A Happy 101 Award... fun! :)

I love being referred to as a "happy person".  That, alone, can make me happy! *grin*  It is true.  So when my blogging friend, Ellen, of Weighting Around passed along the Happy 101 Award to me... well... it made me happy!  Ellen is a fun person and honest and real... her blog is a lot like mine in that we're not terribly strict in what we write about - it is whatever the spirit moves us to blog on.  She has some great recipes, too, so please do check out her Weighting Around blog! Thanks, Ellen, for the Happy 101 Award! :)

Here are the instructions:
1.Copy the image and display it on your blog.
2.List 10 things that make you happy.
3.Try to do at least one of them today.
4.Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day

Ten Things That Make Me Happy:
This will be hard 'cause I know myself and know that there are soooo many things that make me happy.  I'm likely to wake up in the middle of the night and think to  myself "oh! I should edit that blog post... this makes me REALLY happy..." lol  But... as of right now... the ten things that immediately pop into my head that make me happy are:

  1.  My son.  He is my one and only. He's nearly 24 now and at the point in his life where he's exploring all the options of life.  I love that he is a happy person, too, and will often kind of hop with glee when we're discussing something that excites him.  He'd kill me for saying that, of course, but ... I'm grinning ear to ear thinking of how he makes me happy.
  2. Knowing that God "has my back" makes me happy and makes me feel peaceful.  I've gone through some pretty rough patches in my life... I've been a single Mom for 20 years now... I've faced some major illness... two which could have killed me... I've lost my job when I had no other income... and through it all, I knew I would be fine.  I know in my heart that nothing is going to 'best me' as God is my strength and only asks me to trust Him.  And I do. :)
  3. Books!  I love to learn new things and am like a sponge when I read books.  I seep up all the info from people who are experts, travel logs, history lessons, optimists, collectors, great cooks, poets, illustrators, wonderful health mentors... I am happiest when I am in the sun, in the summer, a book in my lap, my mind free to lose itself in the book I'm reading.  Heaven! :)
  4. Laughter.  Who can't love a person with a good laugh?!  It always makes me happy to hear someone really truly laugh... old or young... a really heartfelt laugh makes me happy! 
  5. Losing weight.  I'm pretty focused on my health and weight right now... it makes me happy that I have finally found the fortitude to lose weight and that I am actually healthy.  Getting healthier every single day... THAT makes me happy.  Really happy.
  6. Friends makes me happy.  And if you're reading this blog, you are considered one of those friends who make me happy.  You're the people I am on this incredible journey with - we're honest and open with one another - some of us have met in real life, many of us have not, but you are really good friends to me and seeing your words, reading your blogs and tweets and posts on Weight Watchers, all those tiny bits of outpouring of who you are - that makes me happy! Thanks for sharing you!
  7. Random acts of kindess.  You know when you see someone reach down and stop someone to call them back and give them the leather glove they dropped that the person didn't know they'd dropped and then you watch and they smile at each other?  Those little acts sometimes make me happy to the point of getting teary eyed.  I try to be of help to others where and when I can, I have - as a result - experienced SUCH kindness from strangers... kindness makes me happy.
  8. Letters in the mail from friends and writing to them in turn.  It may be a lost art but I still have a few friends whom I have been life-long friends with, and we write real letters.  I save every one.  I open my mailbox with great anticipation and when one is there, instantly I am happy.
  9. Traditions.  I love love love traditions.  I like breaking the wishbone at Thanksgiving and buying a new broom at New Year's.  I like looking for the 1st robin in the Spring and get excited for opening day at Fenway.  Wearing red at Valentine's and orange around Halloween... all these things... they make me happy!
  10. Baseball.  I just sat here for 10  minutes and tried to decide whether to list "travel to Ireland" or "baseball" as my last item of this list.  I do really love Ireland and love to travel... I love exploring 'cause I am curious by nature and love to learn about new lands... but BASEBALL.  Darnitall... I really do love baseball.  It makes me happy to see a home run, it makes me happy to read the stats and follow the teams, to know the historical references, to remember collecting baseball cards and trading them with friends (I was a tomboy!), to go to games with my Dad and now with my son.  Baseball makes me happy.  It always has.  I would definitely be waking up in the middle of the night if I didn't add it to this list! *grin*
So there you go, my friends... really a lot more than you'd ever want to know about my happiness triggers.  I could go on and on... I truly could and I realize that I am blessed in so many ways because I have to edit down my list and not scratch my head trying to think of ten things!  (That makes me happy, too!)

Now I get to pass along this award to blogging friends and I'm going to try to break up the list with new bloggers and friends who have an active blog following!  Enjoy the award, gals! : )

A Foodie Gets Fit ~ my friend Kyra, a displaced New Englander in Texas @KyraTx
A Year in the Life, One Picture At A Time - Izabella's new blog
Cunning Mom Christine's weight loss journey
Fighting the Fat: Another War Story -  Diz is the best - just love her & her great blog! :)
I Lost Another Me  Charity's #WeightWatcher journey - she's doing great!
The Big Girl Blog such an inspiring, fun blog... you've probably gotten 1,000 awards; here is another ; )
The Healthie Foodie Ashley's great recipes & blog
Fit this, girl! My pal Mary who always has something new & interesting posted on her blog!
Lady In Weighting - love Alice~ great blogging friend who can hold a plank for nearly 3 mins when I can barely get into the position w/out falling!

6 comments:

Anonymous February 11, 2010 at 4:19 PM  

Chuckle. See, I'm not the only one who thinks you're a "Happy Blogger!" I'm doing great on the challenge, by the way. Hope you are, too! Deb

{ALL} for a Better Life February 11, 2010 at 4:20 PM  

Aww, this is so awesome...you are a rockstar!!!

Ellen February 11, 2010 at 8:25 PM  

Your award is well deserved. Keep up the great work!

Kat February 12, 2010 at 2:17 AM  

I love this award. You rock!

Jen-JensFitnessTips.com February 16, 2010 at 4:15 PM  

You are a Happy Blogger! Way to go! Awesome lady!

Jen :)

Michelle February 18, 2010 at 10:54 AM  

I love this post! I find myself walking around in a "mood" way too often, I need to think about what makes me happy and appreciate it more. Thanks for making me think today!