happiness is love

Today I got to meet my uncle's fiance.  She is a delightful lady (I use that word a lot).  I enjoyed meeting her, and I must admit I already love her.  A lot of that probably has to do deal with the fact that I know that she loves my uncle.  I also saw my cousin and his girlfriend.  It definitely made me smile.  They definitely made me happy.  I love them all so much.  So happiness is being around those you love and that love you or those you love.  Happiness is love.


As much as that is happiness I also saw a sign that gave another great description of happiness today!!!

naps and cats

So as silly or maybe as typical as it is, I enjoy naps.  Today's smile is the fact that I actually got one, and not only a nap an almost 2 hour nap, with dreams!!!!!

The other smile was just sitting on the couch with both my sister's cats resting on my lap.  There is something comforting and delightful about pets.

TOP 10 smiles of the day

There are soooooooo many smiles today where shall I begin

1) A ferry ride:  I love the Northwest and the Puget Sound and what says the Puget Sound better than a ferry ride.  I enjoy the water, wind and the idea of the ferry.

2) OK silly I know but I still wish on stars, eyelashes and wishing rocks (don't ask me how seriously I do wish on them).  So today I found the perfect wishing rock.  I guess with wishing rocks you make a wish and toss it or something like that.  Maybe you are supposed to keep it.  All I remember is that a wishing rock is one with a ring that goes all the way around and you wish on it.  Do I believe that the rock will grant my wish, NO, but the bigger question is why not make a wish?

3) Whidbey Island - I spent most of my day on Whidbey Island.  It was so delightful and pretty.  I am not one to cry over pretty things, and so I really didn't cry but it was definitely an emotional moving beauty.  

4) Hiking/walking:  I LOVE to hike, especially in the Northwest.  We did not go far but it was beautiful.  I do enjoy the big scene and the little things.  I enjoy the beauty of the whole experience. I enjoy the exercise.  I enjoy the fresh air.  I enjoy the beauty of the BIG beauty around me and I enjoy the beauty of the small flower.  Here are some pictures of the BIG and little beauty around me.  

5) Unintentional beauty.  So I do enjoy photography.  I am not the best photographer and what you can do with a point and shoot is hardly photography, but while trying to take a picture of a rose I accidentally left my camera setting on panorama and got the pretty picture I wasn't expecting.  It actually may be my favorite picture from today and I really did not plan it this way.

6) CHEESE!!!!!  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE cheese.  I want to go to Europe one day and try different cheeses and bike.  Whidbey Island has a delightful little cheese store which definitely made me smile.  

7) Lighthouses - I love lighthouses.  I saw two today.  

8) Small improvements- I am terrified of heights.  The hike I went on today was along a bluff.  Most of the hike the drop was covered by tall plants so I couldn't see.  There were a few lookout places along the trail.  I went closer to the edge than normal because I am slowly facing parts of my fear (granted I was still chickened out on the ladder at one of the light houses).  So I am happy for small improvements on facing my fear.

9) Daisies and Lavender- Daisies are my favorite flowers and lavender is my favorite smell.  There was a delightful little place that had both.  It also had a little art garden as well.  This picture of the daisies reminds me of how I would like my gravestone to look.  

10) Loganberry Pie-  So I am not a pie person.  If someone offers me pie I generally say "no" because I don't like pie, specifically I don't like the crust.  I had the best fresh loganberry pie today.  I think it may have been one of the best 3 pies I have ever had.  ALL of it was good (the crust too)

clear running skies

Today's smile is the rain.  My friend and I went running this morning.  It was down pouring just before we left.  Stopped raining while we jogged.  And then just after we got back it started to rain again.  My friend made the comment "someone loves us"

Just a little bit more

One thought that goes through my head when I do some things is "I am not doing this to do the bare minimum."  This thought was a part of my PhD.  I wanted to make it something I can be proud of (though there are more focused efforts and less focused efforts at times).  Today's smile was the point that I pushed myself a little bit further with my running.  I came to a point in today's jog where I could have rested or pushed it a little bit and made it across the street in time.  I was tired at this point and did want to rest but I did not I chose to push it because I did not want to do the bare minimum.  Also when creating this route I could have chosen to turn right and make for a slightly shorter run, but again that defeated the purpose, I did not want to just do the bare minimum, I wanted to do a little bit more.  Yes it was a slow jog, no my body is not what it was 15 years ago, but yes I can still push myself a little bit more.

Old friends

Today I was able to see an old friend I haven't seen for a long time.  She is a delightful lady.  There is something about true friendships that lighten our souls and bring sunshine to our lives, a sense and force of strength and comfort.  Friendships can be one of God's richest blessings for us in this life.

A list of smiles

So today there were several smiles that I can't claim one but must claim several.  I hope you don't mind a list of today's delights.

1) Sister time: I got to spend several hours with my sisters today.  They are such wonderful women.  So my first smile is the smile of time with my wonderful sisters.
2) Waterfront/Pike Place market:  Today's weather was AMAZING and I got to enjoy several hours on the waterfront and Pike Place market today.  It was beautiful and delightful.  I was able to purchase a shawl, a pendant, a beautiful hand painted pie pan, honey and a delightful clock out of recycled bike parts.  I was so excited about my purchases.

(yes remember to keep clam and breath)

3) Doughnut:  I have been wanting a particular doughnut and since today was my personal allotted sweet tooth splurge day.  So today we stopped by the doughnut shop and guess what my favorite doughnut was all sold out and not on the shelf.  Upon hearing how I was hoping for my favorite doughnut the owner of the doughnut shop "found" me one last of my favorite doughnut.
4) My cousin:  It was nice to spend a little time with my cousin today.  She is a fun lady.
5) Jog:  I know, I think jogging is a love/hate relationship.  Sometimes I love it and hate it while I am jogging or just after.

my aunt

Today's smile was the visit to see my aunt I haven't seen in several years.  It was simply nice to see her and also share with her my passion for family history.

laughter and personal celebration

Yet again today's smiles are several.  Today I was able to sit with my mom's daycare children during a magic show.  I think my favorite part was hearing the children's laughter.  There is something about children's laughter that warms the soul.

The other smile was a moment of personal triumph.  It was sticking with my latest "dieting rules" today when it was very tempting to eat otherwise.  It reminded me of a commercial.  There is this commercial whenever someone refuses the temptation to take a cigarette while they are striving to overcome the addiction, there is this little band that busts out in song singing "I just want to celebrate."   So it is the little moment of celebration.

wammy of delight

You may wonder at this point if I enjoy many other things besides running and eating/cooking, but if you do wonder the answer is yes I do enjoy other things but at the moment my focus seems to be trying to become healthier and any enjoyable step in that direction has double happiness.  So yes today's blog is courtesy of running and eating/cooking.

Have you ever read any of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques?  I read several of his books a few years ago.  They were delightful tales about mice, squirrels, otters, rabbits, etc.  One added delight to the books were the description of the meals the animals ate.  My breakfast this morning was delightful in that it reminded me of this series.  I had cornmeal mush with honey, cinnamon, fresh raspberries right off the vine and milk.  It was a triple wammy of delight - delicious, pretty, and reminiscent of a delightful tale.  Maybe even a quadruple wammy of delight since I am fairly sure it was one of the healthier breakfasts I have had.

The other delight was the fact that I ran further than I have in 2 years on my own without walking.  I guess I should say I jogged further and while the distance of 5 miles is not nearly as good as I would like, it is in the right direction so I am proud of myself for my own personal improvement.

Big and Little Things

Ansel Adams has a picture of a rose with a piece of wood that he took in black and white.  He did so because "God is in the details."  I think God can have a hand in both the big and the little things in our lives and we can have enjoyment in the big and little things.

I went on a wonderful hike today.  It was somewhere between 6 and 7 miles (but we don't really know how far we went).  I found delight in the large beauty around me and in the small beauty.  It was the beauty of the waterfall to the beauty of raindrops on a plant.  It was the beauty of the lake and mountain scene to the beauty of the small plant trying to grow in the rock cracks.  

Here are some of the small beauties.

Here are some of the larger beauties.

mmm smell good

I know I mentioned this before, but really can't the same thing make us happy over and over again and still be delightful.  I think my happy smile was the smell of the rain tonight and the smell of blossoming flowers as I jogged by.  The smell of rain is one of my favorite smells and those flowers were delightful.  (I should probably come up with another word too....)

I will make one confession, these enjoyments were almost fleeting.  I ran by and thought oh that smells good, but then found myself dwelling on other aspects of my run and life.  How often are our happy moments brief moments that we soon forget to other matters?  I don't know if my happy moments are necessarily rare moments, but maybe it is rare for me to recognize and acknowledge them.  Maybe they are the breath of fresh air rather than the constant air we breath.

Frank Sinatra

I would say my happy moment today was preparing food while listening to Frank Sinatra.  I don't know how to describe this enjoyment of cooking good food and listening to good music.  There is something about Frank Sinatra music that reminds me of coffee shops and Meg Ryan movies, (or as my sister says Paris) or about black and white movies where the beauty of the movie was the story, characters, and language.  It is the difference between a black and white photo and a quick digital photo from a point and shoot camera. 

BORSCH

 

So I love to cook and eat GOOD food.  I may not be the best at creating GOOD food, but I love it and attempting to cook it.  So today I had a delightful meal.  I made borsch.  I believe summer borsch is a beautiful looking dish.  So my happy moment was making and eating this beautiful delicious food.  (I didn't make the cheese, crackers and milk, but they added to the delightful meal).

 

 

Proud runner

Today's smile is for two things.  My brother in law graduated with his associates today.  So one smile is how proud and happy we are for his accomplishments and especially how happy and proud my sister (his wife) was for him.  The other smile was running in Seattle.  It felt soooooo good to run today.  I thought I had run better than I had in a while, though apparently I might not have.  But the truth is it feels good to run here.  Believe me it is still hard to run here but I do enjoy it more in Seattle than other places I have run.  I may not have run far but I did try to push myself a little. 

Two choices

SOOOOO I definitely need to be a little less lazy and a little more productive.... I can't keep waiting for tomorrow to get in shape.... But today I thoroughly embraced the laziness, read a delightful book and ate homemade chocolate chip cookies.  So here are my options 1) be discouraged I didn't exercise 2) enjoy the cookie and the great book chalk them up for my happy moment and decide to do better tomorrow.  Of the two options which would you pick?

10 years ago

If ten years ago you would look forward and say "this is where I want to be in ten years" would that truly be how your life is today?  Would it be more or less than what you are?  What are your dreams for today and how are they different from the dreams of 10 years ago?  Tonight I got to spend time with friends I haven't seen in 10 years.  We were college friends.  It was so delightful catching up and spending time with them.  So yes that is my happy moment for the day.  But it also leads me those deep am I who I wanted to be question and does that really matter, because who I wanted to be 20 years from then may not actually be who I want to be 10 years from now.   Who do I really want to be 10 years from now?  5 years from now? 1 year from now? 50 years from now? 24 hours from now?  The best I can, outside healthy, successful, happy, myself..... 

RAIN

Have I mentioned that sometimes it is hard to describe the JOY of everyday life.  So today is the smile of everyday normal nothing at all life.  It is actually a smell.  I LOVE the smell of rain.  And that is what I got today an enjoyable fresh rain smell.  (I told you it may be everyday normal nothing at all life moment, but why not enjoy those too).  We have our noses for a reason,  and I am grateful for the delightful smell of the rain. 

Small Memories

What is your favorite small memory from your childhood?  I would say one of my favorite small memories would be picking blackberries with the neighbors and then making pies or blackberries crisp.  So today I took a few raspberries off of the plant in my parents yard and it reminded me of that small memory.  I also enjoyed a jog around one of my old jogging routes from 15 years ago.  Some old small simple memories are delightful.

feet in the water

OK lets face it I find enjoyment in simple things.  And sometimes they are the same things at different times.  So my today's smile is curtsy of a walk on the beach with my younger sister and her boyfriend and the opportunity to also put my feet in the water.  I love to be around those who know me and love me regardless of my silly nature.  And I LOVE to put my feet in the water.  Silly I know, but there it is, I enjoy it and when I have the chance I try to embrace it with a smile on my face.  Now can you picture your feet in the water during on a fairly clear Seattle sunset with those you love near by and you have landed in a magical moment of simple pleasure.

mmm family time

I arrived home yesterday and I have to admit my happy thought was just being around family, eating GOOD food, and going to my favorite store.  I could spend a fortune at that store, and enjoy every taste. 

No Monsters please

Did you miss me?  I had a most delightful time with my friends.  To tell you the truth we didn't do much, we drove around shuttling kids to and from school etc. but what really mattered was that we were with people we loved and who loved us back. I thoroughly enjoyed the kid time.  We didn't do anything special but we laughed, sung, and smiled.  One of the sweetest moments was as these kids went to bed and had their bedtimes prayers one asked God to protect them so that no monsters would get them as they slept.  These children are amazing.  We don't have to do big things to enjoy the small things that make up life.  :)

REAL favorites

Today's post will have to suffice until later this week.  I am heading out of town today for a friend's high school graduation.  So today's smile includes the joys of an anticipated trip and two other delights.  I received a real letter in the mail today, who doesn't like receiving letters, REAL letters? :) And the other delight is..... yep you guessed it cupcake time.  I rode about 25 miles up a canyon and back.  Time on my bike has to be some of my favorite times in life.....

Meant to be

I was talking to a friend tonight and it seams that sometimes things were just meant to be.  Have you ever noticed how sometimes things fall through but they open up doors to what seems like what was "meant to be."  Whether it is a phone call that after playing phone tag to finally getting a hold of each other and it feels like just yesterday you talked.  To plans falling through and on a whim visiting close friends who can wipe away tears through love and friendship.  There seems to be times where what we perceive as a mishap is in reality a doorway into what is better.

Cupcake

There could be several things I could mention today- ice cream with a friend, cards with friends, signing up for a half marathon, my feet in the snow run off coming down a mountain, the beautiful scenery heading up a canyon, or my favorite Cupcake.  Cupcake is my road bike.  It is a specialized dulce and since dulce is sweet my bike is named Cupcake.  I LOVE my bike.  I went on a ride today.  We didn't ride the whole canyon just the top of it.  Let me tell you that going up a canyon on a bike reminds you exactly how out of shape you are.  But it was soooooo pretty and as hard as it was there was a thrill coming down the canyon - feels like flying down the mountain.  I could not contain my joy as I flew down and yelled out "HAZZAH"  or singing some random song.  I did not feel this much joy climbing up the canyon, but what a great experience seeing what I had accomplished and flying down the mountain.