Little Pieces of Fall

This past weekend, I had the privilege of taking a trip back to Luther! While there I attended Luther's student teaching conference for all the student teachers. It was terrific to see everyone and so great to spend time with other student teachers, especially people who I really bonded with in the Ed department. We definitely became a close-knit group of people and it was cool to see our education come full circle! We started out as college kids, and now we are student teaching. Wow time passes quickly.

My trip included many reunions and laughs. Trips to the Mall of America, playing frolf around Luther and catching up with people. It was a joy to spend time with so many of my favorite people. Being so far away from Luther, it definitely makes me appreciate the time I am at school and the time spent with friends, that much more.

Seriously, Luther is gorgeous in the Fall.

It was also great to spend time in the cities where the leaves were at their peak! The time included a trip to the Minnesota Zoo as well.

Sea Dragons--such cool animals

Traditional Cribbage Night

Finally reunited!!! Seriously was the best to see so many wonderful people!

It was definitely hard to say goodbye to so many great people, but knowing I will be back soon is a good feeling. Returning "home" to Luther was such a good feeling. One of the best sights was this drive....the last hill leading to Luther...

So now that I am back from Luther, I have started my fifth grade teaching placement! I am excited about this opportunity and grateful for it as well. It's been a good transition in to the "real world".

I've also been learning to take things a day at a time, and realize, that although I may miss Luther and the people there, I know that I am right where I need to be. Luther will come soon enough. For now, I need to enjoy each day as it comes at me, and trust that God has good plans. I know He has placed me where I should be, and for that, I am grateful.

-Caitlin

My Bookmarks Bar

I'm kind of a sucker for cute things. Cute pictures, sappy movies, crafts that are cute, the list goes on.
I also don't mind things that tug at your heartstrings. I'm talking about sentimental videos, books, etc. Things that make you grateful for who is in your life. In some ways, I've always thought that by watching movies or reading books or viewing pictures that make you cry, it's just another reminder of how blessed and lucky we are to live in this life.

Although times may get tough, we are blessed that we get to experience the different emotions that come our way. God has allowed us, as beautiful and complex human beings, to experience a variety of emotions. By allowing ourselves to feel sadness, happiness, frustration, we are allowing ourselves to truly live. It's good to get a good laugh out or just sit in silence sometimes.

So this is where this lovely list of links comes from.

On my Chrome, I have a bookmarks folder called, "Life is Good". It's a folder that I bookmark links to articles and videos that make me laugh and sometimes cry. It's the folder that I look at when I just need to take a break from the ordinary, and remember that life is full of truly incredible moments.

I thought I would share some of my "Life is Good" Folder!

1. Dear Photograph. This is an incredible Tumblr site where people post pictures that they have recreated, and they post a note next to it that begins with, "Dear Photograph..." There are some truly powerful photographs, especially one that has the Twin Towers featured in it. I always get caught up in the stories of these photographs. A picture really is worth a thousand words.

2. A Prairie Home Companion Pretty-Good Jokes. A Minnesota classic, Garrison Keilor hosts "The Prairie Home Companion". This website is full of hilarious jokes by category. They are submitted by readers and listeners to this famous radio show, and they never fail to make me smile.

3. 28 Pictures that prove that dreams do come true. A good Buzzfeed article!

4. Cute video of a Deer Dancing in the woods. So. Cute.

5. The 35 Happiest Things that Have Ever Happened. Another wonderful Buzzfeed Article!

6. And this compilation of Heartwarming moments: (May need tissues)

Sometimes, it is the tears, laughter, and smiles that remind us how good life is.

Blessings Jar

One of my favorite projects is a "Blessings Jar". This is a jar where I write down various blessings that I find throughout my day, date them, then put them in to my "Blessings Jar". At the end of a year's time, I open it up and read them. This project was one that I accomplished for the year of 2013, and it was so cool to open up at the end of the year and read through.

I love this project for a few reasons. The first is that it helps me to keep stock of all of the wonderful things going on in life. I notice that even in the tougher times of life, if I look for the small moments, like laughing with my parents, or a funny text from a friend, I gain so much more from each day.
I feel like it is so easy to get caught up in "feeling down", something which I do far too often. (I also over think things).

When in reality, God has given us this day, and each moment of the day. He's given us this wonderful life to live, each moment a part of the beautiful tapestry of our lives.
It is important to remember, and I for one forget about this from time to time.

So, in true Caitlin fashion, I started another Blessings Jar. No, it's not the beginning of the year. But, "today is the first day of the rest of your life."
Anytime is a good time to start a project, to start noticing the good moments in life. And anytime is a good time to rejoice in the blessings of each day!!

I hope you have a fantastic day!!
-Caitlin

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

There has been so much excitement and fun going on lately, and the only way I can think to explain my excitement about life is through pictures...so here are quite a few of them!


Last weekend, we flew up to UND for family weekend! It was terrific. Great weather and so good to spend time with friends and family!

UND Women's Hockey Game

Tour of the Ralph Engelstad Hockey Arena

And then there was this perfect sunrise...

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One of the best parts of these past seven weeks has been spending time with family! 

I have loved being with these two adorable and precious little ones. It has been a huge blessing to have spent the weeks with my family! They are all so wonderful. So grateful for their hospitality and the many laughs over this time! :)

Jennie really liked taking "Selfies" :)

A little blurry, but Lizzie loved the blocks.

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The goodbye gifts for the first graders, "'Owl' miss you!"

It has truly been a wonderful seven weeks spent in the first grade. I am so grateful for the experiences that I have gained from my time there. I feel like I have grown a great deal from those times, and although some days were tough, and sometimes exhausting, it was definitely worth it. 

If you would like to read more in depth about various aspects of my teaching here is my educational-teaching blog: 

Educational Musings. 

I am certainly going to miss my classroom of first graders. They were all so cute, caring and ready to learn! First graders definitely have a way of experiencing the full spectrum of human emotion. One moment they are crying, the next jumping up and down with joy. It makes me smile that I have been privilege to being apart of these little one's lives for this amount of time. I know from this experience, that teaching is what I was meant to do. I love being in the classroom, learning from the kids, and bringing excitement, passion and positivity to my instruction.

So what's up next? 

Well a trip to Luther, and then seven weeks in a fifth grade classroom! This teaching journey has certainly been a huge blessing! So grateful to God for this season in life! :)

The Little Moments that Suffice

This truly powerful film puts a spin on our own world. How much do we really know about the others around us? Make it a goal to put the phone down, converse more, make memories without sharing them with thousands of people, and live life for yourself, not for the five hundred connections you have online. Because chances are, happiness lays just outside of that tiny screen...

Book Reviews

A while ago, I finished the book, Love Wins by Bob Goff. It is a truly incredible book that I loved diving in to. It is essentially about different moments and experiences from the author's life where he has seen Christ. I found myself laughing out loud, and sharing multiple chapters at a time with my family as I was reading it. It is incredibly heartwarming and focuses on the emotion that ties people together--love.  It even was the inspiration for Brandon Heath's song, "Love Does". (One of my favorites) This book is easy to relate to, the message is amazingly simple, and the author writes with an honest and humble perspective. If you would like a wonderful, uplifting, and powerful story, I would recommend you give this book a go!