Let's call this a comeback!

My little section of the interwebz has been abandoned for quite some time now. It's not that I don't love my space here but it had to take a temporary backseat to some things that I needed to get off my plate. Then it fell victim to writer's block, winter blues & outright laziness. I have plenty of things in queue but never published them for whatever reason. Lately I have been focusing on learning how to dream again. Seems weird but, at some point, I completely blocked out the part of me that dares to believe beyond the current reality before my eyes. I joined a month long challenge to see if I could break away from this. My experience during this program has been very positive; though very direct and jarring at times. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I decided to participate. This morning's exercise was cool and I wanted to share. Initially, I cringed because I was pretty sure there was no way that I could finish it. The thought of coming up with 100 things that make me happy seemed crazy. I didn't think I could possibly list 100 different things; period. I did! (Actually my list was more than 100 things but I cut it off) Here it* is:

1. hugs
2. kisses
3. spending quality time with friends & family
4. conquering a fear
5. reading
6. cooking
7. dancing
8. sushi
9. motivating others
10. dessert
11. volunteering
12. seeing others happy
13. traveling
14. writing
15. flowers (especially HUGE sunflowers)
16. watching the sun rise
17. talking to my friends
18. receiving encouraging words from others
19. praying for others
20. making others smile
21. completing an assignment
22. looking at old pictures
23. thinking about times with Fix-it Freddy (my grandfather)
24. receiving a compliment
25. finding vintage jewelry
26. the smell of lavender
27. a huge mug of tea
28. hearing someone say that they love me
29. painting my nails
30. wearing my hair obnoxiously big
31. sitting in a coffee shop wasting time
32. standing on a rooftop overlooking the river
33. going to the movies
34. going to the park
35. reading poetry
36. reading the Bible
37. listening to Al Green songs
38. going to concerts
39. black & white movies
40. leopard print pumps
41. peaches
42. kiwis
43. Gilmore Girl re-runs
44. vanilla milkshakes
45. sitting on the beach reading magazines
46. Denver, CO
47. Dallas, TX
48. SWEET TEA!!!!
49. omelets
50. all thinks Italian (especially Italian men)
51. dreaming of moving to Paris
52. greasy cheese fries
53. exercising
54. going for long walks
55. butterflies
56. turtles <~~~~ random!!!
57. browsing libraries, bookstores & art galleries
58. the smell of a new car
59. sugar cookies
60. craft festivals
61. cupcakes
62. Heath cookies from McAlisters (& sweet tea)
63. cheesecake
64. coffee (with a lot of cream)
65. handmade jewelry
66. massages
67. dates (with a lot of laughter & genuine conversation)
68. holding hands
69. Empire Records, Grease & A Bronx Tale (movies)
70. listening to my elders talk
71. scary movies
72. making hair products & accessories
73. reading fashion magazines
74. playing with makeup
75. flying alone
76. knowing that someone is thinking of me
77. "I miss you" texts and phone calls
78. leaving handwritten notes
79. lace panties <~~~such a girly thing!
80. soft leather purses
81. my crazy furrballs Ava & Avery
82. quiet time alone
83. God's revelations to me
84. supporting a good cause
85. farmers' markets
86. big sunglasses
87. any song by Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu or Chaka Khan
88. restful sleep <~~~~ a rarity for me
89. red wine
90. "Good Morning" texts and phone calls
91. Anything blue, purple, yellow or green
92. cozy sweatshirts and sweaters
93. high heels
94. holding hands
95. notebooks
96. tattoos
97. jeans worn with cotton t-shirts
98. tall men with great smiles
99. unique jewelry
100. Washington, D.C.

Bonus! Dancing around to this song always puts me in good mood!

Happy New Year!

*The items on my list are in no particular order. I just jotted them down as they came to mind. They are numbered so that I could easily keep track of what number I was on.