What I've learned...

Today is the very last day of Toni's New Year Project!! And I'm about to hop up on my kitchen table and do a little dance because IIIIIIII did it!  Of course there were a few days where I was late with posting but I swear to God Almighty that I had already written most of the posts and just forgot to post them. I sweeeaaaaarrrrr! 

Today Toni asks: what have you learned this past month and what are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?

Well, my friends, I've happily learned quite a bit.

1. I can actually complete a challenge (almost, pretty much, for the most part, yeah, I did, guys)

2. Sometimes people seriously suck.  And if those people are bringing you down that much where it's all you think about and it's not only effecting your mood but other people's moods around you...FIX IT AND MOVE ON.  I've sadly let boys stupid actions effect my mood a lot this month and then one night as I was thinking about the whole situation (last Friday to be exact...) I asked myself (while drinking lots of wine) WHAT AM I DOING?! Why am I letting these people that have been in my life such a short while bring me down like this? They're simply not worth it. So I said SAYONARA SUCKERS and moved on.  It was hard at first, but with a little pep talk from my bestie, I was on top of the world.

3. My happiness depends on ME and only ME.  Happiness is a choice.  If I'm feeling miserable there are steps I now take to turn my mood and attitude around.  Sure, other people play a huge role in how happy I am, but in the end, it's all up to ME. And I choose happiness.

4. I need to stop being so conscious of all my flaws and start focusing on how great my life, my attitude and body really is.  I look in the mirror and see love handles, bingo arms, and acne galore when I should be paying more attention to two functioning arms and legs, a noggin with a perfectly stable  and educated mind, a strong heart, a set of lungs and all those other beautiful guts that are in perfect health. I am a perfectly healthy weight for my height, all my senses are in check and working wonderfully, I love my eyes and long legs and I am happy.

5. I am probably one of the most grateful people I know.  Seriously, I hear people complain about the silliest things or get angry over something that is such an easy fix.  Oh, your faucet is leaking? Well, some people don't even have homes to complain about. You forgot to transfer your laundry from the washer to the dryer? Yeah, some people don't even have an extra pair of clothes to wash. Oh, your coffee maker is broken? There are people in this world that don't even have clean water to drink. 

I try take a bad situation and search for the good things that could be found in it.  I remember that everything happens for a reason and some day it'll all make sense. Don't get me wrong, I complain about things too but then I tell myself: THINGS COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE.

I am so grateful that I decided to participate in this challenge this month to get my year started off on the right foot and I can't wait to see what else 2014 has in store for me. 

Happy weekend, friends.

xo

100 Happy Days (1/4) and a letter

Twenty-five days ago I decided to join the 100 Happy Days Challenge. Best decision ever. The challenge is super simple (post a picture of something that made you happy, everyday, for 100 days) and it's mega-rewarding.  I'm obsessed with taking pictures so taking one picture a day isn't difficult for me at all.  And finding something that made me smile, even after a super crappy day, is usually pretty easy (and it's usually one of my cats or the sky...).  I'm a quarter of way through the challenge and haven't even almost missed a day.  Being happy and grateful and finding things in my every day life that I'm thankful for has become a way of life for me.  And I couldn't be happier.

Here's what I've been happy for the past few weeks...

Happy thinking. Happy heart. Happy attitude. Happy life.

Follow along here.

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Second to last day of The New Years Project (!!!) says:

Write a letter to your future child on what you've learned about happiness.

Hey kiddo,

It's your mama. I'm only 23 and you are nowhere on my radar screen yet but I already know I will love you with all my heart...maybe even more than Bruno, but let's not push it right now. I'm here to tell you about a little thing called happiness.  You need to know that being happy didn't always come easy for me. I used to be unhappy with my life, my relationships, my body, a lot of things really.  I got pretty damn good at pretending I was okay, but deep down, I was miserable.

Then I met a boy that completely changed my life, in the best way possible.  He showed me what love really felt like and how a man should treat a lady. He showed me what happiness truly was.  We sadly grew apart but he'll forever remain in my heart as a very special and important person in my life.  I hope to God you'll find someone just as special as he was to me.

During and after our relationship, I also started loving myself, my life and those around me.  I became closer to my friends, made more friends and kind of blossomed in a small way.  I realized that if you just stay positive, your life can take a drastic turn for the absolute better. A positive attitude leads to a positive life.  

Happiness to you, as a child, may be waking up on Christmas morning and unwrapping a bunch of gifts or getting a cell phone fresh out the womb (kidding, you're not getting one until your in high school, sorry not sorry) or maybe happiness is simply getting your way.  And that's okay, little one, because eventually you'll learn that material things aren't the only thing that can make you extremely happy.  Don't get me wrong, I used to be the same way. I loved getting new toys, clothes, a new phone, etc. but as I grew up, I've learned that happiness can be found in the simplest of places.  Whether it's in the soft tickle of a kitty's whiskers on your face, the first signs of Spring, watching a sunset or sunrise alone, receiving a smile from a stranger, or your favorite song coming on the radio.  

I just want you to know that happiness can be pretty darn easy to find, if you simply look at the right things, in the right way. Open your mind and your heart.  Be confident and brave.  Follow your dreams.  Love everything that God has given you. 

Oh, and don't do drugs. 

Love, mama bear

xo

On Making my own Happiness and Smiles( #15)

So, I haven't talked about it at all on here and I really wasn't going to because it's nobody's business but my own but I went through a break up a couple months ago (Tragic I know. I don't need a sob fest. That's literally all I've gotten from everyone I know and it's getting old). Since the break up I met a few men boys.  It was great at first...flirting with someone new is exciting and then they might ask you out on a date or two, you hang out, you get to know them, they tell you they really like you, and your hesitant  at first because your fresh out of a relationship and you don't want that yet, but then they sweet talk you and then you start to kinda, sorta like them back and WA-BAM! They turn out to be total douche bags. They decide to drop you like a ton of bricks.  They toy with your emotions. They bring you down. They make you feel incompetent and self-conscious. They decide you're not worth their time.

NEWS FLASH: I'M FABULOUS!

Okay, I have a point to this rant and it's this: I HATE BOYS & I'M TURNING INTO A LESBIAN!
I kid. I kid.

For realsies though, Toni asked today: how can you take charge of your own happiness?
THIS IS HOW:
Forget boys (or girls, or anyone else that's bringing you down). Enjoy your life. Get negativity out of your life. Take charge of your own happiness. ADOPT A KITTEN. Surround yourself with happy, positive people. BE YOU (unless you're miserable, then be some incredibly happy person).
And, vent to your best friend. That's what I did. She's my favorite human of all time...

#wifingher

SO, in honor of making my own happiness, and droppin' all d-bags from my life, here's what's made me smile this week...

31 GIFs of Hot Guys Cuddling Puppies to Make you Smile. You are welcome.

She stretches and glides her body over a blank canvas... what she creates is amazing.

THESE ARE THE BEST IDEA EVERRR
I just want to hand them out to everyone.

21 Painfully Honest Cakes for Every Occasion 

Cats About to Sneeze | HA!


____________Links_____________

23 Everyday Things That we Could all be Doing Better | READ THIS. Right meow.

This Man Trolls His Jerk Neighbor in the Most Passive Aggressive Way Possible | HYSTERICAL

The 35 Happiest Things that Have Ever Happened

The 15 Stages of Being Sick (told with puppy gifs)

The 9 Most Epic Texting Pranks of all Time | OMG.LOL

The 18 Best 90s Pop Songs You Forgot Existed | I certainly haven't forgot about some of these gems.

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Have a fantastical weekend.
xo

PS- I wrote this last night when I was really hyper and I may or may not have been drinking....

On happiness

As mentioned in a previous post I've been practicing gratitude for over a year now. And I can't even begin to describe how much happier it has made me.  Honest to God, being grateful has changed my life for the absolute better.  I wish I would've started way sooner.  

I used to be the biggest Negative Nancy in the world.  I thought the world was out to get me.  I was beyond stressed out.  I was unhappy and ungrateful.  I was a bad friend and person in general. I was always counting all the bad things that could happen in any given situation.  Manipulating, mind-fucking relationships can do that to a lady. I tell ya, if you're unhappy in a relationship, GET OUT. It's not worth the pain and agony you're suffering.  And I guarantee there's someone a billion times better out there for you.  I found one, and then totally screwed that up, so maybe I'm not the best at giving out relationship advice... But seriously don't ever stay in a lousy relationship because you don't want to "hurt him" or you think you're in "too deep" already...you're just hurting yourself.  End rant.

ANYWAYS!

I mentioned way back in March that I celebrated 100 days of gratitude by writing in a Gratitude Journal (<click to see all the awesome features and what not).  My gratitude journal is an app on my phone. It costs $.99 and if you're against paying for any apps on your phone, I'll give you a dollar for this one.  Seriously though, I promise it's worth it.  Reflecting on your day and jotting down everything you're grateful for is so simply rewarding. And looking back to the things you've been grateful for on previous days is a great and quick way to cheer up on a bad day.

I write everything I'm grateful for that day. Little things, big things, silly things, obvious things, things others take for granted every day, everything. I'm thankful that my heart is beating, that I'm healthy, that I'm mentally fit.  I'm thankful for pancakes for dinner, kitty kisses, finding a new favorite song to listen to on repeat, happy hour, helping others, the smell of book stores, sunshine, clean water to drink, laughter, finding the courage, supportive friends, smiles from strangers, the way sunlight plays through someone's hair, life-changing opportunities, letting go, that warm and fuzzy feeling when incredibly happy. Seriously, I could write the biggest book on the planet describing all the things you could be grateful for.
And the best thing is, I've come to notice that by appreciating even the littlest things in your day make you appreciate the big things a bajillion times more.

My point in writing this post came from Toni's New Year Project prompt of how can you put more happiness in your life? Simple...be grateful. 

You can see my list of things I do that make me happy, grateful and help me de-stress here from earlier this month.

Gratitude, my friends.
It's worth it. I promise.

xo

things that make me happy

While being sick all weekend I had all the time in the world to curl up in a ball on the couch or in my bed and be absolutely, positively, perfectly miserable. I did nothing but drink tea, nap, read, drink tea, browse the internets, nap, look at old pictures and drink more tea.  Seriously, I should probably be dead with all the tea I consumed this weekend.  But anyways, while checking in with the New Years Project I had zero motivation to think about writing in a stream of consciousness, whatever that means, so here's a big, fat compilation of pictures that make me extremely happy instead...

  blanket forts with my best friend as college graduates | rings around the moon | naturally weathered walls | beautiful strangers watching the sunset alone | spring | the bean machine going nuts over cat nip | the most charming house in Buffalo | watching the sun go down, upside-down | painted trees

my toes in the sand | skipping rocks | the first signs of Spring | hippos kissing | two flowers blossoming from one stem | looking up | taking a picture of someone taking a picture of someone taking a picture of the sunset | perfectly timed photos | tree silhouettes against a sunset

 sunshine shining through some purple flowers | picking apples | reading Tuesdays with Morrie | taking risks | heart-shaped cereal | finding awesome pictures like this on your borrowed camera | rain drops | getting crafty | girls day at findley lake

horses | watching the sun dip under Lake Erie | entering the Botanical Gardens | relaxing in the grass on a hot summer day | visiting overstocked used book stores | watching a sky lantern disappear into the night | sunshine and palm trees | feeling loved | running a 5k and doing way better than expected

Life is grand.

Happy Monday, friends.

xo

I ended up adding captions so I guess this totally counts, right?

#100happydays

As you maybe, quite possibly, probably not, may or may not know, when it comes to being grateful and happy, I'm all in. So when I read Nicole's recent blog post about the 100 Happy Days Challenge I was instantly hooked. 

A challenge challenging me to be happy for 100 days in a row? Challenge accepted. 

It's easy, 100 Happy Days simply asks to post a picture of something (just one thing!) that made you happy that day. That's it. Just one thing.  It could be a picture of your cat (duh), a friend, your significant other, that extremely photogenic starbucks cup, the sunshine, anythingggg.  And then you have to hashtag #100happydays on your instagram, facebook or twitter picture so everyone else can see it and enjoy your happiness. Super simple. Super doable. Super awesome.

So, what do you say?

Do you think you can be happy for 100 days in a row?

Follow my happiness here.

I got this.

Bring on the happiness!

xo

INTJ & life turnings

Okay, I semi-failed at the challenge already.
I started Monday's post Sunday but got bored with it/distracted and found something better to do...
#sorrynotsorry

According to this personality test I was supposed to take form the Blogtember challenge I am

Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

First off... I don't really like tests like this.  Why do I have to take a test to find out who I am and what I already know??  I am 100% aware that I am an introvert.  I'm super shy.  I'm not a big talker.  I fear speaking to a large group of people. Don't get me wrong, I like socializing and making new friends but it's kind of terrifying.  Yes, I know I'm a perfectionist, I'm pretty good at thinking things out, yaddayaddayadda.
I tried reading my profile page three separate times but was bored and got distracted each time. 

Sooo, yeah, my feelings on this prompt... meh. next....

Blogtember's Day 6 prompt is to describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

Being happy, positive and grateful was never very easy for me. 

I battled with it daily.  I was self-conscious. I put myself down.  I thought the world was against me.

It took one person, one friend, to reach out.  She called me out on my negative actions.

She told me things that she and all my friends felt about me that literally made me cry for hours. Hours. 

It made me realize that I need to 1. stop being a bitch  2. be a better friend and 3. be happy

That conversation changed me but I needed it. Bad.

So how did I stop being so negative?  I changed my attitude.  I changed my perspective on life.  I started loving myself and my life.  I surrounded myself with supportive people, beautiful things and positive words.  I broke down my walls and smiled.  I stopped to smell the roses, enjoy the sunset and cherish my moments.  I started ignoring negative people, words and surroundings.  I lay low on social media (especially facebook). I write down things that make me smile to reread when I'm feeling sad. I have gratitude for everything.  I take no one or thing for granted.  

So do me a favor.  Stop what you're doing right now. Well, wait...finish reading my post and then stop what you're doing.  Look around you. Life. Is. Beautiful.  Okay, you may be in your messy room, or you're thinking, oh...I really need to vacuum or fold the laundry.  But look past that... Are you in a house/apartment/dorm room/library?  That's something to be grateful for. Do you have a pet, spouse, friend around you? That's something to be happy about.  Do you have clothes on your back? Food in your fridge? School or a job to go to?  Be grateful.  Be happy. Be positive.  It's a simple life-altering choice.

Life is beautiful.
xo

Today is this week's "Monday" for many of you, including myself.

I thought I'd post a little inspiration to get you through the day!

Happy Tuesday!

xo