~Count your Blessings~

31 Things that make me happy (that I'm thankful for)

1.        First and foremost, God.

2.        My mother (and dad) for making what I’m sure was a difficult decision after 8 years of marriage, but ultimately it led to raising my sister and I with good morals, values, manners and a sense of responsibility.

3.       And obviously my other family members as well. Holidays would be quite depressing without them! And I think I’m lucky to have both sets of grandparents still alive and kickin.

4.       Overall health. I’ve never had surgery or any serious illnesses other than pneumonia & bronchitis. Pink Eye, Chicken Pox and Lice made their appearance, but that’s common. Hayfever still plagues me every summer/fall, but my organs are functioning fine, I’m disease-free and able to exercise several times a week.

5.       My amigos, new and old!

6.       Sweetie. My cat’s orange and white fur touches every surface of my apartment, but his cute face, funny noises and loving personality give me happy butterflies! When he’s curled up in my arms under the covers or sleeping on my pillow/head with his paw extending to touch my hand, I can fall asleep with a smile on my face. :)

7.       A Bachelors Degree.  I may not be in the Journalism field, but I feel  I did learn a lot & had a lot of fun while at UW-Whitewater. Being an editor on the school paper & traveling for Journalism conferences is something I'll  always be grateful for. 

8.       Opportunities to travel. From my mom taking us to NYC, Colorado & Washington D.C. to visiting friends and relatives in Texas, Florida, California and Arizona to spring break in Vegas, cruises to the Bahamas, Mexico & Jamaica and visiting the Grand Canyon. Next up-Germany for Oktoberfest?

9.       Being able to “bounce back” after a difficult situation-breaking up with a boyfriend, losing a job, getting in a car accident, etc. Always seeing the positive side and trying to laugh and dance away the stress keeps me from getting too depressed about things I can’t control.

10.   Having relatively low debt. I’ll have tuition loans for the next 7(ish) years which is something I’ve accepted. I recently had just paid off my car loan when I totaled my Honda and needed to get a new car and start all over again. I sure did enjoy the whole 2 months that I didn’t have a car payment though! Other than that, my credit card is at a manageable balance which I am determined to squash in the next month or two. 

11.   My ’08 Toyota RAV 4 SUV :)

12.   I can write in complete sentences and use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation (when I choose to, texting doesn’t count).

13.   Sunshine. Even on a winter day, tilting my head back, closing my eyes and feeling the warmth on my face makes my soul smile. Winters are long in Wisconsin, so I soak up the sun every chance I get, even if it’s just sitting on the grass reading a book in summer.

14.   Books! I’d go completely insane if I didn’t have novels to distract me from real life sometimes. They’re moving, interesting and educational. Yes, I’m a nerd. I love to read!

15.   Chocolate. ‘Nuff said!

16.   Trees: camping, hiking, being in nature makes me feel very at peace.

17.   Facebook. Sometimes. I could gripe all day about how stupid some people are on this social networking site, but overall, I like being able to stay connected to friends and know what’s going on in my family’s lives.

18.   Music. Whether I want to blast some dancing tunes, man-hater music, nostalgic 80s/90s melodies or calming pieces, there’s a genre for every feeling.

19.   Food. Tomatoes, Mexican, pizza, Red Robin’s Bonzai Burger (BBQ & pineapple!), any kind of juice, cherry cheesecake, gummy worms, stuffed peppers, soup, Cocoa Puffs… these are a few of my favorite things!

20.   My GPS. I’d be so lost without it. Ha! Get it? Ok, sorry.

21.   The sound of rain on my rooftop or while lying in a tent. So relaxing. Love it.

22.   Purple flowers

23.   Laughter. My aunt Chris has an infectious laugh. Everyone in the room will be cracking up, we don’t know at what, but Chris’s chuckle is so funny you can’t help but howl at it! If my face hurts after hanging out with friends or family, I know it was a good day!

24.   Isabel Marie. On December 12, 2013 I became an aunt. I’ve never been a huge fan of kids but lately that’s changing, as they can be fun and entertaining. Holding my 2-hour old niece for the first time, I instantly fell in love with her. Now I love watching her grow and smile, and I truly cannot believe this little being is part Stacey and part Mike. How can I love something so much that’s not even mine?! (Sorry mom, I still don't want to reproduce though.)

25.    That I'm able to afford to live in my own apartment & not have a roommate. 

26.     Volunteer opportunities. When I moved to GB two years ago I didn't know anyone except my sis, her hubby & my now ex-boyfriend. I threw myself into volunteering for On Broadway Inc, the Cellcom Marathon, the Bellin Run, St Mark's 6th-8th grade youth ministry group called Rooted to the Rock, the St Mark Food Pantry, Big Brothers Big Sisters and others. It's helped me meet new people, network and keep me busy when I was going through a break up & needed the distraction. 

27.     Senses: sight, taste, touch, smell & hearing. I think we all take these for granted. 

28.     Smartphones, when they cooperate.

29.     Heartbreaks, disappointments, pain, fear... I should be grateful for all of these as they make me realize things in life, but honestly, who really enjoys these feelings?! I do not. 

30.     My new job as a Marketing Coordinator for a beer distributor!

31.     Peace + Quiet = Relaxing Happiness! 

~Date Nite!~

Last night I got to babysit my cute little Bug so mommy & daddy could have a night out. I got them tickets to the Gamblers game through my work & some gift cards to the Resch so they didn't have to pay for dinner. My sister & her hubbs were on the "Kiss Cam" and a lady made a thankful announcement over the PA to the paramedics who performed CPR on one of the hockey players at a previous game, saving his life. My brother-in-law is a paramedic and those were his co-workers. I watched the video my sister took on Facebook & it was moving. :-)

My baby niece was a perfect little angel for me, instead of the she-devil she can sometimes be lol. It was a good night for all! 

PS. The Gamblers won!!

~Make a non-monetary donation~

About a week or two ago I posted on my Facebook asking friends if they had any pet supplies they were not using or wanted to buy items on the Bay Area Humane Society's wish list or make a monetary donation.

My fellow former Jagergirl Jess gave me a whole box of supplies, my mother mailed me a check, my fellow Body Combat workout buddy Dawn contributed bags of towels and blankets and two puppy beds. I also went to the Dollar General and bought a few items off the humane society's wish list and wrote a small check. So today after work I went there to drop off all the items, and the lady seemed surprised & pleased at the bags & box I hauled in. Afterwards I felt pretty good, and grateful to Jess, Dawn & my madre for contributing!

As you can see this is the third post about animals as I have a weak spot for cats (and sometimes dogs lol) and want to help shelters/humane societies in any way I can. Even after this blog is done, I'll still continue to make a monthly donation to ASPCA and particpate in any fundraising or volunteer activities I have time for. The kitties are so cute!! ;-)

~You may pass first~

Hold the door open for people. Literally, grab the handle pull it back and step aside so someone can enter in front of you. Men, you should already be doing this for any and all females! Prove to us that chivalry is not dead! :-)

~Go Ahead~

Random Act of Kindness/Happiness: instead of blocking an entrance/exit to a gas station or store at a red light, stop a car length back and let people enter/exit the parking lot.

*beep beep!*

~Bday Tunes~

I typed up a whole entry about taking my "little" to the "Finding Kind" lecture at GB West High School... then accidentally deleted it! :-( Thankfully my daily anti-anxiety meds kept me from going bonkers. I was going to say screw it, I'm skipping today too (yah I slacked yesterday). 

Then I realized I did do something nice today without even planning on it. I called my sweet Grandma on my lunch break & sang "Happy Birthday" to her answering machine! 

Happy bday Gma A!! <3

~Save the Environment!~

The beautiful sun is melting the snow - yay!! But it's also revealing all the gross litter on the ground - boo! Today I donned some latex gloves, grabbed a plastic bag and went for a walk with the sheer purpose of picking up a bunch of litter in my neighborhood.

After 15 minutes my bag was overflowing with disgusting objects that were discarded in parking lots, on the side of the road and in the grass along Bellevue Street. I collected about 10 empty cigarette cartons, about the same number of empty alcohol/soda/water bottles and random crap including a bag of rotten potatoes, cig butts & two big pieces of cardboard.

This is only a fraction of the litter in my neighborhood! The next time I go for a walk, I'm bringing TWO bags!