I decided to list some things that bring Happiness and Joy to my life. I thought I would start out with 20, then decided that I needed to reduce that to 10. Then I decided that if I have more than 10, I'll keep going, so who knows where this will end up? These are not really in any particular order, but those of the psychology persuasion might say otherwise...
1. Being able to relax and crochet: When I am sitting down to crochet, it usually means my mind is clear, so that's always a good thing. Making a blankie is another experience altogether, expecially if I'm crocheting with a purpose. For instance, right now I'm working on a blankie for Melinda's new baby girl (a white one for her blessing day). So as I stare at the yarn while crocheting, I get to think of Melinda and the baby, even though I don't know her yet. A few weeks ago, I was working on a pretty deep pink blankie which was also for Melinda's baby. Sadee was watching me and quietly said "I want a blankie like that." So in mid-crochet, I changed the owner to Sadee, and everytime she saw me working on it, she would smile and say "that's my blankie". I still have enough yarn to do one for Melinda's baby, though.
So that was way too long for one entry, and I don't know if I should count it as 1 or 2...
2. A clean room: order, peace, quiet. I love my room, but I especially love it when it's basically clean.
3. Sunday after church: Our meetings start at 8:00 this year, but before you groan, remember that starting at 8 means we get out at 11! Love that!
4. A clean car: Haven't had that in a while, but it does bring me happiness.
5. Driving home from work: Does this really need explanation?
6. Fresh nails: Yes, this is shallow, but I love having freshly painted nails.
7. An empty dishwasher: I absolutely detest unloading the dishwasher! But, if the dishwasher is empty, I love loading it. Don't know why this is, but it just is. Becky and I have worked out a nice symbiotic relationship - she empties, I load. I'd rather load it 100 times, than empty it once.
8. A good batch of cookie dough: Chocolate chip, of course. Normally, my mouth starts to water when I'm stirring in the flour and chips. What I love is a big spoonful of freshly made cookie dough. I don't even have to bake any cookies. Lately, though, I've not been too happy with our vanilla extract. I need to buy some good vanilla.
9. Mornings that I don't have to wash my hair: This particular chore adds a good 30-40 minutes to my morning routine, and those of you who know me well, know that I would rather sleep than wash my hair. I love clean hair, mind you, but drying it takes way too long. So I love knowing that I don't need to get up "early". This morning was a "no wash" day. Love it.
10. Three little girls: When the front door opens and I see those little girls, my day immediately gets brighter. I love to watch them - they absolutely know the routine at our house. One time, several months ago, I let Emma and Sadee have some hot chocolate. They pulled chairs up to the counter. I gave them cups, spoons and the can of hot chocolate mix. I let them spoon in however much chocolate they wanted, and I gave them marshmallows. They would put a handful in the cup, eat the globby marshmallows, and then ask for more. Sure, I said. Eat all you want. Did they make a mess? A little bit, but nothing that didn't wipe up. Did they drink all the hot chocolate in their cup? No. But watching them brought me happiness and joy.
11. Looking at pictures from the family reunion: I can't believe that it's almost a year since our reunion. I'm still amazed at how wonderful it was to see everyone! I love to look at all the faces, and even though we don't see each other so often, it gives me happiness and joy to remember that week we spent together.
12. Looking forward to a trip/vacation: I love having something to anticipate. I plan every detail in my head. I'm notorious for packing early. This is a good thing.
13. Knowing that my DVR actually worked: Ok, another shallow thing. But it's true. I think I'm more proud of my accomplishment in setting it to record than actually watching whatever was recorded.
Ok. That's it for now. Maybe you should make a list, too. For a few moments, just thinking about these few pleasures will bring a smile to your face. Have a wonderful week!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Just Desserts
Ok, so I missed a week. Sorry about that. I feel like I owe myself an apology because I had a goal to post at least once a week.
Since my last post I have visited the Happiest Place on Earth. There was a trip planned, but because of Becky's surgery, we weren't sure if we could go. We went. It was fun. Our 2nd day there, Becky rented an electric cart. All that walking on the day before took it's toll. So she zoomed off in her cart down Main Street, quite literally leaving us in the dust, seemingly unaware that we were not jogging to keep up with her. When we finally got her to stop, she lowered the speed on the cart and that seemed to work better. The advantage of the cart was that she didn't have to walk so much...so we thought! The REAL advantage was something that we hadn't even considered...when one of the party is in a cart or wheelchair, the entire party gets to avoid the lines and go right to the "jumping off point". Kinda fun, for the first few rides. Then we even became impatient with that...Why are we waiting so long? Can't they see we have a person in a cart? Is this discrimination towards cart people? There is also some pressure to not look too happy that you have a cart person in your party. It would just not be right to be so happy about someone with a disability, would it? That night Sarah, Sadee and I wanted to go on the Matterhorn, but how to do it without a cart person? A-ha...switch places with the cart person. So I did, and I found that the crowd seemed to part in front of me. We did have to go through part of the line, but not the last snaking part. The whole time I was in line, I started to panic that they were going to ask me why I was in the cart...what if my reason for being in the cart was severe enough to keep me off the ride? The whole "blue", must-explain-everything part of my personality was bubbling to the surface! Panic. Uhh, I have a bad knee? I have a bad back? I have a sore throat? I just had surgery? I'm lazy and didn't want to wait in line? Sarah finally convinced me that I didn't have to give any explanation, so I did my best to keep my mouth shut and not smile because I didn't have to wait in line. I dutifully hobbled over to the little Matterhorn car and stepped in, buckled up and held on. Within the first couple of jerks of the ride, I realized 2 things: 1) I didn't really like this ride at night, and 2) I think the jerking has wrenched my back. Good thing I have an electric cart!
Since my last post I have visited the Happiest Place on Earth. There was a trip planned, but because of Becky's surgery, we weren't sure if we could go. We went. It was fun. Our 2nd day there, Becky rented an electric cart. All that walking on the day before took it's toll. So she zoomed off in her cart down Main Street, quite literally leaving us in the dust, seemingly unaware that we were not jogging to keep up with her. When we finally got her to stop, she lowered the speed on the cart and that seemed to work better. The advantage of the cart was that she didn't have to walk so much...so we thought! The REAL advantage was something that we hadn't even considered...when one of the party is in a cart or wheelchair, the entire party gets to avoid the lines and go right to the "jumping off point". Kinda fun, for the first few rides. Then we even became impatient with that...Why are we waiting so long? Can't they see we have a person in a cart? Is this discrimination towards cart people? There is also some pressure to not look too happy that you have a cart person in your party. It would just not be right to be so happy about someone with a disability, would it? That night Sarah, Sadee and I wanted to go on the Matterhorn, but how to do it without a cart person? A-ha...switch places with the cart person. So I did, and I found that the crowd seemed to part in front of me. We did have to go through part of the line, but not the last snaking part. The whole time I was in line, I started to panic that they were going to ask me why I was in the cart...what if my reason for being in the cart was severe enough to keep me off the ride? The whole "blue", must-explain-everything part of my personality was bubbling to the surface! Panic. Uhh, I have a bad knee? I have a bad back? I have a sore throat? I just had surgery? I'm lazy and didn't want to wait in line? Sarah finally convinced me that I didn't have to give any explanation, so I did my best to keep my mouth shut and not smile because I didn't have to wait in line. I dutifully hobbled over to the little Matterhorn car and stepped in, buckled up and held on. Within the first couple of jerks of the ride, I realized 2 things: 1) I didn't really like this ride at night, and 2) I think the jerking has wrenched my back. Good thing I have an electric cart!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Medical Check-up
We are mostly healthy now. A couple of weeks ago Becky developed a gut pain that would not go away. She stayed home from work, thinking she might need to go to the emergency room. I had a commitment in north Phoenix, so I took her to the ER, but I could not stay. It was weird to just drop her off "bye" and then then leave. Mom was able to get over there by mid-morning. After a few tests and scans, it was determined that she had an obstruction and she was transferred to the hospital in Phoenix to see her surgeon. How many people do you know that have a surgeon? Well, Becky does. He said she had...well, I don't really understand what the issue was, but they went in laproscopically (sp?) and repaired it. By 8:00 that night she was out of recovery and sleeping like a drugged up baby. The sore throat that she felt coming on a few days prior was a distant memory. This all happened on a Wednesday. She came home on Friday and recovered the following week. Yesterday the doctor released her to return to work, but she has a restriction - she cannot lift anything over 20lbs for a month. I guess she'll have to postpone her clean & jerk training until late March. And we'll only buy 10lbs of potatoes at a time. My mom is concerned because all of her kids have been in the ER and/or hospital within the last 8 months. She, however, has been healthly. We decided that it might be our Taylor genes. Becky and I were wondering if we are all hypochondriacs, but each time there has been a legitimate malady. Becky wins the prize, though. She's been in twice. Becky had a surgery in June. Zack went in October - kidney stone. I went the end of October - kidney cyst. Jeff was in for MRSA - look it up. Jennifer - dislocated hip. Mom is getting a reputation at the Family History Center for the least healthy children: "I need to leave. My daughter is in the hospital." "I need to leave. My other daughter is in the hospital." "I won't be in. My son is in the hospital." " I need to leave. My other daughter is in the hospital. No, the other one." Fact of the matter is that we don't really get "sick", we have just had some weird issues. But for the moment, everything is good...knock on wood!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)