Happy Lately List



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Today, I find myself rather frustrated with things that are completely out of my control. Some of it is a spill over from some massive venting last night, and some of it is a new challenge for a new day. Regardless, you all know how much I love dealing with things that I have no control over...it's not pretty as you can imagine.

So, I thought I would work on changing my mental focus a bit with a Happy Lately List!

Here's what's making me smile these days:

1. Chocolate chip, pecan cookies

2. Treating my cheetah print flats as a neutral

(read: wearing them daily)

3. The rowing machine at the gym

4. A fro-yo date with my roomie

5. "Good morning, beautiful girlfriend" texts from Tony

6. A dog that gets so excited to see me she wedges herself between my legs the minute I walk in the door so I can't get away until she's had her fill

7. Celestial Seasoning's Morning Thunder tea + vanilla almond milk

8. Re-reading Valentine's Day cards

9. Thursday dinner dates with Chelsae

10. Fun new earrings from my Mama

What's making you all happy lately?

What the day holds for me

Cups of Lady Grey tea with a splash of milk because even when it's in the 90's, I love the comfort of a hot beverage.

A quick lunch date with my Mom because she truly is one of my best friends.

Stolen moments for daydreaming; briefly giving into my unsettled feeling that tends to arise when I'm stressed. Australia has consumed me ever since I got back from my trip, and I can't decide if it's due to a shift in me or if it's because my mind and body need a little more then the 2 weeks I gave them to fully digest my experiences.

Juggling my Fire Invoice Auditor hat with my Fire Invoice Trainer hat...I love the additional help, but rarely give myself enough credit as a good teacher.

Reading this blog, which encourages, rather than helps, my unsettled feeling.

Contemplating yoga again.

Itching for an evening jog; just me, my music and my thoughts.

Wondering if I should pick up a bottle or two of wine on my way home. I'm all out and I like having them around in case I need to bring a bottle to a girls night or gift one (unopened, of course) to a friend, but the knowledge that I need to pack for my upcoming move has me second-guessing my usual actions.

Wishing I hadn't brought up the move...too stressful at the moment.

Wanting a chat with Jamie, but unable to find the time for more than just a few random snippets between our crazy schedules.

Needing to see Harry Potter 7.2. Again. I feel like a door of my childhood was just closed.

Wish List: artwork

So, in my lunch break blog-hopping I came across a post on Life's Little Adventures about her newly purchased art and immediately fell back in love with Clare Elsaesser's oil paintings. Yes, I said it, back in love. I've come across Tastes Orangey on etsy before (probably via another art lover's blog) and swooned over her pieces, but in typical Erin fashion it eventually slipped my mind. So while it might slip my mind again, for now I'm going to continue to ooh and ahh over some of my favorites:

November

To Sea

Fall

Shadows

I'm already formulating in my mind where I would hang these in my apartment...

Sometimes I just need to remind myself.

I'm tired. My sleeping has been all screwed up this week because I cannot seem to shut my brain off. I hate when that happens. I've never classified myself as a truly great sleeper, but normally I do pretty well...except for those nights when I feel the need to think through every. single. thing that is happening in my life, which always leads to psychoanalyzing myself, which in turn leaves me lying awake at all hours of the night. This is eventually followed by a restless night's sleep that is often full of strange dreams and sometimes a little sleepwalking. No worries if you think this is strange; I do too! Gosh, I wish brains came equipped with an OFF switch.


So, I'm in a little funk today. Not a depressed funk, but just a quiet, let's-internalize-everything funk. Easy enough to handle, but still a funk, nonetheless. I keep finding myself focusing on the many what-if's in my life, and playing out all of their options in my head. This game can sometimes be a fun one, like when you're planning a "what if my bestie and I met up in Chicago for a weekend" scenario; but sometimes they aren't so fun, like when you play out the "what if I'm selling myself short" game. Ugh. I don't like this game. And, as much as I am a worrier and I do sometimes get into a pessimistic rut, I'm normally more of the Pollyanna type. I'm good at seeing the glass as half-full, at twisting people's thoughts in order to show their optimistic other side, and I'm good at smiling and making other people smile. But today I need to remind myself to smile a bit more; to remind myself that my life is freaking awesome and I truly do love it because it's filled to the brim with:

-Coworkers who bring in Dunkin' Donuts coffee because they know it's my favorite.

-An adorable dog (my coworker's) who rests his head on my chest when I scratch the sweet spot behind his ear.

-A Mom who meets me for impromptu lunch dates.

-My Dad who listens to me babble about my books even though he doesn't really care.

-A job that I adore.

-A wonderful friend who needs an afternoon escape from the office in the form of a walk and gossip session just as much as I do.

-A best friend who knows me better than I know myself.

-An amazing apartment that is my own little haven.

-The warmth of Colorado sunshine on an otherwise chilly day.

-Being able to flirt with cute boys.

-The opportunity to travel and the support of my family that helps make it possible.

-The option to indulge in my nerdy, school-loving ways.

-Feeling accomplished and renewed after sweating it out at the gym while the music blasts.

-Lovely bloggy friends.

-A surprising amount of patience when it comes to someone or something that I truly care about.

-The constant presence of art and language in my life.

-A newly walking 10 month old who smiles when she sees me and always wants to play with my jewelry.

..and oh-so-much more...

Happy 101 Award

One of my favorite bloggers and real life friend, Jess at LittleMrsSunshine gifted me with the Happy 101 Award last week. Now, I love this award because it's all about the little things in life that make you happy; and we all know that the little things are often the best things!

Rules for the Happy 101 Award:
√ post who gave you this award.
√ state ten things you like.
√ give this award to 10 other bloggers
and notify them with a comment.

10 things I'm really lovin':
1. Pumpkin Spice tea...it's like Autumn in a mug!
2. The love triangle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta in the Hunger Games trilogy
3. My newly discovered love for Glee
4. Girl's Nights full of wine and laughter
5. Evening walks around my neighborhood
6. Tart apples dipped in caramel
7. Vegetable quinoa soup
8. Pretend shopping sprees at Anthropologie
9. My new running shoes...they're like walking on air
10. Starting up book club again with my amazing co-worker friends

And now I award this to ALL OF YOU! I simply cannot choose just 10 of you lovely readers, so if you feel like playing along with the Happy 101 Award, please do (and make sure to let me know so I can read your happy lists)!

Today's Top 10

1. Perfectly fried catfish
2. Shoe sales
3. Fresh hydrangea blooms in a Fat Tire bottle
4. Giant bowls of ice cream
5. Periwinkle blue skies
6. Evening walks
7. Sarah Bareilles' King of Anything
8. Flashy necklaces
9. Checking off places I've visited from 1,000 Places To See Before You Die
10. Yellow sandals

Today I love...

1. Lunchtime walks in the Colorado sunshine

2. Feeling rejuvinated after some much-needed "Erin time" yesterday

3. Crunchy chocolate chip cookies

4. Swinging on park swings

5. My new ruffled, kelly green shirt from Banana Republic

6. Surprise phone calls from my Mom...even if I am jealous that she called from the pool in Florida

7. Babies who smile and stick out their tongues when I tickle their feet

8. Messaging with my "un-sober" (her exact words) bestie...it makes Australia seem less far away

9. Feeling like part of a family at work

10. Amazon giftcards from an amazing bloggy friend so I could give in and buy this book I'm coveting