just so you know...

via anoteondesign

Sometimes we all need a little reminder that we're awesome! So go out and be your awesome self today— because it's Sunday, because the sun is (kind of) shining, but mainly because there's a lot of happiness to create.

happy foods

via refinery29

via refinery29

via refinery29

Refinery 29 has a list of foods that can help put you in a good mood. Good thing I eat most of these foods on a daily basis. But I don't care how much happy food you eat when the weather is s%*!, like it is in Chicago today, you just need summer to get here already.

I want to know what happy list wine, french fries, and cheesecake are on because those foods can definitely make me happy!

gratitude jar

via modernhepburn

This is a post I've been meaning to write for quite some time and today seems like a good day to finally share it.

At the beginning of the year I started a gratitude jar- everyday I write down one thing I'm grateful for and put it in this jar and at the end of the year I'll have three hundred and sixty five little reminders of all the things I've been grateful for. This little jar filled with gratitude makes me happy!

There are some days when I don't feel very grateful but even on those days I write something down because you know what…I can always find something to be thankful for, even it it's just a little something.

don't forget to laugh

via jora on pinterest

Sometimes I take things way too seriously and I forget to laugh. I'm not a laugh out louder, I'm more of a quiet chuckler but when I'm around people who laugh out loud it makes me happy. So here's a reminder, mainly to myself, to just laugh for goodness sake!

i was happy

via raindaysandblankets

A simple note full of happiness. I know that feeling of being drunk off of someone's laughter. My someone makes me happy every day. His 'laugh out loud' laugh makes me laugh, especially when I'm at one end of the apartment and he's at the other end. I have no idea what's so funny but his laughter is infectious so I end up laughing along with him.

the great outdoors

This video is amazing and makes me quite happy! I'm simply in awe. And watching it makes me want to spend ever possible moment outside, which I've been doing most of the weekend since the weather is absolutely gorgeous here in Chicago.

The Mountain via TSO Photography as seen on BlackEiffel

You can see more beautifulness here. Wherever you are this weekend I hope you're outside enjoying nature.

for your heart's desire

via seyed mostafa zamani

1. share your secrets

2. ask for what you want

3. laugh out loud

4. believe

just a list...

of happiness - recent and upcoming.

1. dinner with friend's at n-yay

2. the Puzzle Cap Toddy at Owen & Engine, but I can't wait to try the goat milk cheesecake

3. beer and trivia night at Paddy Long's

4. making these spicy brownies

5. seeing Here Come The Mummies at the House of Blues

6. the new Radiohead album

7. $5.50 movies at the Davis Theater

8. practicing yoga again

9. finding that something I bring everything to

weekend manifesto

via aardvark

I love this poster. What a great reminder on how to create your happy! A big thanks to kind over matter for sharing the awesome creativeness of Aardvark today. If you happen to do any of these things this weekend, take a picture and send it my way. I'd love to feature how you create your happy.

if you want to...

Whatever it is that your heart wants to do, do it. I was inspired this morning by that thought when I read the blog oh happy day - she's moving to France with her family for an entire year. And when she shared the happy news with her readers she wrote this,

"It is so strange to me that all you have to do to move to France is to do it."

And isn't it like that with everything in life? you just have to do it. So...

"If you want to sing out sing out.
And if you want to be free be free.
'Cause there's a million things to be."

never believe it's not so

This past week has been kinda rough for me. I realize that it's not the rough that a lot of people have to deal with on a daily basis, so before I go further in my explanation I want to stress that I am very, very grateful for my life- I have an amazing and supportive husband who I love dearly, I have wonderful family and friends, I have my health, a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food on the table. I have many more blessings to be thankful for than I do complaints. But, even with all these blessings there are times when I am just not feeling my life. I question my purpose, I doubt if I am on the right path, if my dreams will ever come true. To put it simply, I stop believing in magic.

And this was one of those weeks when I didn't feel the magic, when I couldn't trust that magic even existed, when I just wanted to give up on all this magic talk. How could I possibly trust magic when I didn't get a callback for the play I would have been great in? I mean, not even a callback. How could I possibly trust magic when I didn't get the barista job that I am clearly overqualified for? I mean come on, it was a barista job. Back in the day I was the best shot slinger and milk foamer there was.

Then 2 things happened this morning that changed my perspective.

I received this email from Ebert, it was a letter written by Christopher Walken to his fans. I've definitely experienced more of "and then it wasn't" as an actor and I'm really looking forward to having a "busy year". But, I don't know, just hearing that a great actor like Christopher Walken has to deal with "the not so busy part" of being an actor gave me hope. I could feel the magic stirring.

And then when I checked my Facebook I had quite a few 'likes' and several lovely comments from friends in response to my status update yesterday: "is closing her eyes tight shut and wishing and wishing for the magic that she has to believe is right around the corner."

One of the comments was a link to this video -

I've replayed the video and have reread everyone's comments several times already. By sharing their magic with me, my own magic has been inspired. To be redundant...it was very magical! So, even when I don't feel it, I'll keep reminding myself to always trust magic, because it's not always the magic that I envision, but it's always more magical than I expect.

Ho, ho, ho, it's magic.

Never believe it's not so.

It's magic, you know.

Never believe it's not so.

always trust magic

In case you didn't know, I adore Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She's my creative inspiration. And I was able to skype with her Friday morning and say those exact words to her. It was very exciting! But, the moments leading up to the video chat were a little nerve-wracking. I kept playing out, in my mind, how our conversation would go, it made me all teary-eyed with joy and anticipation. I had to keep reminding myself something Amy says, "Figure it out as you go.", so that's what I did and it was a lovely conversation.

Since moving to Chicago, I've joined her on the Going Nowhere Fast Train, which was my very first el ride, and I recently beckoned the lovely with her on 10/10/10.

It was at 'The Beckoning of Lovely' where I experienced first hand that you should always trust magic. During one of the 10 lovely moments we created and shared together, Amy had tiny members from the crowd pass out letters from the World's Smallest Postal Service that read "Make The Most of Your Time Here." Of course, I wanted one of those letters, but so did everyone else and it just wasn't possible for everyone to get one. Ebert knew that I wanted one of those tiny letters, so he gently urged me to go get one. But, Ebert and I were standing all the way in the back and the letters were being passed out in the front, I just didn't feel like forcing my way up or to call out to the kids "Over Here, Over Here" just so I could get a letter. I thought, if I'm going to get a one of those letters then I want to just trust that it will come to me. It didn't. Then, Amy announced that she had 2 gifts for the crowd - a piece of orange candy and a penny for us to make a wish in the fountain with. Well, I thought, besides an amazing experience, the candy and the penny will be my souvenirs from the evening. And I was happy!

We made our way to the candy first. And as the growing mass of other beckoners waited for their piece of candy that John Green was handing out, a security guard on a segway came over and made everyone leave because the park was closing. Oh well, I really shouldn't be taking candy from strangers anyway. But, as we were walking away a young girl, in her teens I think, turns around, looks at me with a lovely smile and hands me a piece of paper taped up as a sleeve with a mixed CD inside. I was bewildered, to say the least, not expecting to receive a random gift from someone in the crowd that I was only able to manage a muffled "thank you" before the girl and her mom walked away. I did not fully realize the magic I had just received. I still had my eye on what I thought was the bigger prize...a penny from Amy K.R.

So, onward we went to the penny and the fountain to make our wish. I did not want to be denied my opportunity to make a wish, especially since I've recently been feeling like I could use every wish-making chance I get. But, as we crossed the Pritzker Pavilion field we saw the green-haired girl with the red wagon full of pennies racing back towards the Bean. "Wait!" I wanted to shout. "I didn't get my penny. You're going the wrong way. The wishes are over here, at the fountain." But, away she went. Unfortunately, the fountain was already closed. There would be no wish-making for me, unless I wanted to trespass or attempt to throw my penny in to the fountain through the closed gate. I'll be honest, I was mildly disappointed.

But then as we walked back to the car with the city skyline as our backdrop it dawned on me what I was holding in my hand...a little bit of magic in the form of 12 lovely songs. Wow! Not more than 10 minutes earlier I said that I wanted to just trust that it would come to me and it did. It wasn't the magic that I had envisioned, but was even more magical than I expected.

choose happiness

via kindovermatter courtesy of pinkorchid_too (Sandra)