Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof!

Because I'm happy!!! Great song Pharrell... great song!! So I'm learning that it's more and more difficult to really capture the moments that make me happy and most of the pictures on this list are pictures of things. I wish there was a way to capture the moments a little better, but that's why there's a little description with each picture. Example... clear roads in the last entry only truly made me happy based on the driving conditions the day before! Also I'm trying my best to just capture any moment of happiness for the day. Some days the picture may not be the happiest moment of the day, but if it brings a smile to my face... Boom! Picture taken! So here's a little recap on the last two weeks:

Day 26: Mario Kart!

Because some days you just need a little Mario Kart time!

Day 27: A clean car!!

Finally the snow/rain/wintery mix stopped for a long enough period to let me get my car washed. Love seeing my sexy car without all the nasty salt and snow! 

Day 28: Bright pink nail polish!!

Spring is coming and I just couldn't resist getting ready with some brightly colored toenails! So... nothing better than bright pink to get ready for spring time and flip flop season! Can't wait to wear my flippy floppies!! (Hopefully on a boat!) 

Day 29: Successfully building a balloon arch with friends!

A friend was throwing a St. Patrick's day themed party that I helped plan and took it upon myself to make a balloon arch for some sweet decorations. Let's be serious... once you've seen a balloon arch, you must have one at your party!! You want to talk about happy? Hang out at a place with a balloon arch!! Also making it with other people while having a few beers... priceless!

Day 30: Reese's peanut butter egg in my work mailbox!

Walked into work and had this lil' guy sitting in my work mailbox! Happy early Easter!! 

Day 31: Fun colored eggs from free range chickens!

Early Easter continued when I got these eggs from a co-worker. Talk about delicious! And obviously Jasmine was interested them too!! 

Day 32: Shamrock 5K beer run!

This was a great run that included a beer every K!! So many good times with new friends! But still rocking that Cookie Monster!! 

Day 33: Sweeeeet hotel room!

Off on another work trip and while driving through Canton, IL was a little sad because there's not much around... the hotel (thank you Mr. Cook) was sweeet!!! These would be my two king beds that I may or may not have jumped between! 

Day 34: Freshly baked cookies!!

Every day at the hotel they bake cookies! There's a plate of them sitting on the counter every afternoon. I unfortunately couldn't get a good picture because every time I approached the counter I was bombarded by the employees to make sure everything in the hotel was to my satisfaction.

Day 35: Scoring the last chocolate milk!

Breakfast time in the hotel came with chocolate milk and on this day I managed to get the last one! Woohoo... love that chocolate milk! 

Day 36: Legit science time!

So my trip ended with me leading a meeting and putting together a science project. Again it was a time where I wasn't able to capture a picture. However, being in charge of a science project with experiments makes me pretty happy!

Day 37: Chase Rice is performing in Nashville for the halfie!!

There's a huge backstory here... but the most important part is that I met Mr. Rice! He is so cute!! Can't believe he is the one that is the headliner for this year's halfie! 

Day 38: I own Frozen!!

 Yes is is that good that I own it already. And it was just what I needed to watch to unwind after a long day of work.

Staying happy!!

Guess who's back? Back again!!! Have no fear, the 100 days of happiness is still going strong! I've been a bit busy recently (sneaking in a trip back to Mississippi!!) but I've still taking pictures to share the happiness!

Day 17: Starting vacay in Hburg eating at the best place in town OUTSIDE!!

It's true. I took a mini-vacation back to Hattiesburg. This is a picture from my 2ish hour lunch outside with some great people. Pepperjack shrimp gyro!! I could eat this every day!! And on top of that a pineapple fusion?!?! Bring on vacation!! I think this means that I'm just insanely ready for spring to actually come to Indiana!!

Day 18: Seeing Terrod!!!

This is the picture behind my trip. Tiny backstory: Terrod and I were running buddies the entire(ish) time I was in Mississippi. We ran the Disney marathon together, which was Terrod's first and a Tough Mudder. He is the reason behind my running style of never leaving someone behind. If I was struggling he had no problem of stopping and walking, and I would do the same for him. About a year ago he collapsed at the end of a run and now suffers from brain damage. There was a race to raise money for him, and I wouldn't have missed it for anything. And I'm not going to lie this is Terrod after most races... passed out! Kid can sleep anywhere!!

Day 19: Ropers outing with Brittany!!

Ok... I'll admit the picture quality isn't the greatest, but sometimes that happens at 1 am! In what has become a Hattiesburg trip tradition, Brittany and I always manage to end up at Ropers for some line dancing fun. Ropers isn't just line dancing. One minute everyone is line dancing and the next it's "wobble" time. Between the dancing, pool tables, outdoor karaoke and all you can eat buffet (have yet to try that!!), it's definitely an entertaining place. It was also great to spend some quality time with Brittany!! Miss having her around!!

Day 20: Clear roads!!

To most people clear roads might not be a cause of happiness, but let's put it into perspective. Just over 12 hours before this I was driving back from the Indy airport at 2 am just after a nice winter storm. Not the best way to end a trip where the temps were mostly in the mid-70s! So I was incredibly happy to leave work and see clear roads without any ice or snow!

Day 21: Red beans and rice to celebrate Mardi Gras!! 

Fat Tuesday!!! Woot!!! The only way to celebrate when you're halfway across the nation from NOLA is a bowl of red beans and rice!! Recently I've been craving cajun food and making some red beans and rice definitely put a smile on my face. Sure I would have loved another king cake, but I'll take what I can get!

 Day 22: Sweatpant chill time!!

 Back here in Btown it's March and the highs have yet to be consistantly above freezing! That only means one thing... sweatpant time! There's just something about vegging out in front of the TV in sweats on a Wednesday night. Perhaps that something is I wasn't able to do that for the last 6 years... Thank you grad school and Mississippi!!

Day 23: Hittin' the trails!!

Yes it was just yesterday that I was complaining about it not being above freezing and it seems like that has just changed! Today was so beautiful I could run outside comfortably!! Not only that I was able to check on the local bike trails. Being out there made me realize just how much I missed the morning trail runs that we would go on in Hburg. But seems like I may be well on my way to setting up an evening trail run here in Btown. Of course I would get together a trail running group. That's just how I roll!

Day 24: Cold beer on a Friday night!!

A pair of jeans that fit just right... and the radio uuuuuupppp!!! :-) Yes, I couldn't resist. So the weather in Btown has changed so much that my co-worker suggested a cook out! Granted by the time we got around to that it was cold again, but still... The fact that cook outs can be considered is huge!! And what better to go with a cook out than a spring seasonal beer! Yay for Friday night beer with friends and pseudo-cookouts!

Day 25: Outdoor long run!! 

 I have to admit that training for these half marathons have not been going so well. Oh... did I mention I'm signed up for back-to-back half marathons at the end of April/beginning of May?!?! Yikes. Today I got a run in and that after run feeling was amazing!! Exhausted but feeling accomplished! It's been a long time since I've made it 6 miles. And it may not have been pretty, but it happened! Back in the running game!! One mile at a time!! 

So there you have it... A quarter of the way through the 100 days and it's interesting to me how different each day can be. I honestly never thought a picture of clear roads would make me happy, but hey after driving through the remnants of a snow storm... I'll take the clear roads!! I know there will be a lot of exciting pictures coming up as I'm entering a travel heavy spring! I think the list includes: Canton (IL), Vegas!, Nashville (x 2), Michigan, Denver and Mississippi (again!). Can. Not. Wait.

Week 2 of Happiness Update

So I've been sticking strong to this picture a day thing! Honestly my favorite part is seeing other people's happy. Everyone is so different, but there's one thing I think everyone has posted about already... FOOD!! Yup, it's true. Comfort food. It's real. I have quite a few pictures to put up so I'll get right to it!!

Day 7: Eastern time zone impressing me by looking like this at 6:45 pm!!

Ok. So if you've talked to me since I've moved you know that I HATE eastern time. But, but it stays light until like 10 pm in the summer. Do. Not. Care. I would like the sun to rise sometime before 8 am!! I mean really? Really? Also there is no good reason for Btown to be on eastern time when it is further west than places (Nashville, TN) that are on central time!! But I digress, this fantastic picture came at 6:45 pm after a run. And as much as I'm not a fan of eastern time, this gave me just a bit of a hope that spring really will come eventually!

Day 8: This cuteness happens every time I tie my shoes!

That would be one of my cats, Jasmine. A little background on Jasmine. She's the cat that likes cat toys. Any type of toy with a string involved is her thing. So she just can't help herself when she sees those bright strings flipping around in the air. Obviously I'm not trying to get ready to go, I'm just starting a new game with her. Love that she's always ready to play!

Day 9: Real signs of spring!!

That's right people!! Do you see that temperature right there?!?! 62 B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L degrees in Btown in February!! You can bet I was outside running around like a nut even with the distant rumble of thunder! There was no way I was passing up that warm of temperatures for a run!! It was great to break the pattern of running circles on the indoor track at the y!

Day 10: Fancy polymer pin arrives in the mail because I've been a member for 5 years!

I hardly ever get mail, except the junk that everyone gets. Pizza hut, is it really necessary to send me new coupons every week? How often do you think I eat there?!?! Anyway, when this fancy envelope came I was excited. When I opened it and saw this amazing little pin I was really excited. Look at me, 5 years of being a member of a professional organization?!?! When did I grow up?!?!

Day 11: Frozen and bison burgers with my sister!

What makes picking up your friends at the Indy airport more fun? How about a lil' sister time beforehand? That's right I drove up to get my sister and we saw Frozen. A-mazing. Seriously. I don't know what Disney has been up to recently but their movies were not on par with what they should be. Frozen finally brings back Disney to those animated classics! Loved it!! And my sister the picky eater suggests we go out for bison burgers after!! Who is she?!?! So incredibly good!! Definitely a big fan of bison!

Day 12: Welcome back Amazing Race!!

I am obsessed with this show! Honestly I think it's because I truly believe I could  be on it! I would LOVE to travel the world and take on some of the crazy challenges they have. Although I would be traumatized if I had to shave my head like they did one season. Seriously? That would take a lot of convincing. Also I've seen so many places that I didn't know where so beautiful! It's helping me to add to my bucket list!!

Day 13: "tea time" (aka 3:00 snack time) is reinstated since my work buddy is back!!

Nothing like having your work buddy back to enjoy tea time with! Why tea time you ask? Well I was in charge of entertaining a Dane (a very hot Dane) for a few days at work and to make him feel more at home, we decided to start tea time (they do that in Denmark, right?). Since I'm not the biggest fan of (read: don't like) tea, we usually have random snacks although I think this one is my all time favorite! Popcorn and a M&M cookie?!? And I could catch up and hear about my work buddy's amazing vacation to St. Thomas. Jealous!! I could go for spending a week on an island!!

Day 14: Kitty love!!

Cat attack!!! This was one of those rare nights when both of my cats thought they could be in my lap. Maggie is trying to sleep, while Jasmine is distracted by the string (what did I tell you about her?) on my sweatshirt. That didn't last too long and then they both curled up and slept. So peaceful. Love having them to come home to after those rougher days at work!

Day 15: Wednesday night bowling!!

With it being winter (boo!) I can't as they say, "do me". All of my go-to activities, running, biking, softball, sitting outside having a drink aren't really feasible. So enter bowling. What started as me just being a sub has turned into essentially a full-time position. Something tells me bowling may become one of those things I do for a very long time. I'm totally going to be one of those lil' ol' lady bowlers!!

 Day 16: Chocolate milk after running!!

Best. Beverage. Ever. There's really not much more to say about it. Except that the very best time to drink all that deliciousness is right after a run. Enter today. For the first time in a very long time I got up to 5 miles running (because my training program told me I had to). Getting back in my car to find this huge glass of chocolate milk made every one of the 35 laps worth it!











Anyway, sorry for the lag time between entries! Hopefully I get better at this! The next post is going to have some epic pictures!! :-) 



King cake, running shoes, music and more!

I'm really enjoying this 100 days of happiness thing!! I have a nice number of friends that have joined in and honestly I think my favorite part of this is seeing just what makes other people happy! I don't plan to share my friend's pictures, but I will post my pictures. So right now I'm six days into 100 days of happiness and these are the pictures I've used so far:

Day 1: King Cake from Paul's Pastry in Picayune Mississippi!!

I became addicted to this stuff since I was in the south for so long! So for the northern readers out there... King cake is eaten during Mardi Gras season. I know I got mine early in the season this year, but I was concerned they would run out and not want to ship one up to Indiana if I waited too long! This particular bakery fills their cakes with a ton of different flavors. I ended up going with strawberry and cream cheese (classic). I brought this into work and it was a favorite! Everyone loved it and learning about Mardi Gras. My coworker that got the baby was all about buying the cake for the next year!! Gotta love that!!

 Day 2: Surprise mail from the fam!!

 One of the most exciting things that can happen when checking your mail is finding that little key in your mailbox, meaning you have a larger object that couldn't fit in your tiny apartment mailbox!! I happened to get that key on day 2 and knew exactly that whatever was in the big mailbox was going up. What's in the package (which everyone wanted to know)? The best cookies ever along with some Runner's World magazines, and a bracelet. I'm going to have to thank my sister for this. It really helps still having a sibling in college. There's no way one child can get cookies and not the other!! Way to still need care packages sister!!

 Day 3: Eastern-facing window for some great sunrises!

So I've always been a morning person. Always. (It baffles some people, but I really don't know what makes mornings so easy for me.) So for me to have an office that faces east with a window. A-mazing!! Also I was a little late on getting the picture today, but the sunrises look a lot like the beginning of the Lion King. And I'm not saying I do, but I'm not saying I don't pull up the Circle of Life on youtube and sing along during the sunrise! Thank goodness for a private office!! 

Day 4: New running shoes!!

 It's that time again... Half marathon training time! It's nice to have a little extra motivation. Right now the weather isn't cooperating very well here. Rain/snow/cold does not make for a happy runner. Also running solo is definitely not as fun as having a running buddy. I'm taking applications now. There's a pretty intense screening process to receive the running buddy position... Jokes!! Anyone that wants to come out and run with me is more than welcome. But seriously. Run with me. Please.

Day 5: The Winter Olympics (being on 24/7)!

I love the Olympics. Love them. A whole bunch of sports that you never get the chance to watch. The stories of the athletes! That's probably my favorite part. These athletes aren't like the overpaid guys of the MLB, NBA and NFL. Also the winter Olympics are very intense. In most sports if you mess up you don't severe injury or death. Not so true with these events. Skeleton, bobsled, speed skating, slopestyle skiing/snowboarding! So crazy and fun to watch!!

Day 6: Fun playlist for the ride home from work!

Some days on the way home from work, you just need a playlist to dance it out to. Today was one of those days. This playlist just boosts the energy and allows for some fun car dancing!

That's what I have so far for my 100 days. We'll see what else happens in the next 94 days!!

100 days of happiness!

It's February. It's February in Indiana. That means it's cold (I mean today on my drive in to work my car showed the lovely temp of 0 degrees!!). And dreary. A lot. Sometimes it even snows, making travel just a little less fun. I feel like I've been trapped inside for forever. (Half of that feeling probably is to blame on living in Mississippi for the last 6 years. Winter there just isn't quite like this.) The weather is trying it's hardest to bring me down. But I refuse to let the weather win! And to further my resolve for staying upbeat through the end of the fantastic winter season I stumbled upon this website about 100 days of happiness. Go ahead, click on the link. I'll wait right here. 

K... read up on the idea behind the 100 days of happiness? If you were too lazy to click on that little link, the summary of the challenge is to take a picture of something that makes you happy every day for 100 days. And the picture can be of anything as long as it brings you a moment of happiness that day! Well I thought it would be worth trying, but I refuse to go down the # route suggested on the original page. Never used one yet, never plan to use one. So instead of bothering my entire facebook world I plan to put pictures up on here. I may not post the picture every day, but I plan to take a picture every day like the challenge suggests. The plan right now is to update the pictures here a couple of times a week. Not only that, but I think keeping all the pictures on this blog is a good way to keep them all together. If anyone else is interested in participating let me know. I think it would be fun to have a small group to share pictures with every day so I can see what brings happiness to other people! Picture taking for me is starting tomorrow!! Here's to 100 days!! Join in!

That moment when you become a local

As a lifelong student who's been living in college towns for the past 10 years, I've always like I've been visitor. It might have something to do with me knowing that I had a goal (getting a degree) and once I reached that goal I would move on. I really became accustom to this visitor mentality (although if you talk to a few of my lab mates they would probably disagree. I was called "the local" because I played in city softball leagues and just found out about different events in the area). Well now I'm in an interesting situation in which I live in a college town, but I'm not a student!! Gasp! Say what?!?!

I've been here for 6 months and haven't had much success with figuring out how to fit in here. Am I a visitor like a student? How do you even become a local to an area? Well. I have answers. Last night I was invited to go bowling. If anyone is new to an area and wants to become a local... go to a bowling alley on a Friday night. (Note: This doesn't apply to big cities.) Pulling in the parking lot was packed. Inside there were all sorts of people. Families celebrating birthdays, high schoolers, bowling leaguers, college students. And if seeing the variety of people didn't give me enough of a feeling of local community there was the music. The music in the bowling alley comes from a modernized jukebox (is there a term for this?). And one minute I'm listening to some great classic rock, the next it's some real good country, and the next reggae?!?! Just shows that a bowling alley on a Friday night shows a good sense of community and makes me feel like a local! Also becoming a regular at the bowling alley definitely helps that local feeling since I go almost every Wednesday to sub in the bowling league!

Not enough evidence that I'm making it as a local? How about following the bowling outing with a trip to a bar away from the campus area called The Office Lounge. Fact. That happened. Walking in there was no evidence of any college students. All locals. I'm talking former military guys, cowboys (complete with hats!), and a few others that I could tell were regulars. Besides the clientele the atmosphere just screamed local! Nothing fancy. Pool tables. Karaoke equipment that looks like it could potentially be from the very early 2000's. So. Much. Fun. See that right there. Local. It's happening!!

And if all that wasn't enough. Today at the Y I saw someone I recognized from bowling league. And at Kroger I ran into someone else that I knew! 6 months in and I'm finally getting that feeling of belonging!

Btown: The city of dopplegangers

Has anyone else had this happen to them? You get used to your group of friends/acquaintances/every day people (other gym members, gym employees, coworkers) and where and when you'll most likely be seeing these people. Then you move. But behold! Is that one of the girls from my running group walking into the YMCA in front of me? No, that couldn't be right. I'm in Indiana all of those people I was seeing on a daily basis aren't here! Well Btown seems to have a ton of dopplegangers for my Mississippi peeps! So here's the list I've got so far:

• Mr. Leitschuh (my 7th grade social studies teacher) - Saw this guy walking out of Kroger the other day. Now this could have been the real Mr. Leitschuh because it's possible he decided to retire to Btown!
• Brinn (morning running group member/polymer science family) - Saw her doppleganger in the Y getting ready for a yoga class.
• Maliha (polymer science family) - Her doppleganger is the newest on my list, I saw her when I was at a bar last night. She looked so like Maliha that I honestly almost went over and started a conversation!
• Shelley (morning running group member/polymer science family) - I've encountered Shelley's doppleganger the most. It was actually weird, I shared a swimming lane with her, just like I did with Shelley back in the day of master swim class!
• Dr. Storey (my grad school advisor) - Yup, saw him when I was out to eat for a Friday lunch. I was afraid he had come to get some more input about a paper that we needed to get published!
• Bob (family friend) - I haven't recently spent time with Bob, but from what I remember I saw his doppleganger in the hot tub at the Y. Hanging out and talking to his wife about the rest of their Sunday plans.
• Yidan (polymer science family) - Saw her at church when they were doing a special on some of the international students. 

So I guess the list really isn't that long, but I've only been here for 6 months... That's almost a doppleganger a month!! I can't wait to see who turns up next here in Btown!!