Five Things

It's late and I'm home alone, despite the fact that my sister and youngest brother are here visiting for the week. We've had a good couple days, with trips to the beach, NYC and Hoboken, but it's that time of the month and I'm feelin' moody. The three of them were dying to see Transformer's and I couldn't care less when I see it, so I opted to stay home while they went up the street to the 10 pm showing.

I did a couple loads of laundry, took a long bath, watched an episode of Lost and unloaded my camera's memory card, only to be reminded of a whole lot of things I should be happy about right now. It's not really that I'm unhappy, I'm just bein a grump at the moment, for reasons only a woman would understand. So tonight I gave myself some time to pout, then slapped myself into submission. Each Friday Cupcakes and Cashmere, a blog I love to follow, has a post about five things that make her happy.

So tonight I decided to take a note from her book and reflect on just a few things I'm grateful for. Here are five things that are currently making me happy.

I'm happy two of my siblings flew across the country to spend time with me. You don't realize how lonely you were until you get the quality time you really need. It's rare that I get to spend genuine time with Larissa and Joel without friends, parents, spouse, etc., so I am very grateful for the opportunity. I love my siblings. What would I do without them?

Lately I've been trying to better appreciate everyday beauties we so often take for granted. Taking daily dog walks does that to you I guess. It's much-needed time to ponder as you wander. :) I've been fascinated by the number of hydrangea bushes in NJ yards.  Out here almost every other yard has a hydrangea bush overflowing with snowballs of lavender and bubblegum.

One day I plucked two bunches from a parking lot, a parking lot! and took them home with me. For a week I smiled every time I looked at them, sitting atop my table so happily. Who would have guessed such a little thing, such a simple thing, could make my life that much brighter.

I'm grateful for the fruits of summer. Haha pun totally intended. This summer I've eaten some form of fruit pretty much every other day and I visit farmer's markets and the produce section of Stop and Shop quite frequently. Something about those vibrant colors in my fridge and the feeling of happy juices dancing on my tongue make fruit another thing currently making me happy.

Ohmygosh. Yesterday when we'd trekked the entire width of Central Park and all over the Museum of Natural History, seeing Shake Shack was like finding water in the desert. I had no idea they had a location in the city, I was only aware of the shacks in the parks, not right next door to Sephora and H&M! Seriously, I couldn't have been happier with $100 stuck to my shoe. Scratch that. That would make me happier because I could have that much more Shake Shack! Yeah, I'm a sucker. Seriously guys, this is better than In and Out by a LOOOOONG shot, and even Smashburger that I pretty much swear by. It's that good. Yeah, their burgers totally landed my list of things that make me happy. Don't judge. :)

Finally, I'm grateful for people that genuinely care for your well being. Jason needs a manager who genuinely cares about him, regardless of whether or not he is "worth it." Our friends Jeff and Nicole welcomed us into their office a month ago and they've quickly soared to the top of people we admire and really truly appreciate. I'm so glad Jason has had Jeff to work with. He cares so much about my husband, about our family, and about our well-being.

That is hard to come by, and that folks, is what is currently making my happy.



*I must say, the combination of blogging and midol has drastically improved my mood.  :)