77. Clouds

They can be puffy or stringy or thick or thin or in groups or all by themselves, but clouds are beautifully majestic parts of creation. Even storm clouds can be beautiful. And the fact that a spiral/funnel cloud can cause such a terrible amount of destruction... although not something we hope for, can be an inspiration. If a bunch of water molecules and wind can gather enough strength for that kind of devastation, imagine what a brain and body can do, who have the ability to think and move and DO with REASON! Hopefully we use ourselves for good rather than death and destruction. But the beautiful thing about that is we are capable of SO much good. <3

But back to the happy thing of the day... cloud watching is one of my favorite parts of summer, when the occurrence of puffy white clouds is increased and sunshine abounds. :)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Clouds

76. Potlucks

Nurses, for whatever reason, are known for their love of potlucks. Maybe it's because we don't have time to cook full meals for ourselves. Or maybe just that we appreciate the time to get to know someone other than our patients. Maybe it's to break up the monotony of night shifts (since it seems like most potlucks occur at 3am on hospital floors). Or maybe it's just the stereotypical fact that the majority of nurses are female and thus known for their cooking and socializing abilities. Whatever the reason, we love them, and we learn to love them early.

And thus, tonight we celebrated the end of our undergraduate careers. We kicked off "Limbo Week"... that awkward time between the last exam and graduation... with a Quesadilla Potluck. Which works really well assuming that everyone shows up, and remembers what they were supposed to bring. (Tortillas, for example, being a vital contribution to the dinner).

It's also interesting to note, albeit off topic, that there is something about nearing graduation that brings people together. Girls that I've never really hung out with outside of class but who I always enjoyed seeing IN class came tonight, and it was a really good time. We bonded over difficult exams, an eventful four years, the ridiculousness of job hunting, and, of course, quesadillas. And while I am ever so glad to be graduating (assuming that I passed today's final), it is nights like tonight that make me wish I could delay it just a little bit longer. <3

75. Showers

I will admit... sometimes it is a pain to take a shower. Long hair = a long time to dry. But when I think about it, it's not the shower that is the problem. Standing under gentle showers whether outside in the rain or in a sprinkler or in the shower has always been a happy thing. And feeling oh-so-clean after, with smooth legs, and yummy smelling hair are not bad things either. :)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Showers

74. Rain

Rain. Oh-so-dreary but OH-so-relaxing! It's so nice to enjoy a rainy day off every once in awhile. Days where you have nothing to do except curl up with a good book, the sound of falling water calming the soul. Taking a break to dance in the rain, splash in the puddles, and not caring if your jeans get a bit of mud on them... a good rainy day is such a blessing sometimes!

Today's Sunny Thing?
Rain

73. Curling Irons

I'm not sure what it is about curling my hair, but having ringlets that bounce with my every step do wonders for a bad day. Perhaps it's all of the good memories... memories of proms and dances and formals and Christmas Eve Masses and kindergarten plays and date nights... or perhaps it's simply the joy of something rare, because I don't curl my hair very often. Whatever it is, when I'm feeling down, the curling iron comes out and proves to be a good form of therapy. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Curling Irons

72. SB 11

I usually don't write about specific events or inside jokes, but the past 4 days definitely deserve an entry of their own. Spending 3 nights and 4 days with several friends that have come into my life relatively recently made for the best second spring break I've ever had. (also the only time I've gotten two spring breaks). Although I was quite distressed prior to the trip due to the excessive amounts of homework that have begun to creep up on me, roadtripping with that group of people turned out to be just the break from the world that I needed. I had forgotten the benefits of a vacation. I may have gone to Japan last week, but 28 hours on airplanes and 24 hours in Tokyo hardly qualifies as "vacation." Roadtripping with no real time constraints does. Thank you all for a wonderful trip. I am so thankful for you all.

71. Snow Days

Snow Days. The word automatically brings me back to those gradeschool days. Days of eagerly watching the weather before bedtime, praying for snow. Days of waking up early to listen to the radio and watch the TV, eyes straining to see the magical word "Monroe" scroll across the screen. Days of running into mom's room to announce the glorious news of a day off school. Days of hoping it wasn't a Tuesday so we could stay home with mom instead of going to daycare. Days of sledding down the huge snow pile on the circle in the middle of the street because no snow plow man could figure out how to avoid piling it all right in the middle of the street.

Then I grew up. And at 21, I still hope for snow days. BUT I go to U of M where snow days don't exist because some asian kid sued the university for cancelling class when he was paying so much for tuition. Lame, I know.

But even if U of M doesn't cancel class, I can totally declare my own snow day. Which I did. Twice.

I spent yesterday writing a paper that isn't due until Monday. (9 pages... boom.) I woke up late, stayed in my pj's literally all day (except the 45 minutes spent at the gym), ate yummy food like avocado & banana toast with scrambled eggs and coffee and salad with feta cheese and soup, got to hang out with my roommate, watched some TV, caught up on some dexter, & talked to mi novio a bit. Today? Today involves research, medbuddies, House & Dexter & Friends, the gym, organizing next week's meetings, and an early bedtime.

FINALLY my cortisol levels begin to decrease. :)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Snow Days
All of U of M's reactions when U of M announced that Ann Arbor would be the only campus remaining open.

70. Strength

Strength. Something we all lack. We all break down at some point. But then there's some of us that have more strength than others. Call me crazy, but I'm completely convinced that the younger you are, the more strength you have. Hear me out.

Babies, toddlers... they're so resilient. But more than that... they cry. A lot. They cry when they're sad. When they're mad. When they're frustrated. When they're hungry. Sometimes they cry for no reason at all. But they live their lives to the extreme. They cry when things aren't right but when they are, MAN are those kids happy. They laugh. They sing. They dance. No matter who's watching. And when someone's mean, they cry. And they bounce back. They know how to deal with emotion. And they know that crying isn't a lack of strength. Maybe it's just me, but being strong enough to cry is the ultimate sign of strength.

Today I witnessed my first medical emergency involving a child. And I couldn't cry. I couldn't really do anything, to be honest, but most of all, I couldn't cry. The doctor ran in from the delivery room with a tiny bundle, screaming "BABY!" and practically dropped her on the isolette bed. Then everyone flew into action. Intubation tools down the throat, arterial lines and IVs in her tiny blood vessels, NG tube down her nose, blood pressure cuffs and sat probes, about 20 people gathered around a person the size of a shoe all struggling to keep the little one breathing. Until the moment when they realized there was nothing they could do. When they called in the tiny chica's parents (wheeling in her mom on her hospital bed, complete with labor & delivery nurse working on the mom who was still recovering from delivery). When the grandma brought in "big brother" to meet his tiny baby sister. When all 20 doctors and nurses and respiratory therapists got out of the way just so they could get pictures of this little baby girl's 3 hours of life. THAT is when I realized where we all get our strength from. Somehow, even in life's most delicate moments, in those moments when no one can explain or rationalize what is happening, somehow we find strength. And even those of us that aren't entirely sure where it comes from know that it's something bigger. Something more.

It's God.



Today's sunny thing?
Strength

69. Meijer

We've all been there. Well, at least, those of us in the MidWest. And I'm pretty sure we all agree that it is among the Top 3 stores of all time (tied with Target for #1). They have everything. Today I needed milk, bananas, Q-tips, a watch, thank you cards, and to return some bottles. Meijer is one of very few places that let me get and do ALL of those things in one stop. They have THE best coloring books, several options for turtle food, an adorable baby section, an addicting sports & games section, kitchenwares, cheap groceries, and a huge toy selection. Not to mention my favorite: hallmark cards! I could literally live in a Meijer (they have furniture!) and be completely happy about it.

68. Best Friends

What would we do without them? They're the ones you can call at any time of day or night, and they'll answer, knowing that something is up. You can be completely exhausted, but then they want to talk and so you crawl into your bed together and stay up until 4am talking into the dark about anything and everything with no desire to fall asleep. They're the ones that you think of at the mention of just a word, like "exhilarating" (in regards to Jade's bathing suit) or "crows" (you know you love them James) or "dora" (yes Kelly, still makes me think of you). They're the ones that you don't feel awkward texting "what are you doing?" because you're bored, and the ones that leave the back door unlocked so you can visit. They're the ones that you'll lose sleep over, randomly buy calendars for, and think of a hundred times a day (because there are far too many inside jokes floating around). There's a lot of important things in this world but best friends surpass just about all of them.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Best Friends

67. Candles

A certain chico I know got me what is probably my favorite candle ever so far and in considering writing about it for Today's Happy Thing, I realized just how much I reallyyy like candles.

I light candles when I'm stressed. When I want to pray. When I need to study. When I write a paper. When I'm reading. When I'm sitting and writing in the blog. When I want to feel happy.

Winter, in my opinion, was MADE for candles. My apartment doesn't have a fireplace (go figure) so it's the next best thing. I don't know what it is about candles that make me feel so at peace, but my focus is never better than when I have candles lit. Thus why I light them to read and study and pray.

The particular candle in my picture happens to smell like a Christmas tree and even though it's not Christmas, it makes me SO very happy and is the one Christmas-y thing that is not getting put away in a closet until next Advent rolls around. (Well, maybe the fact that my favorite chico got it for me has a littleeee bit to do with it). But regardless, it is a candle, and one that makes my heart feel just a bit lighter.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Candles

66. Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookies seem to have every aspect of Christmas built into them, don't they? They encompass the scent of Christmas, family and friends, the spirit of giving (because let's be honest... you can't eat ALL of those cookies on your own!), home, Christ's birthday (if you make a Happy Birthday Jesus cookie!), weight gain, and the list goes on. This year I made cookies with friends at John Carroll (since my family had to make them without me this year) and again with my friends Jade & Annie in Monroe (as captured in the above photograph just before being happily consumed primarily by my brother Stephen). Happy Christmas to you all and have a spectacular new year!

65. Sidewalks

I'm not sure what made me decide that today's sunny thing is Sidewalks as I haven't really used a sidewalk lately. Well, that's a lie. I totally walked on sidewalks for like an hour last night. But it didn't strike me at the time that hey, I should write about Sidewalks tomorrow! But in thinking about sunny things, Sidewalks came to me and ya gotta admit... they're pretty cool. Didja ever use sidewalk chalk to turn your sidewalk into a road as a kid? I remember doing that and then going to put the stop signs in at each driveway on my street, but not knowing which side of the road the stop sign went on. I ended up putting them on the left until Patrick's dad corrected me, and then I was devastated because I didn't have a good way to erase all the wrong stop signs. So we decided we were in a different country where they drive on the wrong side of the road. (And yes, at the time, it WAS the "wrong" side... not just the "other" side.)

In all seriousness though, when I buy a house, sidewalks are a must have. I hate running in the road and definitely wouldn't want my kids learning to ride a bike there without grass on either side to fall on. Plus, shoveling them builds character!

Today's Sunny Thing?
Sidewalks

64. John Carroll University

I know, I know. I don't even go to school there. BUT every time I visit I come away with such a sense of peace, joy, and renewed spirit that I can't help but be in love with it. Visiting Kelsey & all of the other wonderful people at John Carroll somehow recharges my soul & make me ready to face the world with an energy that can only come from the Lord. It's an energy that I don't seem to get from my school but for whatever reason, I'm a student here, not there. And here I will stay. For 5 more months, Lord willing, followed by graduation and moving on to the next step of my life. I can only pray that I'll find a way to keep this fire alive until I next get to visit the lovely land of Cleve.

Today's Sunny Thing?
JCU

63. Weekends

Nursing school makes you forget that these even exist. Or that they ever existed. Because in Nursing school, they don't. Between 12 hour clinicals on Saturday, the paper and hundreds (yes, literally, hundreds) of pages you need to read on Sunday, and the clinical that hits at 6:30am on Monday, the weekend passes by without even being acknowledged. Oh how I love and miss those blissful days of freedom.



7 more months!



Today's Sunny Thing?
Weekends

62. Crossing the Finish Line

It's been awhile since I've crossed a finish line. I ran cross country for one season and crossed about two finish lines per week. But I wasn't a huge fan of it. Running 3.1 miles just for the heck of it sucked.

Then I learned that crossing the finish line is a spectacular experience. Especially when it's 3.1 miles after 20 kilometers of biking and 500m of swimming. I've never heard of someone DISLIKING crossing a finish line. Not just the finish line of a race. But finish lines in general. Crossing things off of lists is a great experience. The finish line of a project is always exciting. Even the grand finish line of life is an exciting one, even if the world tends to view it as a bad thing (how can it be bad when JESUS is on the other side!?). But regardless, crossing a finish line is SUPER sunny. And thus...

Today's Sunny Thing?
Crossing the Finish Line

61. Catch Phrase

Catch Phrase is our family game. I mean... extended mom's side of the family. Every Christmas/Easter/Thanksgiving/birthday/Labor day/etc etc etc. It's sad that the little kids can play now (not that the 6 and 7 year olds are good at it, but they used to sleep right through it and now they want to join in). Anyway, Catch Phrase is pretty much the Kemmerling game.

We get pretty competitive. My grandpa is SUPER slow and the buzzer frequently goes off in his hands. Uncle Ken is like a cop. He will ALWAYS catch you if you go against any of the house rules. Uncle Matt is the official game organizer. He splits us up into teams, makes sure everyone knows who passes to who, and declares winner when no one can hear the machine over all the noise. Rose and Lauren are always on the same team. Grace and Brooke fight over who gets to be on my team and usually end up with someone else. My grandma never gets clues like "these people say 'Hang Ten'." My aunt gets embarrassed by my Uncle Ken making crude jokes. My aunt Chris is pretty quiet but a good teammate. Andrew and Stephen are unstoppable when they're on the same team. My mom laughs too much and my dad proves that he's too smart for his own good because no one gets his clues. Point is, it's a good time and I love family get-togethers. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?

Catch Phrase

60. Flintstones Vitamins

Flintstones Vitamins are an amazing thing. Almost every one of us took them as kids. Not only are they good for you... they're a great conversation starter. As a kid you either loved them, hated them, were forced to take them, got caught sneaking them, knew someone that took them, etc etc etc. Try it! Buy a few and put them in a prominent place. You'll find yourself taking one each day and might get a few interesting conversations out of it!

Today's Sunny Thing?
Flintstones Vitamins

59. Packing

I know, I know. Sounds ridiculous. But oddly, packing was, for me, a very sunny thing today.

I think it's the idea that in my experience (thanks be to God), packing has always been a good sign. We packed to move from our old house to the one my dad just built and again to move from that one to the one we've been in for the past 18 years. We pack for vacations... for Alaska and Florida and West Virginia and Italy and Japan and the Bahamas. We pack for the lake and we pack for school. More recently I packed to move into my first dorm room, and then to move home for the summer, and then to move back to school and back home again... and then into my first apartment. Today involved packing up to move into my next apartment... my Senior Year Place.

It's going to be an exciting year. I'm living with my friend Sarah & I'm super stoked. It's a two bedroom on the third floor and I get a bigger room but only pay about $50 more than I do now. =)

Anyway, I digress. Packing today was a little more sentimental than usual. Today I packed up what has been my favorite room of all time. My bedroom in this year's apartment was... to put it simply... Sarah. It just fit. It had all my favorite colors and mirrors and Christmas lights and glow-in-the-dark stars and bulletin boards and pictures ALL over and paintings and hallmark cards and my favorite quotes and fortunes from fortune cookies and church information and poems and soccer schedules and all sorts of things covering the walls. (And by covering, I mean pretty much covering). I LOVED that room. It was cozy without being cluttered... something that I treasured.

While I will miss that room, I look forward to having more space to live in next year. I'm excited to decorate again and make another room that fits me. I'm considering going for a more serene look this time around, but I know I'll end up with the polka dotted craziness that I love. Especially since I got polka dot wall mirrors this year from Kohl's!

Today's Sunny Thing?
Packing

58. Running

Let me clarify. Running is NOT a happy thing. Well, let me clarify further. Running is a happy thing if you do it like the kids do. Tag and Hide and Seek and Pickle... those make running fun. Running how grown ups run... "today's my 5 miler!" sucks. However, finishing a run is one of my favorite feelings. Feeling my lungs completely open up, my legs burn with a happy release, and the endorphins surging is one of my favorite things in the world. Don't get me wrong... I HATE to run and will come up with a thousand excuses not to, but when I force myself, the only thing that gets me through is remembering how I'll feel when I'm done. And I'm always right. Try it sometime!

Today's Sunny Thing?
Running