I’m back!!

I have something to confess.

When I began this blog almost a year ago (tomorrow will be the 11 month anniversary) — I set out with somewhat of a secret goal. My goal was simple: I wanted to never have to write an I-apologize-for-my-absence post. You know the ones… they’re all over the blog-o-sphere. People get busy with work, and life and forget all about their wee old blog and then a week or a month or a year later they return and apologize for the time they’ve been away and plan to refocus on their blog. I never wanted to have to write such a post. However, an even less ideal situation would be to be one of those people that gives 110% to their blog for months and then seems to disappear into thin air. I would far rather be the former than the latter. And so here I am.

Now, it must be explained that my absence was for good reason. I have two big passions in life. Acting and writing. And by some crazy turn of fate, some foolish but amazing people decided I just might be able to take a stab at doing those things professionally. With all the professional writing I was doing, I was spending hours upon hours every day hunched over my computer. I loved the work but the spasm in my neck, carpal tunnel in my wrists and searing back pain were not such fans. However, I continued plowing on, loving every minute of it. But despite my love of the work, I am not strictly speaking, a technology person. I like to go for runs, I like to sew, I like to cook — and when I was making my money writing, I had far less time for all those things. And whenever I finally did have a small crack of time, I plowed into my favorite activities away from the computer for as long as I could. But that didn’t leave much time for this little old blog of mine. But now that I have gotten used to the hours of writing and how to sort my schedule a little better, I think it is high time I return to this wonderful project.

So, in the spirit of positivity, I declare that this is not an I-apologize-for-my-absence post — it is an I-am-so-glad-I-made-it-back post. My posts may not be as frequent as they once were but I’m going to try my darndest to post at least once or twice a week. Because, they are My Happy Happenings and there’s a lot to be happy about.

Glad to be back!

 

Free organizing!

What do I love?
Organizing.
What do I love more than organizing?
Being granted the ability to organize absolutely free of charge.
And how does such a wonderful thing happen?
When your workplace is ridiculously awesome and gives you these perfect jars (worth 25 dollars apiece) for free!

Aren’t they pretty?
And I have some oats and bulgur just dying for a home so hopefully I get granted some more soon!

My Very First Blogging Award!

I am extremely excited and truly honored to have been nominated for a Versatile Blogger Award. As an actor my friends and family (as well as random acquaintances and the occasional passer-by) have joked about the fact that they wish to be mentioned in my future Oscar/Golden Globe/Emmy speeches. And perhaps one day I will in fact be cramming an over-read, crumpled cue card into the cleavage of my multi-thousand dollar Vera Wang dress so that I don’t make a public spectacle of myself as I accept an award. But that isn’t a goal that I have realistically set for myself. A goal I have set for myself, however, is to entertain and inspire people with my blog. And this award means I have done just that.

To start off, I really have to thank The Rubbe for nominating my little old blog for such a lovely award. It really means a lot! I must also thank my family and friends for constantly allowing me to pause the serving of appetizers and sparkling beverages so that I can snap pictures of my creations. I also owe them many thanks for always inspiring me with a new post when I feel like I have hit a writer’s block. And finally, I send a huge thank you out to each and every reader who has stumbled across my blog. Whether you came for a witty comment or healthy recipe, or even if you typed “nudist at work and at play” and wound up coming across little old me (yes my friends, wordpress does let us know that) I send you a big thank you for your many visits and wonderful comments.

The award involves 4 simple steps:

1.  Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post.
2.  Share 7 things about yourself.
3.  Pass this award along to seven others.
4.  Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know about the award.

Well, item #1 has already been accomplished so let’s move on to item #2, 7 things about me.

1. It would be an absolute dream to me to make my living entirely off acting, writing and any other creative endeavors.

2. I LOVE buffets more than it is natural for any human to love. I mean – why would I want to scan a menu for a quarter of an hour trying to pick out the thing I want the most when I can just try EVERYTHING!!??

3. I want to travel to every continent and as many countries as humanly possible.

4. When someone introduces me to a new TV show that I like, I have a tendency to fall off the face of the earth as I attempt to watch the whole series in as little time as I can.

5. I will eat absolutely anything with sugar in it. Some of my favorite places in the world are Sugar Mountain and the candy section of the bulk food store. Chocolate makes everything better. One time I even ate an entire Betty Crocker cake mix raw, directly from the bowl – it was quite the accomplishment – not advisable – but an accomplishment none the less.

6. I have been admitted to the hospital twice. Once to get my appendix removed and once because my grandmother put rat poison in my easy bake oven dish and I thought it was candy. It wasn’t. This revelation was disappointing on many levels.

7. I love exercising with friends and family. It is so much fun to stay active and get to know people at the same time.

 

And now for my chosen nominations! Here they are in no particular order:

• Brunch For Every Meal – So witty and clever that I will in fact be baffled if she hasn’t already been nominated several times.
• The Pursuit of Hippieness – Great recipes, wonderful inspirational advice and even some creative DIYs. There really is something for everyone!
• Check My Pulse – A really honest and fun blog about a talented writer’s thoughts on fitness and nutrition.
• The Confidence Chronicles – Such an honest portrayal of one girl’s journey to becoming a more confident and self assured woman. Always entertaining and inspirational.
• Being Zhenya – A great exploration of fashion, style and DIYs. Lots of great tips and tricks!
• Frugal Feeding – So many great recipes that are delicious and affordable!
• Candicepeak – Lots of great advice on staying active and leading a healthy and happy life.

Thanks again to The Rubbe and all y’all. This award really has made my day!

Day Zero Project

I have to tell you all about the awesomeness that is Day Zero Project. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s about creating a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. I love the whole concept because it’s so much better than a bucket list or things to do before you’re thirty. It’s immediate. It gives you just under three years to accomplish 1001 things that you’ve been putting off. I made my list 100 things in 1000 days because I guess I like even numbers better or something. I started knocking things off the list on Halloween day last year so the fact that the anniversary of my project is just around the corner has me a little worried.

I got so excited about working through my list that I never actually finished it. I currently have 19 more items to add to the list, I’ve only completed 7 so far and a year has elapsed. Yikes! So if you have any suggestions of what should be added to the list – please share! I have plenty of things on the list – from baking a souffle to jumping out of an airplane – but I still need lots more ideas!

I really hope you start your own Day Zero Project because it really does help you think of all the things you want to accomplish in the immediate future…now I just have to accomplish them!

Free Stuff!

Because I can’t stop smiling from the amazing day I’ve had, I feel the need to share my experiences in this happy place. The amazingness all boils down to a simple joy in life – free stuff. Whether it’s that buy one get one free deal at your favorite store or that little lip gloss sample that comes in the mail – free things make the average day incredible. And today was definitely incredible.

A few weeks ago I got my roommate and I tickets to a local daytime talk show and today was the big day. The tickets didn’t cost a penny and the show was an absolute blast. On top of which we were given a loot-bag of health products and a 100$ gift card to Mendocino.

Right after the show we headed over to the store to see what we could get and found leather jackets that were regularly 80$ on sale for 50$. And we had free money in our pockets! So naturally, we bought matching coats and I still have half my gift card left to go!

It was such a liberating experience because I think buying that jacket was the most impulsive thing I’ve done in months. I’ve been meaning to buy a leather jacket for years but always hum and haw for what seems like hours and then end up chickening out. I never would have bought it if I hadn’t had that gift card in my pocket and I’m sure I would have wound up regretting it. But thanks to the show (and to my roommate’s helpful encouragements), I took the plunge and got the coat. And I couldn’t be happier!

Sometimes you really do have to treat yourself – and if that treat happens to be a free one – I’m all for it!

When kids do stereotypically cute things

Yesterday I was on my way to work, tired and disgruntled, when I came across a mom with her child of about two. He was wearing a huge raincoat down to his shins and repeatedly running through a little puddle. It must have been just a couple feet squared and had less than a centimeter of water in it but this kid was absolutely in love with it. He’d waddle from one side to the other trying to splash as much as he could and then he’s turn around and do it again. All the time giggling like crazy.

This sigh reminded me a) that kids really do the stereotypically cute things I thought were only talked about in books and b) how much I love their ability to live completely in the moment and be entertained by the smallest occurrences in life. Cause I mean, why not derive that much joy from putting whip cream on a customer’s hot chocolate? I don’t know that I’ll ever laugh giddily as I clean the inside of a Starbucks’ toilet – but why not try it out and see what happens? I feel like every task can seem a little more entertaining when you look at it through the eyes of a child. So from now on the world will be my very own splashy puddle!

89 Days!

Alright everyone…there’s officially under 90 days until Christmas! That’s less than three months! So much to look forward to!
So I will now begin my countdown of Christmas awesomeness – which will basically just be me sharing something I love about Christmas about once a week. My first item…
The fact the Christmas season starts at least a month in advance.
This means you get 30 or more days of carols on the radio, twinkling lights in the mall and peppermint flavored everything. Everything just seems more cheery. I just love that there’s christmasy type stuff to get excited about before the actual holiday has even arrived. So the fun times are really less than 89 days away! And that is DEFINITELY something to be happy about!

Airplane food

Now I know this might sound very unusual to a lot of people but I just have to say it…I LOVE airplane food. I constantly hear people complain about how gross it is and maybe “technically” tinfoil covered, pre-made food isn’t considered sheer decadence but I can’t deny that airplane food brings me a great deal of joy.
Just picture it: the stewardess comes shuffling down the aisle calling out a refrain of “chicken or pasta”? When she gets to you, you make your selection and are handed a tray of carefully engineered goodies. There’s a main course, a salad, a nice roll of bread and even a brownie or piece of cake for dessert. You get to snack away while enjoying the in flight movie and not worry about a thing because it’s vacation time!
Maybe it’s just that I’m in a really excited state of mind at the prospect of travel while I’m eating it. Or maybe I’m just really easy to please. Either way – I eagerly anticipate my next in flight meal. Even though I know my next airliner feast is far away because they only provide food on flights that are over 5 hours – I’m ready for it. It cannot come soon enough!

Ridiculously Oversized Fruit

You can’t help but laugh out loud when you head our for a routine grocery trip and come across something that looks like this:

It’s called an “extra large watermelon” and retails for 9.99$. It’s three times the size of a normal watermelon!! So cool!

Jumping into a fresh lake

There’s nothing quite like jumping into a fresh lake on a hot summer day. It’s refreshing, relaxing and soothing all at the same time. You can’t help but feel like a kid again. Even if you live in the city I strongly recommend finding your way to a nearby lake. Sometimes the easiest way to do this is just to google a map of your home address and then slowly zoom out until you find a body of water nearby. Then see if that particular lake has a public beach available. Often there will be one just a half hour drive out of the city. Make a day of it with your friends and family. Take a picnic, bring some outdoor games and get ready to splash around in the lake – there’s nothing better!