diff --git a/lemur/certificates/service.py b/lemur/certificates/service.py
index a49e69b8..8dbc7597 100644
--- a/lemur/certificates/service.py
+++ b/lemur/certificates/service.py
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@ def create(**kwargs):
         notifications += notification_service.create_default_expiration_notifications(notification_name, [cert.owner])
 
     notification_name = 'DEFAULT_SECURITY'
-    notifications += notification_service.create_default_expiration_notifications(notification_name, current_app.config.get('LEMUR_SECURITY_TEAM_EMAIL'))
+    notifications += notification_service.create_default_expiration_notifications(notification_name,
+                                                                                  current_app.config.get('LEMUR_SECURITY_TEAM_EMAIL'))
     cert.notifications = notifications
 
     database.update(cert)
diff --git a/lemur/notifications/service.py b/lemur/notifications/service.py
index 2c29d94d..4f3ba6c1 100644
--- a/lemur/notifications/service.py
+++ b/lemur/notifications/service.py
@@ -178,6 +178,9 @@ def create_default_expiration_notifications(name, recipients):
     :param name:
     :return:
     """
+    if not recipients:
+        return []
+
     options = [
         {
             'name': 'unit',
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ def create_default_expiration_notifications(name, recipients):
         },
     ]
 
-    intervals = current_app.config.get("LEMUR_DEFAULT_EXPIRATION_NOTIFICATION_INTERVALS")
+    intervals = current_app.config.get("LEMUR_DEFAULT_EXPIRATION_NOTIFICATION_INTERVALS", [30, 15, 2])
 
     notifications = []
     for i in intervals:
diff --git a/lemur/plugins/lemur_cloudca/plugin.py b/lemur/plugins/lemur_cloudca/plugin.py
index 229e58a7..0281e9d0 100644
--- a/lemur/plugins/lemur_cloudca/plugin.py
+++ b/lemur/plugins/lemur_cloudca/plugin.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from json import dumps
 import arrow
 import requests
 from requests.adapters import HTTPAdapter
+from requests.exceptions import ConnectionError
 
 from flask import current_app
 
@@ -23,8 +24,6 @@ from lemur.plugins import lemur_cloudca as cloudca
 
 from lemur.authorities import service as authority_service
 
-API_ENDPOINT = '/v1/ca/netflix'  # TODO this should be configurable
-
 
 class CloudCAException(LemurException):
     def __init__(self, message):
@@ -172,7 +171,11 @@ class CloudCA(object):
 
         # we set a low timeout, if cloudca is down it shouldn't bring down
         # lemur
-        response = self.session.post(self.url + endpoint, data=data, timeout=10, verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        try:
+            response = self.session.post(self.url + endpoint, data=data, timeout=10, verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        except ConnectionError:
+            raise Exception("Could not talk to CloudCA, is it up?")
+
         return process_response(response)
 
     def get(self, endpoint):
@@ -182,7 +185,11 @@ class CloudCA(object):
         :param endpoint:
         :return:
         """
-        response = self.session.get(self.url + endpoint, timeout=10, verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        try:
+            response = self.session.get(self.url + endpoint, timeout=10, verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        except ConnectionError:
+            raise Exception("Could not talk to CloudCA, is it up?")
+
         return process_response(response)
 
     def random(self, length=10):
@@ -202,7 +209,7 @@ class CloudCA(object):
 
         :return:
         """
-        endpoint = '{0}/listCAs'.format(API_ENDPOINT)
+        endpoint = '{0}/listCAs'.format(current_app.config.get('CLOUDCA_API_ENDPOINT'))
         authorities = []
         for ca in self.get(endpoint)['data']['caList']:
             try:
@@ -230,7 +237,7 @@ class CloudCAIssuerPlugin(IssuerPlugin, CloudCA):
         :return:
         """
         # this is weird and I don't like it
-        endpoint = '{0}/createCA'.format(API_ENDPOINT)
+        endpoint = '{0}/createCA'.format(current_app.config.get('CLOUDCA_API_ENDPOINT'))
         options['caDN']['email'] = options['ownerEmail']
 
         if options['caType'] == 'subca':
@@ -239,8 +246,11 @@ class CloudCAIssuerPlugin(IssuerPlugin, CloudCA):
         options['validityStart'] = convert_date_to_utc_time(options['validityStart']).isoformat()
         options['validityEnd'] = convert_date_to_utc_time(options['validityEnd']).isoformat()
 
-        response = self.session.post(self.url + endpoint, data=dumps(remove_none(options)), timeout=10,
-                                     verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        try:
+            response = self.session.post(self.url + endpoint, data=dumps(remove_none(options)), timeout=10,
+                                         verify=self.ca_bundle)
+        except ConnectionError:
+            raise Exception("Could not communicate with CloudCA, is it up?")
 
         json = process_response(response)
         roles = []
@@ -274,7 +284,7 @@ class CloudCAIssuerPlugin(IssuerPlugin, CloudCA):
         :param csr:
         :param options:
         """
-        endpoint = '{0}/enroll'.format(API_ENDPOINT)
+        endpoint = '{0}/enroll'.format(current_app.config.get('CLOUDCA_API_ENDPOINT'))
         # lets default to two years if it's not specified
         # we do some last minute data massaging
         options = get_default_issuance(options)
@@ -330,7 +340,7 @@ class CloudCASourcePlugin(SourcePlugin, CloudCA):
         :param cert_handle:
         :return:
         """
-        endpoint = '{0}/getCert'.format(API_ENDPOINT)
+        endpoint = '{0}/getCert'.format(current_app.config.get('CLOUDCA_API_ENDPOINT'))
         response = self.session.post(self.url + endpoint, data=dumps({'caName': ca_name}), timeout=10,
                                      verify=self.ca_bundle)
         raw = process_response(response)