My best friend, Nicole, and I were talking a few weeks ago, and someone from her small group (I think?) suggested everyone make a list of 100 things that they like and make them happy. It could be as random as "the smell of freshly cut grass" or as simple as "fried chicken." I'm sure they probably came up with some really intellectual and deep things. But ... how do I phrase this? I'm intelligent, but I like simple things. I think very simply, and that's probably because I'm such an efficient person.
Anyway! Nicole thought it might be a good idea for me to make my own list! I was kind of going through a slump of "I quit my job, and I'm freaking out," "I don't know if I'm going to have a paycheck from week to week," and "I don't know what I want to do with my life," type things. :)
So I made my list, and it, indeed, made me happy! It was harder than you'd think. Once I hit around #60 or so, it started to get a bit more difficult to think of new things. I know most of you don't care, but I think a few of you might actually read it. (And I'm going to throw some photos in there, just to break up the blah-ness of it.)
1. Chocolate and peanut butter
2. Spending a day scrapbooking
3. Going to movies at the theater (especially with friends)
4. Reading
5. Watching all 5,000 of my television shows
6. Late-night pillow talk
7. UNC basketball games (in the Dean Dome is even better than on TV!)
8. Spending time with my friends
9. Date nights with my husband
10. Eating out at restaurants
11. Back scratches
12. Long, hot bubble baths with candles
13. Yankee Candles and all of the accessories that come with them - the photo is Autumn Leaves, my favorite Fall fragrance!
14. Small dogs - this Pomeranian looks like my friend Casey's dog, Krum
15. All places tropical
16. Road trips and travelling with my husband
17. October 17, 2009
18. Shopping at office supply stores, despite the fact that I never need anything from them
19. The smell of old books
20. Accomplishing things
21. The feeling of my house right after I’ve finished cleaning it
22. Post-It notes and index cards
23. Hugs
24. Seeing my designs in print
25. Waking up next to my husband
26. Worshipping the Lord through singing
27. A little bit of coffee with my sugar
28. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies
29. When my husband feels proud of me
30. Shopping with my girlfriends
31. Alligators and crocodiles – yes, they’re my favorite animals
32. The feeling of putting contacts in or glasses on – that moment when you go from blurry to crystal clear
33. When people take the time to show that they appreciate me and my friendship
34. Handwritten letters – both sending and receiving
35. Diet Coke
36. All things pink
37. Classic novels – Pride & Prejudice, Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Last of the Mohicans, etc.
38. New clothes
39. Photos of wonderful memories
40. New York City
41. Waking up in the middle of the night and realizing you still have 4+ hours to sleep before you have to get up
42. iTunes, iPods, MacBooks, and all things Apple
43. The security of experiencing the mercy and grace of Jesus
44. Finishing a book
45. Seeing my name in print as a Donovan
46. The feeling of beach sand between my toes
47. When my employers think well of me and think I’m doing a job above and beyond what is required
48. Beautiful, stylish stilettos
49. When the elevator reaches the floor I want to go to and the doors open
50. Receiving texts or phone calls from friends to let me know they got to their long-term travel destinations safely
51. A new pack of Crayola crayons or markers
52. Cross stitching
53. Giving gifts to others – especially ones I’ve made
54. Bojangles and On the Border
55. Watching TV or movies with my husband
56. Fast-forwarding through commercials with my TiVo
57. High-definition television
58. Going to baseball games with my husband
59. Bouquets of roses, lilies or tulips
60. Celebrity gossip
61. When people trust me enough to tell me things
62. “Friends”
63. Looking at people’s wedding photos
64. Being hired for an awesome job
65. My candy-apple red car
66. The fair – the food, the rides, ALL of it!
67. Riding in my car with my hair pulled back, the windows down and my music blaring
68. New books and school supplies when I was in high school and college
69. Egyptian history
70. New phones
71. All of my magazines – Glamour, Real Simple, National Geographic, etc.
72. When my husband wears blue
73. Flying
74. Having friends and family over for dinner or parties
75. The smell of my grandparents’ house on Christmas morning
76. Family vacations with my parents, grandparents and my aunts and their families
77. Crossing off things on lists
78. Staying in hotels
79. Watching sunsets
80. Sweaters and coats in the winter
81. When my father-in-law comes to town and we get together with him, my mother- and brother-in-law
82. Northern weddings
83. My parents’ generosity and selflessness to me throughout my lifetime
84. Being on time
85. Chicken fingers!
86. Spending time with my best friend and my other family – especially vacations to Missouri
87. Having someone play with my hair
88. When the workday flies by faster than you thought it would
89. Sleeping in without an alarm
90. Adobe Creative Suite – these programs are amazing
91. Collecting T-shirts from places I’ve been
92. Fixing problems or issues in my relationships
93. Never going to bed angry
94. Rainbows and Sperrys for my feetsies
95. That my maiden name always placed me at the top of any list, since everyone does everything alphabetically (and my married name doesn’t put me too far from the top, either!)
96. Having a degree from such a wonderful school
97. Things that are organized
98. Cuddling up on the couch with a blanket
99. Drinking glass after glass of orange juice
100. Being loved by the most wonderful man in the world
