing, but I was still pumped to be en route to Colorado with my mom and brother. We’re here to explore Boulder for a few days, and then I’m going to Blend at the end of this week!

I very much appreciated this treadmill desk // found in the Minneapolis airport during our layover 

We traveled all yesterday morning, and then the rest of our day in Boulder involved lunch at Whole Foods, shopping, a workout, dinner, and blogging!

Today we’re going to Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater! I am so excited for our Colorado adventures. I love seeing the mountains and breathing in the fresh air. The only thing that is throwing me for a loop is the SNOW that’s on the ground. Cue flashbacks to our snow-tastic Boston winter that lasted a little too long.

I hope you all have a lovely day!

So tell me:

What food were you craving this weekend?

Have you ever been to Denver or Boulder, CO? What do you love to do there!?

If you went away for college, did you feel like college became your home?