2010

On to the Next One!

This is what I wrote on December 31, 2009:

I thought today about my goals for this decade: getting my teaching certificate; losing 30 pounds (or more!); traveling outside of North America; fixing our home; reading more Jane Austen; and all of these are worthy and hopeful endeavors, but most of all, I want to live mindfully and with purpose! If I do those 2 things, the rest will follow.

I am very happy to report that I took another class toward getting my teaching certificate, I lost 35 pounds (I have put 8 back on, but am not horribly worried about it...still at 27 down), we did fix our home in Utah, but it was so we could sell it, and today I am planning on reading Mansfield Park and I am quite excited about it! No travels outside of North America this past year, but since I put down these as goals for the decade, I figure I've got some time and now that we live in Michigan, it's probably easier to venture out of the country, Canada is our neighbor!

The weight loss is attributed to implementing the practice of mindful eating and I found that just changing that one area of my life did affect other areas. I continue to try to be mindful, to do only one thing at a time (ok, I'm blogging and chatting with a friend on Facebook as I write this...) and to see all the good that is in my world right this very minute.

Post #2 for Thursday

From my friend, Elizabeth, on Facebook:

Finding someone who REALLY understands you makes me happy, well at least for today it does! Thanks HEATHER A-S!

I don't think she would mind me saying that this is in response to a FB discussion regarding our intolerance toward others' quirky habits.

I Can Gather All the News I Need on the Weather Report

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow
Cloudy	AM Showers	Showers Late	Showers
35°F	39°	37°	48°
Feels Like: 27°	High	Low	High
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in	Chance of Rain: 50%	Chance of Rain: 30%	Chance of Rain: 50%
Wind: From SSE at 12mph	Wind: SSE at 13 mph	Wind: S at 15 mph	Wind: S at 13 mph

Humidity: 92%	94%	90%	89%
Dew Point:33°
Pressure: 29.92 in
Visibility: 5.0 mi
UV Index: 0 - Low	1 - Low	--	1 - Low
Time Until Sunrise: 0 hrs 10 min	Sunrise: 8:06 am	Sunset: 5:14 pm	Sunrise: 8:06 am
Through 2pm: Cloudy with temperatures reaching the upper 30s. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.	Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.	Cloudy skies with a few showers after midnight. Low 37F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.	Overcast with showers at times. High 48F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

I stepped outside with the dogs this morning and it felt so warm! Looking at this, I guess it's really not that warm out there, but it felt lovely and we were out there before the rest of the world - or at least our portion - was awake.

Text Message Happiness

This was our house in Utah, built in the 1950s and in a neighborhood that resembled the 1950s, or at least my vision of the 1950s. We knew our neighbors very well and we all shared household items, watched out for each others kids and when we adopted a dog who was pregnant, it was our neighbors who helped us out. I loved this neighborhood and the people who made it our home.

This morning I received a text message from a former neighbor and it just brightened my day! Something that probably took her 2 minutes to send, but will add cheerfulness to my whole Wednesday. Thank you Tera!

The Talents of Others

This beautiful scarf was made by my friend, Charlotte, and was for sale on Etsy - and the perfect gift for my sister-in-law in Alaska. Buying it brought me great happiness because its beauty reminds me of my beautiful sister-in-law and by purchasing it, I get to support someone I really admire! Also, I would love to be able to knit and crochet, a goal of mine for 2011, but so far every attempt has been disastrous.

Charlotte's items can be seen on Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/salutationscrochet

Blue Skies

Stepped outside this morning to this - a blue sky,

which in Michigan,

in December, is pretty much a miracle!

The Thrills of Self-Help Selections

I found this book at the Jackson Public Library and I have been devouring it. I love self-help books and when they're from the library, in the new book section, even better!


I love this piece from the book:
On the way to get away from where you are, you can run so fast that you miss the blessings along the way. By the time you realize that you have missed them, a major portion of your life has taken place without you.




On another happiness note, I just took the dogs outside and as I watched them play I spotted a dark red cardinal in the woods behind our home. The Michigan sky is gray, there is white snow all around and the trees in the woods are bare, so the red from that beautiful bird was so poignant, so beautiful.

The Furries

Jada was the first furry Albee-Scott, adopted in San Antonio, Texas in 2006. Jada likes to be where the action is and if there's crumpled paper, even better.

Lucy was the second furry Albee-Scott and I can't help comparing her to Mary, who sought shelter so many years ago to give birth to Jesus. We didn't know when we adopted Lucy that she brought with her 8 tiny gifts. When I visited the shelter I played with a few of the dogs, Lucy being one of them. I thought I had returned Lucy to her cage and securely locked the door, but as I was talking with the shelter worker I looked down and Lucy was quietly by my side. It sounds hokey, but at that moment I knew she was our dog.

We found good homes for 6 of Lucy's puppies, but kept the two runts and though they are a ton of work and sometimes cause me great moments of exasperation, I do realize the love and joy they bring to our lives.

With so much living, breathing love in our home we are truly blessed. The gifts under the tree are nice and we will enjoy them, but they don't sustain us - only the love we get and the love we give bring lasting happiness.

Oh Night Divine

My favorite Christmas hymn is O Holy Night and as I read the lyrics this morning, these lines stood out:

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.

If these things are what Jesus stood for, then tonight I do celebrate his birth, because though I may not worship him, I hope to carry forth his message.

From the same hymn, these words refresh me:

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

I can see how a message of love, freedom and eternal rejoicing was welcomed into the world. It is something that is still so needed.

Merry Christmas.

Finding Out Intentions

And he had a messy desk...

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein

I love this quote because it reminds me that by making small changes in our lives we can reap very significant results. When I was younger I thought we had to make huge, sweeping changes in order to improve or just alter our lives. I now know that in order to make lasting changes we need only to incorporate little bits of new pieces into our lives.

This blog is an attempt to make a slight difference in my life. I take about 5 - 10 minutes each day to post something, something that makes me smile. In the scheme of things and the time I have, it's not a big deal, but in how I look at things, it is a big deal!

The second image, of Einstein's desk, makes me feel better about the state of my space - messy, cluttered, but obviously the sign of genius! :)

10,000 Steps

First, that is not me in the photo - but it is how I wear my pedometer each day and how I strut my stuff! It might seem weird to post about how a pedometer makes me happy, but what it is that makes me happy is seeing how active I can be and knowing how little it takes to make the 10,000 step mark each day.

When I feel down I want to grab the nearest box of Hostess products and drown my sorrows in cream filled chocolate wonder, but this last year I've worked really hard to lose weight and being active is the key. I will always love food and I do not believe deprivation in that department works, so I do not deprive myself, I just kick it up a notch in the physical activity department. Wearing a pedometer reminds me to get up and get moving and when I do that I am oh-so-very-very-happy!

What If This is As Good as It Gets

I was looking for an image from the movie "As Good As It Gets" and this came up and instantly made me smile! I was going to write about the line Jack Nicholson says when he's leaving his psychiatrist's office and faces the people in the waiting room, "What if this is as good as it gets?" I love that line because although it may appear to be depressing, I find great hope in it, because it tells me that this might be the best there is, so we better find the best in it.

However, when I saw this picture I realized that THIS is what makes me happy today - because it is so smile-inducing to see any person who is normally rude, crotchety, and all the other adjectives that describe a negative human being - get silly over an animal.

If you haven't seen this movie, please do - it's one of the good ones out there.

Possibility Makes Me Happy

Today I am trying out a new church and the possibility of finding a church home makes me excited! I don't follow a set denomination and I'm not a Christian, though I do try to emulate the love and kindness we believe Jesus Christ gave. I'm not a Buddhist, but I find great peace through the teachings of Siddhartha the Buddha. I've attended Muslim, Catholic, Quaker, Lutheran, Mormon, Presbyterian, Methodist and Episcopalian services and I found comfort in them all. In Utah we started attending First Presbyterian regularly about six months before we moved and it was such a great place to find weekly replenishment.

In a few hours I am going to the Universalist Unitarian Church of East Liberty. This is what I found on their page online:

Welcome
... to a church that
celebrates diversity.
... to a church that
engages reason and critical thinking.
... to a spiritual home that
seeks depth and meaning
for adults and children.
... to a religion that
seeks peace for all people
and the earth.
Welcome to East Liberty.

Love actually airport sub.

What Brings People Together

I got a smile on my face when I read my friend's post on Facebook this morning: Hey, Happy Coach! Just thought I'd share: Coffee made me super happy today. I ran into the store cause I was out of coffee, and left with a free mocha. I had a huge smile on my face!

First, I'd LOVE to be a happy coach - it's like being a teacher - your students believe you hold all that information, when a lot of times you are just faking it! My coaching of happiness right now is about par with that!

Second, knowing that coffee has made someone else happy makes me happy! I only wish Sydney, my friend who made the comment, and I could easily get together for a cup of coffee - ah, that would be true happiness!

*I noticed I have used a plethora (using that word makes me happy) of exclamation points...a sign that this post is truly suppose to be read with happiness!

Colors

I love making these crayons! We now have molds for Halloween and Christmas - will probably do Valentine's Day and Easter too. It's so easy, just break up crayons, put into molds and cook at 200 degrees for about 13 minutes (our oven, the directions said 9-11 minutes). It's really satisfying to see the crayons come out in cool shapes when they've cooled.

I think a box of Crayola is pretty much like a box of happiness!

Exercise Induced Happiness

My stairs at home bring me happiness because if I work out on them for 30 - 40 minutes, I feel oh-so-sweaty-and-good!! Bonus - I can sometimes catch a little Beverly Hills 90210 or Frasier on the tv while working out!

Yumminess = Happiness

Last night Steve and Soph brought this yummy stuff home for me - I spread it on apple slices and it was fabulous!

#1 Source of Happy!

Steve returned from his weekend away and last night, as I lay in bed, I realized how it felt like home when he was there.

I truly appreciate all he does for me, and it's a lot - and that wherever this journey of life takes me I get to ride it with my best friend.

This is a line that I love from the movie Shall We Dance: We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet... I mean, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness'."

Dog Day Every Day

Just look at Percy's expression in both of these photos - how can such anticipation not make you happy! When we adopted Lucy in April 2009 and found out 3 weeks later she was about to give birth to 8 puppies, we felt just a wee bit overwhelmed and although I am a huge advocate for spaying and neutering, taking care of 8 puppies is an experience that really did enrich my life. Watching Percy and Winston and their relationship has been a joy! Percy is a bit naughty, clumsy and chews everything he can. Winston is happy, sweet and very obedient. They are nearly joined at the hip, looking out for one another through all situations.

When we had to take them in for their yearly shots, Winston was licking the vet during his exam and didn't flinch when his vaccines were given, but as soon as Percy let out a whelp over being poked, Winston became agitated. Winston is just a kind, sweet soul.

Lucy is more independent and tolerates the antics of her boys. Sometimes she and I go for long walks so she can get away from the crew at home. She is my girl.

Three dogs is a lot of work and I'm not always certain that keeping all three was the wisest of decisions, but they're in our family and when I take the time to see how they just want to be joyful, play and offer love, then I do feel truly happy!

The Secrets are in a Book!

Look at this - the secrets to happiness can be found in a book! Ha!

Here is one I need to work on: Happiness does not depend on how many bad things happen to an individual. What is more important is whether an individual tends to make negative conclusions about him- or herself when negative events occur.

This is poignant as just today our furnace went out and instantly I thought how it was because of bad choices I'd made in the past. Fortunately I was able to switch my thinking and realize how fortunate we are to have a home that has a furnace that was fixed and we now have heat. That is a huge thing!

Today Soph and I built snowcreatures - hers was a snowdragon, mine was a snowperson. It was quite warm out - given the furnace situation, it felt warmer outside our house than inside - ha, there's a good thing about the furnace going out, it got us outside, which makes me think of the ultimate optimist quote:

Barn's burnt down. Now I can see the moon! ~Masahide

Double Dose Friday

Happiness is in abundance today! I woke up to see fresh snow and lots of it. Sophie put my glove (just 1) on and wiped off the car, while holding onto her stuffed dinosaur.

The photo of me (excuse the mirror usage, nobody was around to take the photo) is to show off my very cool and very happiness inducing Superman t-shirt! For only $5 it makes me feel oh-so-special just by donning it - I'm ready to take on the world!

Guest Writer - Sophie!

Snakes, my family, club penguin puffles, and my stuffed dinosaur, Calvin, and electronics, like computers and television.

Postedby Soph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww22222222222222222222222222222222222222ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

Legal Addiction

Ok, terrible photograph, but I will get better at this!

I suppose it's a bit of a false happiness I get from my addiction to coffee, but it is happiness nonetheless. I associate coffee with the slow waking up that I prefer over the rushed hurry, hurry that sometimes takes over the rest of my day. I purposely get up at least an hour before my family to enjoy my coffee with the computer (my other addiction!). I leisurely sip it and as I get to the end of my second mug, I realize it is time to make a more productive dent into the day.

The smell of coffee, the warmth of coffee and the decadence of fancy coffee drinks which I sometimes indulge in make my world just a wee bit better.

Happiness from a Friend

Nothing is quite as uplifting as a surprise package, which I received the other day from my fabulous friend, Brooke! Inside the package were 2 books, one is a book I almost bought for myself, but didn't, A Dog's Purpose and the other is a book I probably wouldn't have given a second glance, The Beauty of Different.

It is the second book that has been integral in helping me change my perspective the last few days. The beautiful photographs and inspiring stories are just what I needed to shift the focus in my own life from that of missing my home (Utah) to realizing that I am in control of how I create the happiness in my life.

Brooke is one of those people who takes the time to leave a handwritten note, bake a batch of cookies from scratch and offer insightful words when needed. I am such a better person for having Brooke's friendship and example in my life. I am so fortunate to have a friend who sees something that is right for me right when I need it!