Happy Thoughts

June 6, 2014 / caitlinemccann / Leave a comment

I’m way overdue on sharing days 11-20 of my #100happydays project! Even though I’m behind on sharing it with you here on the blog, I have been keeping up with the project overall. Some days are harder than others, not because there are not things to be happy about but because I occasionally lose track of time. That being said, I don’t want to become another statistic and not complete this photo challenge because I “don’t have time.” If you’d like to read up on the #100happydays project check out my original blog post here.

A beautiful bouquet of flowers for my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary.

If you follow my blog, you know I went home a few weeks back for my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. This is a bouquet they had on their dining room table and it was just such a sweet reminder of family and everyday love.

I’m a pretzel addict.

They have an Auntie Anne’s in the St. Louis airport and I’m not strong enough to walk away from its pretzel-y goodness. No matter what new treat they create at Auntie Anne’s my all time favorite is still an original salted pretzel, and I got the last one before they had to make a new batch. It was sweet victory!

There will be one less picture than usual because for some reason I must have deleted it, but the picture in question was of my new Ikea storage unit for my makeup with its container store organizers. It was a very proud OCD moment for me and I’m sorry I don’t have it here to show you. But if you’re at all interested in how I organize my makeup, then let me know in the comments and I’ll do a post on it.

Bubble Wrap!

If you couldn’t tell from the title of my blog, I’m a fan of bubble wrap. I’ve been hoarding it lately because I’ll have to move soon. And I have no idea where that end destination will be, which is stressful. The stress in turn leads to popping the bubble wrap. It’s a vicious cycle. But I still love me some bubble wrap.

May Ipsy Bag

It’s no secret that I find great joy in my ipsy subscription. I’m only two bags in to my fandom here but I can’t recommend it enough. Sharing the love for ipsy through various social media is definitely part of the fun.

All hail Target.

My long standing and truly terrible joke is that if capitalism were ever to hit an extreme where citizens were asked to worship a business or store, then Target would be my place of worship. I cannot go in there without buying something. I love their clothes, the entertainment section, the home decor…basically any and all sections of Target are awesome. Going to Target just makes me happy.

GODZILLA

I love being near a theater. A group of friends and I live close to a great AMC theater and we’ll regularly meet up to go see the latest films. I went into Godzilla with no serious expectations and left the theater pleased and entertained. Going with a good group always helps too.

Mmmmmm Coke

I know it’s bad for me. But it tastes so freaking good. I love having a cold Coke in the middle of the afternoon. It’s the little things in life that often make me happy.

Chilling with Chapman’s Panther

On our last week of school my friends and I walked around the main campus of Chapman and took pictures . This is one of my favorites from our wanderings. Moments like this are the kind you’re grateful for long-term: when you’re just goofing off and don’t think much of it at the time.

Homemade chocolate peanut butter cake.

I love to bake but this beautiful piece of cake was not of my creation. A friend’s boyfriend put this masterpiece together and it was easily one of the most delicious, moist cakes I’ve ever had. So freaking delicious and it made my night. Now if only I could get the recipe.

That’s it for my latest installment of #100happydays. If you’d like to follow me on Instagram for more daily updates I’m @caitlinemccann. Thanks for stopping by!

Days 1-10 of #100happydays

May 16, 2014 / caitlinemccann / Leave a comment

Hello all!

I thought it was about time to share some of my progress with the #100happydays project. So far it has been a lot of fun to do a daily photo challenge. I’m still getting over the shyness of whipping out my phone every time something makes me happy, because I’m worried I’m forcing it. I think that feeling will disappear with time when I relax into the process more. To check out my initial post about #100happydays, click here.

Day 1

This sheer bomber jacket from Target makes me smile because it’s frivolous. Not for warmth in the slightest, this jacket is stylish and fun. Plus it reminds me of The Pink Ladies from Grease, and if you’ve read my recent Wet n’ Wild post, you know I’m a tad obsessed at the moment.

Day 2

After two years in my MA program, I have completed my thesis on Marion Davies, the charismatic actress from the 1930’s. I could go on about Ms. Davies for hours, and I most certainly have in the past. This is the cover sheet for my thesis as it was on its way to binding in the library. My work is going to be in a library! If that can’t make me happy, I don’t know what will!

Day 3

My owl pillow from Pier One has inhabited my couch for the last four years, I believe. His name is Alan Ginsberg after the poet who was famous for “Howl.” Howl…owl…get it? Yeah, I’m not sure it’s accurate either, but the name stuck. And he’s infinitely cuddly.

Day 4

One of my best friends, Dara, and I went wandering around in Ikea in order to help me find a better organization system for my makeup. We may have goofed off a bit with the cart…maybe.

Day 5

Those first few seconds of Etta James’ At Last just send the best kind of shivers down my spine. It’s a perfect soundtrack for a sunny day when everything feels full of hope and beauty. One of the most profound songstresses, Etta James always makes me happy.

Day 6

It’s a troll on top of a pencil. I’m not sure this needs further explanation.

Day 7

There’s a restaurant in Van Nuys called The Hungry Fox, whose slogan is Happiness You Can Eat. They are not lying. The Hungry Fox specialty is chicken and waffles. I’ve never had this legendary American combo before, and my-oh-my was it phenomenal. We’re talking homemade fried chicken with crispy, golden skin and fluffy Belgian waffles the like of which I have never eaten before. YUM. I ate nearly everything on this plate and was full for the rest of the day, but wow was it worth it.

Day 8

I love my laptop and I like whiling away my hours here on the blog or browsing the internet. And as a writer, I spend a lot of quality time with this keyboard. It’s a special bond with one’s computer. I heart it.

Day 9

Before heading home to St. Louis last weekend, my boyfriend and I stayed enjoyed a glass of wine at a hotel bar. It was a lovely Kim Crawford Cabernet Sauvignon, which complemented our night together perfectly.

Day 10

I love books. Physically holding the book in my hands, flipping through its pages just cannot be replaced my an e-reader. My weakness is airport book browsing. It just seems so darn justifiable. These are my goodies from LAX; J.R. Ward’s latest, Possession, and Empty Mansions by Paul Clark Newell Jr. and Bill Dedman. I’ll let you know how I feel about them when I finish, but I’m awful excited about purchasing these books!

Thus ends my first ten days on #100happydays. If you want to follow along on a more daily basis, check out my Instagram @caitlinemccann.

#100happydays

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 / caitlinemccann / 2 Comments

What makes you happy? It is perhaps the most complex and simple question. What if you had to answer that question for 100 days in a row, providing a different answer each day by taking a photograph of the thing that makes you happy? Could you do it? I’m about to find out for myself.

Megan, a friend of mine, posted on Facebook about this happiness project conducted by 100happydays.com. Intrigue! The challenge is straight-forward: take a picture of something that makes you happy once a day, every day for 100 days. Tag your glimpses of happiness with #100happydays. You can use whichever social media platform you’d like, but it’s a real commitment. They’re going to see if you keep up with these little photos.

According to the 100happydays website, 71% of participants do not complete the challenge. Those same participants cite lack of time as the reason for not posting. That’s essentially saying, you don’t have time to be happy. Or notice what makes you smile.

Please, Lord, let me have time for this! My phone is glued to my hand or securely in my purse for 99% of my day; it even sits next to me as I sleep. There is really no excuse for not trying at this challenge, except for the fear of my own excuses. And I don’t want to be shut down by my own excuses.

100happydays is not meant to show off or one-up anyone. This is for me and my understanding of myself. The perk of some potentially wonderful pictures is just that, a perk. The website also states that people who complete the challenge have 1) started noticing what makes them happy 2) claimed an improvement in their daily mood 3) started receiving more compliments from others 4) realized how lucky they are to have the lives they do 5) become more optimistic and 6) fall in love during the challenge. These are not promises or guarantees. The results here are up to you.

My challenge begins today. I’m nervous and excited about starting this project. It helps too that there is a website holding me accountable for keeping up with this. Kind of like when you go to the gym with a friend. I’ll be participating via my Instagram account, which I’ve left a link to below. Ever so often, I’ll check in here and let you see some of my snapshots of happiness.

If you decide to give this beastie a shot, let me know in the comments which social media platform you’ll be using and we can support each other.

Good luck, everybody!

Instagram: caitlinemccann

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