Anticipate Fun

The day of our engagement!  On top of Stone Mountain.

We're planning a day trip to Stone Mountain this weekend, and I'm really excited about it!  Stone Mountain holds a special place in my heart, because it's where Robi proposed to me.  And also, we've had a tradition of going to "Snow Mountain" for the past several years during the winter break, so keeping up with that tradition makes me happy, too!

I try to remember to "anticipate fun," because looking forward to fun times makes me happier!  And I'm not the only one who gets extra happiness from anticipating fun.  The authors of this article in the journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life found that vacationers get a strong happiness boost before vacations, and have much higher levels of happiness than non-vacationers when looking forward to a vacation.  (After vacations, not so much!)

I try to let Flannery know our future plans, so she can benefit from anticipating our fun trips, too. Today on our morning commute, I talked to her about our upcoming Snow Mountain trip, and what we might do there--getting cocoa, building a snowman, sledding/tubing, perhaps riding the train around the mountain.  It really does make me happy to think ahead about the good times we're planning as a family.   We also have a quick weekend camping trip planned in a few months, and a beach trip we're planning for the summer, and just thinking about those getaways puts me in an instant good mood.

So, what fun time are you anticipating?  If you don't have a fun trip or vacation planned yet, is there a quick weekend trip you could start planning?  Do it!  Just be sure to plan it far enough in advance to soak up the anticipatory happiness!

Look Up

The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness, fullness thereof.  

This week, the tulip trees (Japanese magnolias?) have begun blooming all over the city.  I notice them as I am rushing to drop of my daughter at school, rushing to work, rushing home, rushing to the grocery store, and generally, well, rushing around.

I notice them, and they call to me.
To slow down.  To look up.  To take time, just a moment, to appreciate them while they are here.  Because they won't last forever.  Some gifts are brief.

And so yesterday, I paused.  I stood under a tree in a parking lot and looked up.

And peace came. I didn't even know I called it.  But it came.


What gifts call you to pause, and notice them? 

Eat Meals with Neat Folks

caught a smile!

I read a book about being happy at work about two years ago (Now I can't remember what it was called?), and one of the suggestions the author made was to always eat lunch with someone you find interesting, and to NEVER eat lunch alone in your office.  I don't always follow that advice, but when I do, I really do find myself happier at work.


Anyway, I think that advice transfers nicely to home life, too.  Eat meals with neat folks, and never eat alone standing over your kitchen sink.  Not that I've ever done that.  Cough.

Anyway, we met up with some of our favorite folks (and their adorable baby!) for dinner on New Year's Eve, and it was just lovely to sit together and eat some beautiful salads.  Really, I think we all got salads.  It's New Year's, you know, so I think we're all ready to begin to step back from feasts and caloric bounty to, well, goodness and health.  The salad were amazing, though, really!  Big City Bread (now kind of a swanky little restaurant!) was good to us that way.

Oh, and the best thing was that there were fires outside and sidewalk chalk for the kids to enjoy.  Gotta love a place that creates such ambiance even for kids.

this was her silly pose

my cute hubby

neat folks with adorable baby

we are trying to become hair twins
(and no, I didn't tell him to wear gray so we could be matchy matchy, too.  we are just telepathic)

baby boy loved carrying the bucket of chalk the best

not sure if that's ash or chalk dust I captured in the air, but I thought it looked a bit like snow!

What neat folks do you like to eat with?

Say Yes Whenever Possible

My friend Kelley's dad had a Christmas party last week, complete with a live band.  At some point during the party, the band members asked my friend Monica to sing a Christmas song.  So she snagged me and said, "Come sing, too!"  I was hesitant but remembered my rule to, "say yes whenever possible."  So I snagged my friend Kelley, too (because I'm only brave to a point!).  And we sang a few songs!  Just like the good old days!  (We all did theater together back in the day.)


It was great fun!  That "yes" was such a good idea.  And I felt so smart for forcing myself to say it!  :)

Our girls gave it a try, as well.  They were so brave!  They didn't seem nervous or shy at all up on stage singing.  At one point when they were belting out Rudolph, my friend Amy said, "It's a shame they're so introverted."    Hah.

So many times this holiday season, I've just had this overwhelming feeling of how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family.  It's remarkable what kind and interesting people I am blessed to have in my life.

What have you said "yes" to lately that brought you a happiness boost?