influential meetup

Hello hello! As I mentioned in this post, I attended Influence Conference last October and it was fabulous.  Lots of learning, lots of sweet people.  I am loving being a member of the Influence Network, and today there's a linkup to get to know all of the women who have joined the community!   Today we are sharing 3 things about us, 1 thing we have learned using the Network, and 1 photo of ourselves that we absolutely love.

So Influence Network ladies, here's a little about me!

Three Things About Caitlin

1.)  I love love love to read and am so thankful I only live a few miles from our local library!  One of my 2013 goals is to read 2 books a month, so if you have any suggestions, holla at me!  One of my favorite things to learn about people is their favorite book----so please share some of your faves and I'll put them on my list.

2.)  Beyonce is my favorite.  I listen to Beyonce most days.  If I've gone too many days without pumping some of her tunes, I'm a little off-balance.  I once listened to Love on Top about 800 times over the course of running a marathon, and she got me through.  (Chris Tomlin was mixed in there, too.)  She's definitely on my top 5 people I'd love to have over for dinner, so if you see her around, please let her know the invite stands!

3.) My family is the best.  I have a big huge family that I am crazy about.  I wish I could hang out with my siblings every single day and I have 25 best-friend type cousins that can always make me smile.  My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all played huge roles in my life, and I"m really thankful for the influence they've had on me!

1 Thing Learned from the Network

How different we are, how similar we are.  I love seeing all of the different passions and skills in the community: writers, creators, thinkers, encouragers, teachers.  While everyone has a different story, the desire to follow God is the same, and I think that's a very beautiful thing.

A Photo That I Love

From our wedding in August!

So nice to meet you---can't wait to read your posts!

xo, Caitlin

thoughts from 25

Hey friends,

The other night I was in the kitchen with my husband.  I was drying a piece of Pyrex, and he was putting away some Tupperware and whatever other dishes we had just washed.  We were talking about rent and money and anything else that was on our minds, when the whole context of the situation hit me.  I have a husband.  And we have real dishes and rent and other bills and even some Pyrex that we make dinners (and brownies) in.  And all of a sudden it seemed like I was an adult, and I quite wasn't sure how I got there.  Like all of a sudden five years went by and instead of thinking about whether I should do homework or go to the gym or just watch Oprah with my roommates, I was thinking about money and responsibilities and where on earth we got all that Tupperware.  And while I wouldn't trade one itty bitty little ounce of what my life is right now for time in the past, or for anything else for that matter, I just could not get over the fact that maybe I was growing up a little. Like life had been put on fast forward and in 10 minutes I went from running around God's country (Bloomington, Indiana) to being an adult with real-people chores and work and activities.  And the thought that ran through my head was, "When did this happen?"

And as I'm thinking about this, I'm realizing it wasn't just a few life-changing events that brought me to dish washing in the kitchen with my crazy-sweet husband.  Sure, moving across the country brings some life experiences, as does getting married and having a job.  I didn't really go from a college Caitlin to a semi-adult Caitlin in the blink of an eye, although sometimes it feels that way.  I am this Caitlin, who does what she does and thinks what she thinks, because of a million little happenings that accumulated and brought me to this very moment in time.  Seconds and minutes spent with different people in situations God wanted me to experience so I could become the person He wanted me to be.

I'm not sure if anyone else has these moments of "Oh my gosh, I think I might be an adult," but in case there's anyone else out there who maybe has these thoughts, I just wanted to say hi and don't worry, I do too....let's hang out.  And I think we might be ok, because maybe that's how life is supposed to happen. We get a little older and hopefully gain a little more insight with the days that pass.  We live a life that's full to the brim with more life, and it's hard to realize just how unique and amazing the moments are, until we take a step back and reflect, which we should do often so we're not caught off-guard in our kitchens on a random Friday evening.

So at 25, I'm taking a step back to say two things to both you and to God, who I know is reading this (Hiya!).  The first is, "This adult thing is so good," because I stand in awe of the life that's been given to me and the God/people who have brought me here, amidst the Pyrex and the craziness. The second is, "I'm so thankful," because there's no other way to to express that gratitude I have for being 25. Married, growing, creating, laughing. With a giant loving family and friends who are pure treasure. Memories behind and adventures ahead.  25 is great, no wait, it's the best and I'm so happy to be it right this very moment.

Peace and love,

Caitlin

L is for laughing

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

Today I just wanted to share a little project I recently completed for my soon-to-be niece!  She's due any day now, and we are SO EXCITED to meet this little one.  She will be my very first niece (or nephew, for that matter), and I can't wait to have her in the family!

We had a shower for my sister in law last weekend, and I knew I wanted to make a something special and personal for this get together.  I'm a HUGE fan of reading, and I knew I wanted to give the baby some sort of personalized book that she could look at/read as she gets older.  I decided on an alphabet book where each page would have a letter of the alphabet and a family-related photo.  And since writing poems is in the blood (hiya Carmody Clan!), it's definitely a rhyming book!

I used a Cricut (a fancy schmancy machine that cuts paper into specific fonts or shapes) to cut out all the letters, found the cutest little girl paper I could find and gathered pictures from my albums and from my sister-in-law's.  All the completed pages were then slid into the plastic sleeves of an 8x8 scrapbook.  I figured this might protect the pages from little people hands!  It was a labor of love that I had so much fun making.  There were approximately 800 scraps of paper floating around the apartment by the time I was done, but I was so excited with the final product.  It was everything I could do not to tell my sister-in-law what I made, but I thankfully kept it a secret until the shower.  She opened it that day and shed a little tear...mission accomplished!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

L is for laughing,

Caitlin