Claire’s Happiness Project Archive

I have a deep dark, pop-culture guilty pleasure: I love wedding shows. Bridezillas, Say Yes to the Dress, Four Weddings- if it’s on Bravo or TLC, I probably watch it. I see as grown up Disney movies- completely unrealistic for those of use who think spending $100,000 on a party is insane,

I’m a believer in the great american road trip. Piling in a car with friends or family or the Griswolds and trekking across these great United States. Granted this can be a little more restrictive these days, but after taking some time to stop in the Smokies this weekend, I can say

There’s a lot of frustration in the air these days. From politics to our own friends and family, the drama meter has been turned up to maximum and it’s driving me crazy. Though I haven’t posted about it in a while, I’ve been working hard on my happiness project, and all of the

I’m going to be honest I have major writers block today. It’s been an extraordinarily rough week for my Happiness Project and the words are just not coming. I set myself a small goal for the weekend: enjoy the little things. Don’t let the bad things get in the way of the

I, like millions of other people around the world, can quote every episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. from beginning to end. I know the appropriate place to clap when jamming to the Rembrandts and “How you doin’?” will forever be my favourite pickup line. Recently I was procrastinating sleep and The One with the

My Happiness Project has been tested lately- more than one major issue with customer service at my gym and my school have made tense, angry, and basically without patience for anything. It’s time like these where I struggle to remember that daily happiness is a choice. I can choose to be weighed

I’m back!!! Family and animals have been successfully moved and we only lost a few boxes in the process. (How I lost a Swiffer, a broom, and a bright green box of toys, I’ll never know.) While writing my most recent posts about backyard tourism in Indianapolis, I was reminded of one

In the middle of school/work insanity, I always long for the simplicity of summer- lazy days of swimming, watching tv, and playing with the geekling. In practice, however, I get bored without something to work towards-  a goal or deadline that keeps me busy on lazy summer afternoons and is key to

I had an interesting run in with grad school insanity last week. After making a debatable choice in a presentation, a member of another group berated me and my group members, insisting we admit we were wrong. This continued over a week, with her getting nothing out of her efforts but “This

When the sun is shining and it’s 70 degrees outside, it’s much easier to work on happiness. Being outside in the sunshine (with appropriate sun protection) does wonders for the human condition. I believe that building my happiness when it’s easy will help me deal with the little things when times are