so many “happies”…

Ever get those “blue” kinda days? Well… yesterday was one for me. Not one thing. Or another. Just kinda blah…

And I had to go to the grocery store. UGH!!! Can I just go to the beach instead?? I hate going to the grocery store… unless it’s Trader Joes. I love me some Trader Joes. But I needed things that I couldn’t get at Trader Joes. So I had to go somewhere else… Yuck. So off I went. But I went with a plan.

My plan was simple, really. I was gonna focus on all the little “happies” along the way. First things first – a little fresh air. Sidenote. Those who know me well know that I am not a fan of driving around town in my car; running errands. I will keep my “Target” list going (and growing) until we are down to the last square of toilet paper. But that was then; this is now. One word… Pepper. Pepper is our “pepper white” Mini-Cooper convertible. And, Yes. I do believe in naming cars. So off I went; list in hand.

I experienced “happies” everywhere. Went to “Hen House” and fresh strawberries were on sale (3 lbs. regularly $8.99; On sale for $3.88!) and they were beautiful! Not on my list, so an unexpected treat! They had my favorite coffee back in stock – A really good thing since we were completely out! (refer back to the toilet paper comment earlier…)

For those of you who read my previous post, “farm fresh eggs“, you know that we were recently gifted with the most beautiful eggs; and I quote; “best fed chickens this side of the Mississippi…“. Needless to say, we happily devoured all of those; no problem! But; like coffee; we needed more eggs. Hen House stocks eggs from a local farm – pasture raised, antibiotic free, vegetarian fed hens. And they come with a great little extra. A sweet little note; different every time. Mine read “Wow. Such a beautiful day on the farm. Last night we had a nice rain shower so everything looks fresh and ready to grow! Just like you!” Awww… More “happies“. At the checkout I had a nice young gal who has Down Syndrome. She always makes me think of brother Mike. xoxo As she loaded groceries, we chatted as another young gal walked by with sweet little jingle bells on her tennis shoes. I just smiled…

As I was walking to my car, cart loaded, I saw a car with a license plate cover bearing the name “Seaside“. That’s our very, very favorite place/beach in Florida; where we hope to be someday… As a matter of fact, that’s exactly where we were last fall when my husband surprised me by telling me that we were getting “Pepper”!! Coincidence? I think not. This trip to the grocery store was just a full circle of “happies“. Just what the doctor ordered! I loaded up and climbed into Pepper. We cranked up the radio and watched the clouds roll by overhead. I have to say that now I totally get why dogs are obsessed with sticking their heads out of the window. Happy. So very, very happy.

Monday morning. I just took my dogs for a walk; starting the day with a little (more) fresh air. It’s a beautiful morning and this is a good thing. Why? I just realized that we’re almost ~~down to one square~~ out of toilet paper. Alrighty Pepper. Saddle up…

do dogs really smile…?

9 / 15 / 13

Do you think that dogs actually smile? I’m not saying “are they happy?” – I mean, do they really s m i l e…? I say Yes. Definitely. We have 2 dogs. The white dog is Tobie and the black dog is Ellie. Together, they are just referred to as “the girls“. Ya, I know. Tobie is a boy name. She is a tomboy at heart. Lifts her leg to go potty, burps after she eats… So what would you have suggested; “Princess”? Two more opposite dogs you will never meet. Their nicknames are as follows (Ellie/Tobie) Needy & Greedy; Crazy & Lazy. Ellie never stops. Wants to play fetch 24/7. This is NOT an exaggeration. Ask anyone. She never, ever, ever gets tired. Ellie is best known for body slamming into walls, often head first, kamikaze style while playing fetch. Perhaps one too many times… This has also earned her the additional nickname of “Google eyes”. Let’s just say that sometimes Ellie appears to be looking in several different directions at once. (Think “Ed”, the hyena from Lion King..) Yep – Having someone throw the ball is Ellie’s nirvana. It is DEFINITELY what makes her smile. Tobie; well…. not so much. An all day nap really suits Tobie just fine. Preferably in the warm sunshine. Unless there is food. ANY food. And by “food”, I mean anything that is on the floor… Paper clips, buttons, paper towels, screws… So what makes Tobie smile? Besides a sample of pork tenderloin (blame the hubbie; I give her apples and kale!), it would have to be her kids. Tobie LOVES having her kids home. Hands down, NOTHING makes her happier. Yep. They are definitely Tobie’s reason to smile!

As opposite as they are, they really are “best buds”. There is one common denominator that makes them BOTH grin ear to ear, equally, and that is going for a walk!! Just say the words, and they begin “the happy dance“… big grins as they hop like little bunnies and run in circles. And this happy state continues throughout the entire walk. Today was no exception. It was a beautiful, peaceful Sunday morning, and I felt quite reflective as we strolled the neighborhood… Watching their complete delight in the smallest of things… sniffing the trees (EVERY tree, in fact!), chasing a butterfly, checking out an abandoned toy in someone’s front yard, investigating what might be under a fluffy bush… It made me stop and think. I was taken back to my reflection four days ago on 9/11; my blog post “a life to live over” (Erma Bombeck). Conclusion? Wouldn’t we all be a little better off if we approached life a little more like a dog? Hmmm…. Think about that. There are literally hundreds of little things in a day that can make you smile – IF you take the time to pause and enjoy them. But do you? I think we all try; but life, and deadlines, and “to do” lists, and complications… they all get in our way, don’t they. So I guess we just need to try a little harder. Yep. Perhaps we just need to think, and smile, more like a dog…

live happy

color me happy

1 / 23 / 13

I thought I loved you then

9 / 9 / 12

Yesterday was the epitome of a ‘picture perfect’ day. Blue skies, sunshine and seventy something. The kind of day that reminds us to live in the moment. Close our eyes; feel the cool breeze and the warm sunshine on our face. Deep breath. Ahhh… Perfection.

The groom was all smiles and the bride was absolutely breathtaking… her gown a soft creamy white with delicate jewels and a veil that sparkled in the sunlight. It was a glorious day for a wedding.

Weddings are magical. A window into that fresh, warm feeling of new love. Just sitting there in the church, you could feel the happiness, the excitement, the anticipation… I started to reminisce about that day, our day, over twenty-eight years ago. About to say “I do” to the man who I loved more than anything. Yes. There would be hard times, we were warned. Marriage is a roller coaster. Ups. Downs. Some really sharp turns. Sure. Life happens. You learn to hold each other close during the good times, and even closer in the bad. Yet; as I sat there yesterday, filled with emotion, I realized something very important. In all of the advice that we received… Everyone had failed to mention one very unexpected consequence of marriage. When I was waiting to walk down the aisle on our wedding day, I was as happy as you can be without exploding out of your own skin. Yes. That happy. I was absolutely certain that I could never love this man any more than I did at that very moment.

I was so wrong.

“I thought I loved you then”. My thoughts, put to music by Brad Paisley. Listen with your heart. If your eyes fill with tears when you hear this song, then I pray that you, my friend, feel blessed as well. And so I feel a certain sense sense of responsibility to forewarn our newlyweds… This is (if you are so blessed) an unforeseen consequence to a long and happy marriage. So consider yourself warned. As for us, this is a marriage that (God willing) still has a long, long way to go.

“What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more; but I’ve said that before. Now you’re my whole life; now you’re my whole world. I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl. We’ll look back someday at this moment that we’re in. And I’ll look at you and say…

and “I thought I loved you then”. Brad Paisley

things that make me happy…

8 / 30 / 12

So what do you do at the end of one of the most emotionally draining months of your life? My therapy was blogging about it – and I thank you for listening. And caring.

So how about a “happy blog“. The first of many more to come! No long, drawn out explanation necessary – These are just a (very) small sampling of things off my Pinterest boards. Things that make me happy. Enough said.

live happy… laugh, love, dream, create

what are you looking for?

6 / 12 / 12

What we see depends mainly on what we look for. -John Luubbock

So what do you see in this picture?

I see “flowers”… Little mounds of fluffy, sunshine yellow flowers. OK – Dandelions definitely have their own little thing going on – but I like that about them. If they were sold in the garden center, I’m betting you would (gulp!) buy them. Yep. I’m saying that you would pay money for a dandelion “flower”. But you never will. These little “flowers” are free spirits. Wildflowers. They are the happiest color in the world because, no matter what, they are true survivors. Try as you may, you cannot crush the spirit of a dandelion. There are real lessons to be learned here – so if you’re having a bad day, I suggest you go find yourself a field of “wildflowers”… and soak in a bit of sunshine!

“If you’re feeling blue – try painting yourself a different color.” Hannah Cheaton; Age 8

From the mouth of babes; well said, Hannah! I’m going with “sunshine yellow”. Live happy…

the key to life…

6 / 8 / 12

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.” John Lennon

This quote is hanging in our home, and it makes me happy to read it! I hope that you have a beautiful weekend…

live happy~ laugh, love, dream, create