Monday Goodness

Here-here!

Here's to...

New beginnings

Happiness

Jumping in

Awesome people

Homemade cookies.

1,000 Happy Things

Guess what: I have a new blog! It's nothing special, kind of a personal project, inspired by this blog I stumbled upon. But I thought I'd share it with vous because it's all about the things that make us happy, and why would I keep that all to myself?

Hop on over to 1,000 Happy Things!

Another step to simple happiness

“Diversify your cognitive portfolio: Museum Mondays, Tennis Tuesdays, Writing Wednesdays, Tango Thursdays, Learn-to-Frittata Fridays, Socializing Saturdays, Socrates Sundays. We need to rotate activities weekly to fire up different brain regions."

—Dr. Gayatri Devi, Neurology and Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine


This is a GREAT IDEA! If I were super-duper motivated, this is what my cognitive portfolio would look like:

Margarita Mondays
(not an activity per se, but I love me some margaritas!)

No-TV Tuesdays
(mindlessly flipping through the channels after work isn't cute)

Watercolor Wednesdays
(Need to make it a point to paint)

Toning Thursdays
(Get those muscles looking sexy)

French Fridays
(French food, French films, French music, or all of the above)

Cycle Saturdays
(Take my Corsaro on a little trip)

Scrabble Sundays
(Totally nerdy, but totally necessary in my life)


What would your week look like??

Another step to simple happiness

"Start an old-fashioned correspondence with a friend. Handwriting a letter forces you to express yourself in a totally different way.”

—Jonathan Arnold,General Manager, Dempsey & Carroll Stationery Engravers

I would correspond with my oldest friend Tita, or my old college room-mate Brittany. Both live in California. I love hand-writing things, so I think I would genuinely enjoy this. Plus, I can invest in some really lovely stationary!


From New York Magazine's "50 Steps to Simple Happiness"

This morning, I am GRUMPY.

So, I'm taking this advice:

“Collect visual memories of moments when you were incredibly happy, and close your eyes and picture them when you need a boost. The mind needs images to access feelings.”

—Edwige Gilbert, Wellness And Stress-Management Coach, 50 Steps to Simple Happiness, New York Magazine

...


On the Ponte Vecchio with my friends


At Goleta Beach


With him


Canada trip with these lovers


Moommmmm


Boys & Girls Club


Forest Home


Rosie's puppies


Ok. Feeling a bit better.

One step to simple happiness

Make your bed.
"Go figure, but outer order contributes to inner calm. Especially if you’re living in a small space—but even if you’re living in a gigantic loft. Start each day with a concrete, albeit tiny (and therefore manageable!), accomplishment.”

—Gretchen Rubin, Author, The Happiness Project

Read more steps to simple happiness

Nine Things to be Happy About

1. Treating myself to salt and vinegar potato chips
2. Dressing up on Halloween
3. This morning's encounter with a friendly barista
4. Losing a few pounds without really trying
5. A kiss on the lips when I was just hoping for a kiss on the cheek
6. The holidays are on their way
7. Dinner parties with fun people
8. It Happened One Night is on Netflix's instant play
9. Reconnecting with old friends

World Peace

Sometimes I think that hot coffee could solve all of the world's problems.
It's that life-changing.

To Whom It May Concern:

On happiness...

The exact words I needed to read this morning.

Breakfast

My mom's making chocolate croissants.

Tita's coming over with the coffee.

In other words, I'm happy.

Evening Picnic

Yesterday, Joe and I had an evening picnic at
Gas Works Park. It was gorgeous, but it
got a little windy.

Thank You, Universe

My wish for you, Allie, is that you succeed beyond your wildest imagination. That you find love in places that astound you. And that you have friends who call you "just because." I dream that you go barefoot more than you wear shoes. That you play as hard as you work. And that you laugh more than you cry. I want you to set the bar high, but not too high. To reach for the stars, but with your toes on the ground. And to never, ever stop dreaming. But most of all, Allie, I wish for your happiness.

What Makes You Terribly Happy?

1. Daisies
2. Brownies for breakfast
3. Singing in the car
4. Pretending I'm French
5. Boyfriend's boyish laugh
6. Soft piano music
7. Little kids dancing unashamedly
8. Spontaneity
9. Summer in Seattle
10. Horribly romantic songs


How 'bout you?


Thanks to Naomi for the wonderful prompt.

Let's Start the Day Off With This:

Love Always,

Allie

My Happiness

Because I feel like I'm flying.



Image found via weheartit.com

I Got Tagged

Julianna, the prettiest girl in the world, tagged my blog in a game of blogger tag. I'm so flattered! Please check out Julianna's blog, Water May Walk!

the rules: share six things that make you happy and tag six amazing starry-eyed bloggers!

HAPPY:

1. Hot coffee

2. Long-awaited kisses

3. Paris

4. Trophy Cupcakes

5. Embraces

6. Used bookshops

STARRY-EYED BLOGGERS

1. The Dangling Conversation

2. The Rumination Reading Room

3. La vie d'une fille

4. The Awkward Blogger

5. The Seattle Scramble

6. Her Name Was Truth

Au revoir, 2008!

Let me tell you something: I'm kind of fond of 2008. So much happened. It was a very good year, to quote Frank Sinatra.

Here are some highlights of 2008 that make me think fondly of it:

President-elect BARACK OBAMA

Twilight mania

The comeback kid, Ms. Britney Spears herself (Wo-man-i-zer!)

Graduation... I earned a B.A. in English from Seattle Pacifc University!

One word: Beyonce. Harry Potter Halloween Party

Joe, the boyfriend

Friends abroad... Laura, Britta, Brielyn, Carissa, David, Alex...

"I Kissed a Girl." I liked it. The song, that is.

Allie's first trip to Canada

It was a Boys & Girls Club kind of summer

New, big-girl job!

Summer with these sillies:

Cross-country skiing with Heidi and Greta

Our very own apartment

Hope you had a good year too! Cheers to YOU this New Year's Eve!

A Lovely Equation

HER

+

HIM

=