#100happydays

I'm pretty sure I have double-checked the calendar about a dozen times this week. Are you sure it's the end of February?? Are you sure that a quarter of my second to last semester of college is done?

It has really been hitting me how quickly life is changing! There are so many positive things that are going to be happening. But for starters, I figured I would update you on a fun project that I have started with a friend.

The project is the #100HappyDays Project! This is essentially a project where for 100 days, you take a picture of something that made you happy that day, then post it on a social media platform with the hashtag: 100HappyDays. I'm hesitant of posting it on a social media outlet, but I think this is a great idea for people to do! I've always been one for long-term projects, so when one of my dear friends brought this up, I immediately hopped on the band wagon. Heck yes I will take pictures and talk about things that make me smile!! Those are two of my favorite things to do!!

So I started last week, and have been pretty consistent about my picture-taking. However, I have missed a couple of days. And that is okay! Instead of trying to scramble and remember what I did the previous day, I have decided to pursue the next day's picture.

So far this has been great! Especially since the weather has been absolutely awful. Weather.com said it "Felt like -16" and was Bitterly Cold. You could say that again. I feel like I go through seasons of the flu when I walk in and out of buildings. The buildings themselves are warm, but outside is frigid. However, I am grateful for my many layers of warm clothing and the hand warmers stashed in my closet.

So here are some pictures from the #100HappyDays Project!!

Reggie the Frog made his debut in one of my Elementary Education Classes for snack day!

My very first Egg's Benedict!! So delicious. This was taken at the fancy catered brunch that is offered on Sunday mornings. This picture is kind of a crummy quality because I took it on my phone, but I think it kind of just looks like a magazine ad.

Free Movie Night at school! One of the perks of Luther is it's free movie night. So I saw the second Hunger Games movie with some friends before the movie comes out on DVD. It was good! Although the best part was watching one of my friend's reactions who was sitting next to me, and he had never seen the movie. Priceless.

It is official!! My friends and I are going to be calling this lovely abode, home, next year. We are living in this cluster of town homes in the prairie on campus. There are six of us living there in a six bedroom townhouse. Trondheim is the name of the house, and our particular unit is on the left of this picture, with the first two windows on both the first and second floor, a part of our unit. Trondheim 2...here we come! (Just another reminder that I am almost a Senior. Yikes!)

One of my closest friends, Ellie. She's the one who introduced me to this project. And this picture shows all of the tea that she has! It is marvelous. Tea at any part of the day is always acceptable.

One of my favorite parts, and something I am really looking forward to...I'm going to Seattle! Just for a quick weekend, but I will be visiting some friends that I have known since Kindergarten. I am so thrilled and grateful for this opportunity to visit them. Seattle is gorgeous and I cannot wait to see my two friends and the coast later on this semester.

This #100HappyDays project has been quite a bit of fun. It is a perfect way for me to look for the good in every day, and enjoy every moment!

Have a wonderful day!

Caitlin

Hope

Today was so incredibly warm!! For the middle of February, with a feet of snow still on the ground, it was such a great change to have some warm weather with hot sun and temperatures above freezing. To follow along with my running schedule, today was a four mile running day. I have come up with a twelve week running schedule, with the final day being the half-marathon! I'm excited to be running so much, and so far I have already seen improvement in my running. It's incredibly rewarding.

So in this glorious sunshine, I headed out on a four mile run with one of my friends who is also going to be running the same half-marathon. Running is always better with a friend, and I was very grateful for the company.

We even got to run in shorts!!! What could be better?

(Tomorrow there's supposed to be a blizzard with 10-12 inches of snow, so we tried to soak up as much sun as possible)


The sun today has helped to put some things in perspective for me.
Those powerful rays of sun and warmth are just like God's love reaching out for us. This week I have been figuring out many details about my future. Student teaching, where I'm living next year when I come back to school, what I'm doing this summer, etc. Things are slowly falling in to place, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store.

And just like Love is the greatest gift from God,
I have to say that HOPE is one of those wonderful gifts as well.
Hope keeps us dreaming. Hope keeps us living. And Hope gives us something to hold on to even when the going gets rough.

Someone told me the acronym that HOPE forms: Hold On, Pain Ends.

Hope. A pretty great gift.

Much Love,
Caitlin

Half-Marathon Training

It is decided!!
Several friends and I have decided that we are going to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) by the end of this school year. I am pumped and cannot wait for that day to get here!! We haven't officially registered for any yet, but will soon. We also are thinking about running a 10k (6.2 miles) sometime around mid-March.

I am so excited about these upcoming races. It gives me something to pour my energy in to and it gives me a goal to aim for.

I absolutely love running. I used to try and run quite a bit in high school, but I could never get past the one-mile mark. It was only in college that I finally found the strength and stamina to continue on. Just this past September I made it to the 6 mile mark! It was definitely a victorious day, and since then I have been trying to stay consistent with running 4, 5, or 6 miles each time I run. I am proud that I have been able to run this much and I have discovered several things to keep me motivated.

-Some wonderful tunes to listen to make a big difference. I love listening to Hillsong UNITED (currently am listening to their Zion CD), as well as the band, Of Monsters and Men. If it isn't those bands, it is usually a mix of Coldplay and Keane.

-New Running Shoes!! I have had various knee troubles and had plantar fasciitis throughout the month of January, but went in to a running store and was fitted for shoes. I highly recommend getting fitted for new shoes. I tend to pronate when I run, and the store helped me to discover that. They filmed me running, watched the tape to see how I run, then found shoes that would fit me well. And I love them!! They are Saucony Glide 7's and I couldn't be happier.

-My favorite part of running is Prayer. The bible verse, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13), is truly a verse that describes my running. Years ago, I couldn't get past the one mile mark. But this year my runs have turned in to prayer runs. I love praying while I run. My runs have turned in to a sort of "Sabbath" Time for me to spend with God. And just by praying, I feel stronger. The verse from Philippians describes it perfectly. And while I have spent time praying during my runs, it has made me want to get out and run more often. Thus I have gotten stronger and passed those miles quickly. It is such a great feeling! And I credit it to God!

Yesterday I went for a run. It was a beautiful day in Decorah, and the sun was shining brightly. I love this time of year because the days are slowly getting longer, and it feels that Spring is getting closer and closer. Since the sun was shining and at the time it felt warmer than it has in days, I decided it was a perfect day to get out and about. So I ran in the sun! Once I got past the wind chill and the cold shade on parts of the trail, it was really quite beautiful. There was snow everywhere on the ground.
My run was 4.5 miles long, and when I got back to my room I felt great.

At dinner, a friend looked at me, puzzled, and said, "You went running today?"
"Why yes. Yes, I did."
"You do realize that it was -8*F with windchill?"
Nope. I didn't. But nevertheless, it was still a good run.
Let's just say that I am incredibly excited for that half-Marathon in May! :)

Much Love,
Caitlin