Lent: 40 Days to the New You

In the Catholic religion, it is customary to "give up" something for lent like chocolate, meat, deserts, pop, swearing, or other aspects of people's lives. Many people beyond the Catholic religion join in on this tradition to better themselves or accept a challenge similar to a New Year's resolution. As a Lutheran, I have never given anything up. This year I was inspired to take part in this Lent tradition, but on my own terms. Instead of given something up, I wanted to add things into my life to better myself as a person and enjoy my experience abroad that much more. I am combining many of the ideas below.

15 ideas to add to your life during the 40 days of Lent:

1. Make your bed every morning

2. Drink a glass of water every morning when you wake up and every night before you go to sleep

3. Write down something or someone you are thankful for every day and put it in a jar

*this is a great opportunity for a DIY project!!

4. Every day, add a post it note to your bathroom or bedroom mirror with inspirational quotes, compliments to yourself, things you love about yourself, or goals for your day

5. Compliment someone new every day

6. Move your body! Every day make sure to get up and move your body for an hour; take a walk, go for a run, go to the gym, yoga, go for a bike ride, swim, Zumba, etc.

7. Only use the stairs

8. Take a picture each day. Post onto Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or print it out and post it on your bulletin board. Be thankful for your memories and experiences every day whether it is life changing or the simplicity of a cup of coffee

8. Pray every day

9. Write in your journal or on your blog every day

10. Add in an hour of quiet time every day where you can reflect, enjoy the outdoors, or drink a cup of coffee

11. Volunteer every day!

12. Take time each day to commit to a friend, significant other, spouse, family member, or God

13. Make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night

14. Find a possession each day that you can donate at the end of the 40 days

15. Create a bucket list and complete something each day

Crafternoons: Letters to My Love

As I prepare to cross the pond and have the experience of a lifetime, I have been making sure to not forget those who are very close to my heart. Since being in college I have had a long distance relationship between Texas and Minnesota with my high school sweetheart. I couldn't have imaged that the distance could get any further until being accepted in to this amazing study abroad opportunity. I would be lying to say that long distance relationships are perfect, but like any other relationship, you grow stronger together. We have made it work!! This semester we will not only be the furthest apart, but it will also be the longest time spend apart. We will go a total of 175 days without seeing each other!!! Wowsa!! Only 128 to go!! It will be the greatest reunion yet!!

Communicating long distance will definitely have some challenges this semester with the time difference! To be prepared and make sure that any important dates within our relationship are not forgotten, I have made letters for Colin to open throughout the semester. This was a Pinterest inspiration! There are 14 letters in total and there were instructions included.