a photo that makes me happy

Day 7

There are a lot of pictures I can look at that make me feel very happy. I picked this specific picture for many reasons...

This isn't the best picture of me, but I still love this picture. This is from Cancun when we were down there getting married. Going around the table there's me, Ted, brothers girlfriend, best man, my brother. We were all just sitting outside hanging out, talking, & just generally having fun. We don't get to see our best man very often because he lives in another state. This picture just brings me back to that time and how much fun we had hanging out with all of our friends and family for that week. It was amazing. Most nights were spent drinking & solving the problems of the world while hanging out in the jacuzzi overlooking the gorgeous beach. This one picture brings back all of those memories. Spending that invaluable time with our nearest & dearest... well, those are memories I won't soon forget. There are times when I feel a little sad or "woe is me" and can just think of this time, and I realize how lucky I am.

p.s.: this is also my 100th post! woohoo!

my favorite things

Day 6

Today I have to list 20 of my favorite things. This should be interesting since I'm doing this list with zero forethought... so these are off the top of my head, and in no particular order.

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - this book has been life changing. If I get into it right now this post will just be way too long. Shortly - I was always terrified of labor... and now I'm not. I also just finished reading it.
2. lazy weekends lounging around with Ted and the dogs
3. cheesy movies
4. this
5. satellite tv
6. my Fit Flops! I love them & they're so comfy.
7. the unconditional support between friends
8. that super clean feeling you have right after a shower
9. the smell of wet dirt
10. Mexican food
11. when Ted & I are watching tv and he rubs my leg or foot... it's so relaxing. I can literally feel stress leave my body.
12. the memories from when we spent two weeks in Paris. It was a fantastic trip, it's where we got engaged, but mostly I love those memories because for two weeks we were just us, together, having fun & being carefree. 
13. Mexican Lasagna
14. iced coffee
15. floral art
16. spending the day barbecuing & swimming with my family, at my parents house
17. afternoons with fun girls
18. ice cream / dessert / sugary things (not candy)
19. the smell of my moms perfume
20. the way it smells outside after the first rain

These are really just a few of my favorite things. Once I hit #5 or 6 I was on a role and actually thought "I only get to put down 20?!" I could go on. I think I'm going to feel the same way when this 30 day challenge is over.

my favorite quote

Day 5

I have a few favorite quotes...

If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants. -Isaac Newton

 War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. -John Stewart Mill

One quote I recently discovered really resonates with me right now... I like it quite a bit. I would have to say this is my favorite quote, at least for now...

I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together. -Marilyn Monroe