In all honesty, I was debating between a Five Things Friday and a “Happy Things Friday” post (inspired by Elisabeth) again this week, and I could have gone either way, but I decided that some Happy Things are in order because the world is dark enough, and you all don’t need me to rehash the daily news of the week. So let’s see what’s going well.
Half Marathon Training
I am in week 2 of my 10-week half marathon training (which I started right at the beginning of this new year), and I feel in full control (which I can’t say about a lot of things right now). I’ve been nailing my workouts (I run 4x a week again), and it gives me so much control and structure. I’ve been cross-training with cycling, three strength sessions, and yoga, and I feel like that’s a really great mix. I feel good about starting this year strong!
A good laugh
I am counting this for this week’s Happy Things because it was technically within the weekly timeframe. I mentioned last Friday that we had tickets to see Trae Crowder LIVE, and it was such an amazing night.
If you don’t know Trae, he’s also known as the “Liberal Redneck”, a guy from Tennessee offering a refreshing (witty and funny!) perspective on the current state of the country and the other various absurdities of life in 2020s America. He also has a podcast, if you’re into that. Weekly Skews is a podcast with “the smartest take on the dumbest timeline“.
The show was at the “Punch Line Comedy Club” here in Sacramento, which has a seating capacity of 240, so every seat felt close to the stage. Trae put on a great show, and he’s a real wizard with words. His jokes were funny and relatable, and his mix of sharp political humor and real-life stories had the audience laughing from start to finish. The small, intimate venue made the show feel very personal, and if you have the chance to see him, it’s well worth it. We really needed a good laugh during the stressful times.
Trae did a little Meet & Greet after the show, and I could convince Jon to get in line to shake his hand and take our picture. He was super-personable and so nice. Trae’s been on TV and a guest on many podcasts, and I have a feeling he could get really big, so I feel like we’re early supporters (although I’ve only known about him for a couple of years and he’s been doing comedy for much longer).
Owl Watching
It’s been so much fun observing the Great Horned Owl that is nesting outside my office window. As I mentioned before, it’s at eye level with my 4th-floor office, and I can watch it through the window, but we also have a live stream via webcam and can observe it up close. It’s been busy sitting on and puttering around the nest, so I think the arrival of babies is imminent. I’ll keep you posted!
Skis
I was gifted a hand-me-down pair of skis this week, and I feel so giddy. You might be confused because you know that I ski and assumed that I own a pair of skis, but the truth is that the (old) skis that I still own are at my parents’ house in Germany. I never brought them over to the US, so I always had to rely on renting when I went skiing here in the past. Jon is not a skier, so I don’t get to go very often (it’s not like we plan skiing vacations), but I do live close to Lake Tahoe (close, as in “can drive up for the day to ski”).
I just haven’t gone very often because I didn’t have skis (and planning to rent is an extra step that discourages spontaneity), and our old Jetta was “unfit” to go up into the mountains. I could have bought skis, but then I hadn’t gone skiing very often, so making the call to invest in a pair of skis was also hard for me (you see the vicious thought cycle here). Anyway, now I have skis, and hopefully that will make it more likely for me to get on the slopes.
Bonus Happy Things
- Sunrises (over our community pool on the way back from my treadmill run).
- Virtual lunchtime walks with my #BCBabes friends (two of them live on the East Coast but it happens to work out that I walk during a late lunch hour (1 pm), and they walk in the afternoon.
- High Sleep Scores. I have been wearing my Apple Watch at night to see how I am doing on sleep, and although I stay up too late sometimes and don’t get the 7.5 hours I am aiming for, my sleep score is still pretty high because I usually sleep through the night without many interruptions.
- The glow of our Christmas tree lights (yup, the tree is still up. What of it?)
- A new bread recipe that turned out so well. It’s very similar to the rye-spelt bread that I usually make, just with different proofing times, and this schedule makes the dough rise so much better.
- A belated Christmas Card from Tobia. THANK YOU!
- The arrival of my paper planner.
- I started a new book this week, the second one for 2026. That deserves mentioning because I put a reading goal on my goals list.
- My mom enthusiastically told me that she’s been to the gym twice already this week and that the strength training plan that she started is fun. This came out of her mouth! Who would have thought? It makes me so happy (because we all know the key to longevity is – among other things – strength exercise and mobility).
Do you have some happy things to share from this week?
photo credit: @ceryslowe_1 via Unsplash
J
January 16, 2026 at 11:00 pmIt’s nice to see that in amongst the shitstorm, there are happy things!
Yay for your mom doing strength training! I’ve gotten better about it recently.
Yay also for the skis, and a new bread recipe!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:50 pmGood for you, Julie, for focusing on strength training!
coco
January 17, 2026 at 12:46 amI agree that training for a race gives you the structure/control we need. my first race would be 3/22, 10km. I follow the app plan, trying the new kipchoge app. So far so good.
this week not much happening other than trying to stay positive as we ease back to routines.
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:51 pmSo exciting that you have a race on the calendar! I didn’t know that Kipchoge had an app! Curious to hear more!
Lisa’s Yarns
January 17, 2026 at 4:19 amWhat planner did you get? I got the Clever Fox planner but am finding I prefer a vertical day layout. But I will use 2026 as a learning opportunity old stick with the planner. It has a lot do guided content so it is kind of a journal of sorts so I like that aspect!
It always felt great to be back on a training plan when I was still doing races!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:51 pmYes, I also prefer vertical day layout! I picked the Plum Planner for that reason this year.
Elisabeth
January 17, 2026 at 6:27 amYay for Happy Things <3
I hope you manage to get out skiing some. I know you love it and didn't realize you could drive to a good ski location in a day. It's so much easier when you have your own gear and don't have to go through that hoopla at the hill.
We felt similarly about Nate Bargatze. We followed him when he was just starting to get "big" and now he's the highest paid comedian in the world??? It happened so fast!!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:52 pmYes, so much easier to just get up and go (up the hill) when you have your own gear. I am hoping I’ll get an opportunity to do that soon.
Oh, I remember you talking about Nate Bargatze. I need to check him out again.
Sam
January 17, 2026 at 6:42 amHooray for new skis and the office owl watch! I’ve never learned how to ski even though we lived in Colorado for 6 years. I have regrets, but it always seemed like such a big commitment of time and especially money. How great you can hopefully go more often!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:53 pmSkiing IS a big commtiment of time and money. I am “thankful” that my parents took me skiing since I was a kid, so I grew up with it. Colorado would have been THE opportunity for you though – SD not so much ;)
Nicole MacPherson
January 17, 2026 at 7:35 amLots of great happy things! Yay for skiing! I didn’t realize you were so close to Tahoe – fantastic!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:53 pmYes, I love being right in the middle between SF and Tahoe. It’s a great location for sure :)
Tobia | craftaliciousme
January 17, 2026 at 11:46 amI love that you found so many happy things. If you keep going like that you can easily rename the post to 10 happy things.
Also I am glad the card arrived even though I annoyed it took so long. I send it out so much earlier this year. Sigh.
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:54 pmGirl, the mail from Germany was painfully slow this year… I am still expecting 4(!) more Christmas cards from people! Insane! But I appreciate that you sent yours :)
Birchie
January 17, 2026 at 7:15 pmYes for a happy things post! The bad things don’t get to rob us of our joy.
Now to get those skis on the slopes! What book are you reading?
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:55 pmNo, we won’t let the bad things rob us of our joy, damnit! ;)
I started reading Invisible Women. Very eye-opening.
Ernie
January 17, 2026 at 7:31 pmI hate skiing, bad first experience (um, I started in the Alps while studying abroad. Do not recommend) – but I’m so excited for you to have the hand me down skis. I’m also very excited that your mom is liking her strength classes. That’s amazing. I missed your mention of the owls before and that sounds so interesting. Love it.
Happy things here? My dad agreed to hire their caregiver 5 days a week, bumping up from 3. That’s a relief. He also sort of listened to my reasoning and while my brother made sure to let me know that it wasn’t my doing, I feel like I played a part in convincing him. Regardless, it’s good news (I do not need credit for it). Curly and I had a good trip to Tampa, well, the plot thickens anyway. I’m hoping my card arrives this week.
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:56 pmOh no, I am so sorry you had a bad first skiing experience… in the beautiful Alps of all places. I grew up skiing in the Alps and that’s why I love it so much (I started very young though).
Such great news about your dad accepting more help at home. That must be such a relief (and who cares who convinced him, as long as he agreed! ;))
Sara
January 18, 2026 at 11:46 amI love all of these happy things!! The gifted skis is SUCH A GIFT! (We were talking to some friends in Italy who were amazed at how expensive ski rentals are in the US, so I can understand your excitement!) I love that your tree is still up – you know I’ll never judge that! Find the glimmers and hold on to them as long as you can! So glad your mom is enjoying her training sessions, too!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:58 pmSkiing is SO EXPENSIVE in the US! The rentals, the day passes… I have heard that people fly to Europe to ski there, because even with flights, it’s way more affordable than skiing here (in certain places). Insane.
Daria
January 18, 2026 at 1:29 pmIn fact I do have some happy things to share!
My relationship to exercise is slowly changing. I exercised five times this past week: weights 2x, swim, Zumba, and a cycling class. All that is thanks to the ymca. Also today- skates!
My son turned six.
My son and daughter received awards for their academic performance.
Tony and I watched a nice film.
I’m reading an excellent novel, set in Mexico City.
And I have tomorrow off as well.
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:59 pmOh, Daria, this makes me so happy that you’re started enjoying exercise!
And happy birthday to your son and congrats on their academic performances. Proud mum :)
NGS
January 18, 2026 at 1:43 pmOur tree is still up, too! Solidarity!
San
January 19, 2026 at 8:59 pmHeck yes!
Allison McCaskill
January 18, 2026 at 2:33 pmI’m glad your workouts give you a sense of control. I would like to have more control over my body right now, but I am grateful that I have access to physiotherapy and massage therapy, and the yoga and core work I am able to do does help.
I miss our tree being up. We didn’t even decorate it until the 23rd, but it was a lovely source of twinkly light at the front of the house.
Political comedy is a really special thing. I am happy people do it, and your night does sound amazing.
San
January 19, 2026 at 9:00 pmYou do what you can, Allison. I think yoga and core work is amazing!
And yes, political comedy is fantastic to make it through these crazy times.
Stephany
January 19, 2026 at 1:43 pmI’m glad you have some skis now, and how fun that you can just take a trip to Tahoe for a skiing day. I love that for you!
I am obsessed with checking my Apple sleep score and feel very proud of myself when I get a high score, ha.
San
January 19, 2026 at 9:00 pmHa, I am glad someone else is obsessed with their sleep score. :)
Meike
January 20, 2026 at 5:01 pmWatching the owl take care of her nest sounds so fun. I would not mind one in front of my window.
I wrote a blog post last week for the first time in forever and I made it to all my scheduled gym classes. I wish I had your discipline when it comes to that.
Melissa
January 20, 2026 at 9:23 pmGood idea signing up for a HM, I think it’s the best way to stay consistent with running. Lucky you getting skis. We used to have skis, but we sold them when we downsized because we hadn’t skied for a number of years after S broke her leg. I would like to go skiing but G doesn’t enjoy it.