A Waiting Line Moving Quickly

June 8’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. A Stream’s Riffles - The sound that the riffles makes me happy because it lets me know that I’m out among nature. I love biking down to the stream below the damn at the lake we go to just because it’s fun to lay down on the hammocks that they have along the paths in the woods and listening to the stream flow on by.

2. Trapunto Flowers - I can honestly say that I have never heard of these. They sound interesting and I love flowers so I’ll say that they make me happy.

3. Hot Apple Granola - Yum!!! I love hot apple and mixed granola sounds like it would be good. Don’t they make some gooey apple thing with granola. They used to serve something like that at my middle school some days for our dessert after lunch.

4. The Star Wars Trilogy - This could go one of two ways. If it is the first three they totally make me happy even with the not so good affects because they were way ahead in the technology for the time that they were made. The original actors are really good for the parts and they can’t really beat the original episodes. The newer three are just awful...I honestly don’t really even understand what’s going on in them and I don’t have the patience to try and watch them.

5. Shpilkes - Wasn’t this a word in Scooby Doo or something?

6. A Waiting Line Moving Quickly - Honestly, who wants to stand in a waiting line that is moving slowly? It makes me really happy when lines move fast, especially for something that is very exciting like a roller coaster or some other kind of cool ride.

7. Reading on Vacation - Most people think that I’m crazy for reading while I’m on vacation but that’s one of my favorite parts about being on vacation. The fact that I don’t have to worry about reading for school makes it easier for me to concentrate on a book that is for pleasure instead of ‘torture’.

8. A Whoosh of Wind - I love these whooshes when it’s a really hot day. It just feels nice to have some sort of breeze coming through the thick heat.

9. Butterflies Alighting - Butterflies light up? I thought that was fireflies?

10. Art Deco Geometrics - It amazes me what people can do with a space of a room and transform it with their skills. It makes me happy to know that there are people out there who have better taste than I do and can help me transform something plane into something that I want to actually look at.

People Who RSVP

June 7’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. A Table for Projects - It is always better to have one of these rather than using your kitchen table or counter because you have to clean it up before you can use it for meals which can make it very hard and more of a hassle. We used to do our projects in the dining room because we barely used it except for special occasions.

2. Rockland and Rockport, Maine - I don’t know much about them but one of my friends lives up there and says that it can be both good and bad at different times.

3. Buddha Serenity - I guess this is a good thing when you just want to relax.

4. Pennies for Wishes - I remember whenever we would walk around in the mall there were always fountains in the mall and I would ask for my parents for a penny to throw into a fountain so that my favorite wish would come true. Many of them didn’t come true but it was always nice to hope that they would.

5. Classical Music as You Commute - Honestly usually when I’m commuting it is late at night or early in the morning, I don’t know why this happens so often but it does, so I try to listen to music that will keep me awake. I do however like to listen to classical music while I do my homework because it helps me to better concentrate.

6. Building a New House - I think that this would be a lot of fun because you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you built this house to the specifications that you wanted and you got the opportunity to create something so beautiful. The only problem I have with building new houses is the developers. They’re really starting to piss me off because they keep building more houses when we don’t need them as there are plenty of them for sale on the foreclosed market.

7. Professional Makeup Brushes - They do a great job and I love using them but if you don’t keep them clean they will not work as well as you want them to.

8. Chopsticks-Only Eating - I can’t eat with chopsticks very well so if this happened I’d be up a river without a paddle. I’ve tried to teach myself, it just hasn’t worked out very well in my favor.

9. People Who RSVP - Everyone who wants to go to an event should RSVP to the event and even if you are not going to attend it is polite to RSVP and let them know that you are going to be showing up. It is extremely rude to show up after not saying anything and expect to be seated or have food.

10. Washing Your Hair in Rainwater - I wish that I could do something like this but we don’t get rain enough to actually wash my hair. I do however bathe myself in the lake we go to in the summer from time to time.

Bridal Gown Shopping

June 6’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. Plaid Tablecloths - These make me happy because I know that they usually mean that we’re either going on a picnic or we’re eating outside. I love eating outside when the weather is good. If it is a nice cool night with not too many bugs it’s wonderful to eat outside at a picnic table colored in a plaid tablecloth.

2. Acceptance - Ok, other than loners, who doesn’t want acceptance? I love gaining it from new groups of people or just different people in general. Sometimes it’s harder than others. I gained acceptance in my sorority just because I’m me, unlike in other sororities where you must do all of the “activities” in order to be accepted. I think that’s just stupid. People should accept you for who you are rather than a bunch of tasks that you are asked to complete.

3. Bridal Gown Shopping - As I have never been bridal gown shopping, for myself or anyone else, I can only say what I’ve seen in movies. It looks fun and a little stressful. I feel badly for the people who work in the stores, especially after watching some of the Bridezillas in Say Yes to the Dress. Some of the women in that show are the rudest people I’ve ever seen. Why would you want to be put onto TV acting like a snobby bitch?

4. Batik Clothing - I honestly have no idea what the heck this is. Anyone have an answer for me?

5. Making Your Own Cologne - Who actually does this other than stars? I have never seen anyone making their own cologne although I would like to see how it’s done just for the heck of it. I love smelling cologne and perfume whether it’s on someone or just sniffing the air after spraying it.

6. Brainiacs - People who are brainiacs are pretty cool as long as they don’t flaunt it too much. If you flaunt it I might want to hit you because you are making me feel dumb and obsolete. Some day the brainiacs are going to be the only people making money in this world because technology will eventually be able to do all of the other jobs.

7. Young Trees - It is amazing to see a young tree transform into an older tree. I got a tree in the eighth grade as a graduation present from my best friend from middle school. It has grown immensely and I walked out one day and saw how much it had been grown and asked if my tree had died and if we had replaced it with a bigger tree but my parents said no it’s the same one Sam gave me. WOOOOOWWW!!!

8. A Spume of White Bubbles - This is as opposed to a spume of any other color?

9. Honeycomb - It brings the honey that the bees make and I love honey on my English muffins along with in my tea. I love honey in general, it just tastes so smooth and good.

10. Stone Wall-Lined Lanes - I wish there were more of these at all of the old houses that I live around. I have one along one side of my driveway but you don’t see them very often anymore because people let them fall into disrepair and eventually knock them down because they look so bad. Oh well, not my problem when people complain about the world not looking pretty anymore, blame your parents and the generations before them!

Climbing a Tree

June 5’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. A Leisurely Bath - I love bring able to relax in the bathtub. It’s great after a horrible day of work or classes. I wish that they had bathtubs at school so that students could relax a little bit after a long day. Bubble baths are the best because you can play with the bubbles as you lay in the tub.

2. Autograph Day at School - Was this the day that you received your yearbooks and you wanted all of your closest friends to sign it because you thought it was cool. They all wrote things like HAGS or HAGAS or something like that. I feel like your close friends should write something meaningful instead of just saying see ya next year.

3. A Filled Mug’s Warmth - I really liked this last week in Alaska after kayaking or going for skiff rides because by the time you would get back from doing activities you would be cold as ice. The feel of the mugs with hot cocoa or coffee in them was just a savior from being cold.

4. Sandy Cape Ann - Never been but I’m sure it’s beautiful.

5. Climbing a Tree - I was never very good at this unless the tree had low and together branches. I hated climbing anything that had sap on the trunk or limbs though because you could never get it off all of the way and that was such an annoyance. My favorite tree that I’ve ever climbed would have to be the banyan tree in the Bahamas. The roots of the tree grow out from the limbs. It’s pretty cool.

6. Philosophies Displayed on T-Shirts - The ones that make you laugh are the best T-shirts in my opinion or the ones that have the most meaningful statements on the front of the shirt.

7. Ring-Toss Games - These games just made me angry because I could never seem to get the ring in the right place and I would always lose. I’m not a soar loser I just don’t like loosing round after round, it kind of sucks!

8. China’s Great Wall - It amazes me how they built these without all of the machines and technology that we have today. While it is not in the best kept shape it serves it’s purpose in the times when it was most needed. It helped China become the place that it is today.

9. Elbow Room - I love having this when I need it because having at big family dinners it’s really hard to cut your meat when you have someone right next to you who you may elbow. It’s really funny when I have one of my younger cousins next to me and barely miss their face while cutting my meat and they yell at me...god I love children!

10. Finding Out You are not Lost - Who actually enjoys being lost (unless you’re on an adventure)? It’s nice to figure out that you are not lost in the end because then you can get back on track to where you were and it makes you feel better about your directional skill. The GPS is definitely a wonderful invention at keeping people from getting lost. It does however make mistakes sometimes so don’t depend on it fully or you never know where you’ll end up.

Looking Others Straight in the Eye

June 4’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. Replying to Letters - Throughout this past school year my grandmother and I corresponded through old fashioned letters instead of using email. I always loved responding to her letters because it made me good to tell her about my accomplishments and what was going on in my life. I tried doing this with my other grandmother but it didn’t work out very well.

2. Adrenaline - I am a total adrenaline junkie. I love doing things that make my adrenaline spike. I would love to go sky diving but I have a feeling that I’d pee myself if I tried it. I also love when it kicks in because I feel like I’m not afraid of anything.

3. An Unusual Museum - I wish I could find more of these just for entertainment. Does anyone have any suggestions?

4. One Exotic Bloom - There is a plant down in the Bahamas that blooms once every 100 years. I have had the pleasure of seeing it and it is absolutely beautiful. I didn’t think that I would get to but getting to see it was really neat actually.

5. Vermont Cheddar - I don’t know how my calendar figured out that this makes me happy but it is my favorite kind of cheese flat out. No other cheese can beat it. I love putting it in my sandwiches, on crackers, almost anywhere where it will taste good. My grandmother brings it back from Vermont when she goes and it keeps for a while and the longer you let it sit, the better it tastes in my opinion.

6. A Wish Granted - Yea right! As much as I’d love to believe that wishes do come true, they rarely do unless you do something about it. Fairy godmothers do not exist in real life but it’s not that hard to work for something if you really want it. On the rare occasion someone’s wish will come true and who am I to ruin their happiness?

7. The Majesty of Circus Tents - The biggest circus tent is always where the main event is. I think that circuses are pretty cool until the clowns come out because they’re a little creepy.

8. Jogging with a Friend - I’d rather jog by myself with my iPod so that my friends won’t laugh at me when I can’t keep up. I wish I was a better runner but I doubt that will ever happen as I’m not into it as much as I would like to be.

9. Taking the Time to Observe - If you do this, you never know what you’ll find. While I was in Alaska I observed and found a whale and a bear. It was pretty cool to find all of these neat things just because I took my time on our hikes through the mountains and listened when they told us what to look for.

10. Looking Others Straight in the Eye - I wish more people would do this then there would be more communication in the world. If they aren’t looking you in the eye then they’re usually lying! When you are shaking someone’s hand you should always look them straight in the eye or they may think that you are incompetent.

Apples in Country Baskets

June 3’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. Nature’s Lessons - There are so many that we still need to learn. Hurricanes, tornadoes, and earth quakes are just a few elements constantly teaching us lessons on how to live on this earth peacefully. They come and wreck our houses and we continually think of better ways to build our houses. I think that nature has taught us a lot and has put us in the age of technology we are in today.

2. Apples in Country Baskets - Apples in baskets in my mind means apple sauce. Once my grandmother has us pick the apples off of her tree I know that they are ready for her wonderful apple sauce. As a kid I always loved her apple sauce, and I can still eat it by the bowl full. It is absolutely scrumdidlyumptious!

3. A Thermos of Raspberry Iced Tea - It sounds good but considering I’m not a big fan of iced tea, that doesn’t really help.

4. A Charcoal Grill - They are so much better than gas grills even if they are worse for the environment. They give the food a different taste that I think makes the food taste better. The only time that we use a charcoal grill is up in the mountains and it is something that reminds me of summer because we only go up to the mountains in the summer.

5. Cooking Something New - I love taking the chance every once in a while of cooking something new because you never know the reactions that you will get for trying something new. New food can be delicious or it can be an epic fail. I also think that it depends on how well you can cook something.

6. Hand-Feeding a Goat - As long as you know to hold your hand out straight instead of curling your fingers up they won’t bite you! I love feeding any animal out of my hand that I know won’t bite my fingers off. The only time I’ll feed a dog out of my hand is when I know that it is just one small thing that I’m feeding them.

7. Concord Grapes - What’s the big deal? I just like grapes in general. The best is when they are chilled in the fridge and make a crunch when you chew them. I am very good at throwing them into the air and catching them with my mouth.

8. Cotton Sateen Sheets - Soooo soft!!!

9. Black Pepper-Spiked Gravy - Anything that is spiked with black pepper gives it a little more taste or zest. I think that every meal should be spiked with some sort of spice to give it more taste because bland is bad.

10. Springer Spaniels - Pretty doggies!!! I love them because they have long hair. Then again I love any dog that comes with in a football field radius of me and has an owner that will let me pet it. My mom taught me that it is polite (and also a little dangerous) to just walk up and pet someone’s dog.

The First Warmth of the Coming Season

June 2’s 10 Things to Be Happy About

1. Napkin Rings - I like these at the beginning of the meal but I think that they should be moved out of the way once everyone starts to eat because they end up being in the way. They do make the table look very nice on the other hand. While I was in Alaska, we rolled them around the table while we would wait for desert...apparently we were really bored.

2. Sharing Popcorn - Honestly you don’t have to share with me, I won’t eat it anyway. I’m not really a big fan so you can have it all to yourself. It’s nice to get an offer every once in a while though.

3. Footstep Cadence - Um, sure this makes me happy?

4. Being Cozy - Who doesn’t love being cozy? It just makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I love being cozy by the fire in our cabin in the mountains or being cozy in our library by the fire reading a book. It’s just those moments that make you wish that all moments could be like that.

5. Crossword Tournaments - There is such a thing? I’ve never heard of it anyway. My grandmother would have loved those considering she was so amazing at these. It makes me smile to think about her doing her crossword puzzles. She actually had one that was six feet by six feet. It was absolutely huge but I don’t think it was finished before she passed away unfortunately. It would have been cool to see it finished.

6. Adorable Faces - Little kids usually have these with their baby fat before it goes away. I love looking at kids though, especially when they make funny faces or have done something that they don’t realize is bad and have the most innocent face on.

7. Luminaries - I love driving past these in the winter, usually on Christmas Eve. Our family tradition is to drive around town to find streets with good luminaries and cool Christmas decorations around their house.

8. Plump Settee Cushions - So comfortable! You feel like you are sinking into the most comfortable chair ever. My great grandmother always had very plump ones.

9. Mojitos - I had a strawberry mojito for my first drink in celebration of my 21st birthday and it was absolutely delicious. It even had bits of the strawberry in the drink. It made me very happy that I was old enough to order it for myself and legally drink it!

10. The First Warmth of the Upcoming Season - We haven’t had much of that until last week when it was really hot. It was very exciting to finally have weather that was warmer than the 60’s.