happiness in the form of a list

i love the little book "14,000 things to be happy about." i think it's great to take time out and notice things, big and small, that make you happy. in that train of thought, things that make you happy are things that you are grateful for, and i've noticed several friends of mine have gratitude blogs, so i've decided to start my own list of things to be happy about. my goal is to come up with 10 items every week . . . and here are my first 10:

1. edible halloween projects
2. dead leaves and the corresponding colors
3. making music play-lists
4. finding old friends on the world wide web
5. the idea that i get to read for the rest of my life
6. cuddling with mazur
7. beating neal at scrabble
8. the way a campfire smell lingers in clothes
9. telling mazur a knock-knock joke for the first time (and listening to him make up his own)
10. getting back books you loaned out

vampires welcome!!

october 11, 2008 brought our annual masquerade dinner party. this year we decided to incorporate a theme . . . . vampires. the company was good, the food was delish, i couldn't have been happier with the way everything turned out. here are a few pictures . . .

my place at the table

bitten

the feasting table

the attendees

my fantabulous cake

john, michael, and myself

if you look close enough, you will notice that john and i have fangs. it was really fun to wear vampire fangs for a night. michael, on the other hand, decided to try and kill us all off. unfortunately for him he was outnumbered, but we were feeling kindly that night and let him go unchanged. maybe next year . . .

half of a very long list . . .

so, I haven't posted anything in a very long while . . . . but I actually have been working on something for a long time. i saw on a blog one time, someone made a list of 100 things about themselves. so I thought I'd give it a try . . . . turns out making a list of 100 things about oneself is QUITE the daunting task. so i'm going to post numbers 1-50 right now, and post the other 50 when i come up with them. enjoy!

1. My spelling abilities are digressing.
2. My eyes are my favorite physical attribute. I'm actually quite vain about them.
3. I can't actually describe the color of my eyes . . .
4. I don't have a spleen.
5. If I were given the option of getting rid of everyone who abused drugs, prescription or illegal, I think I would do it, which is really unmerciful, but I'm tired of dealing with it.
6. I think it's okay if you just don't like someone or you don't get along as long as you're not malicious about it.
7. One of the most liberating things I've learned how to say (and mean) is "It's not my problem/responsibility."
8. I think people who are "spiritual but not religious" are cowards who don't want to deal with accountability.
9. I LOVE musicals.
10. I LOVE to read. I think it's an important habit to acquire. If I find out a person doesn't read extra-curricularly, I have a hard time thinking of them as intelligent.
11. I believe that we, as a society, make too many excuses for people.
12. I have a 4 foot pet iguana named Walter.
13. I think fish tanks are really relaxing.
14. I almost always cry at the movies.
15. I find most girls annoying and I feel sorry for boys because they have to deal with us . . .
16. I thought I'd be married by now.
17. I believe that if you say your sorry, and then you do the same thing again, your apology is invalid. The only way to really apologize is to quit doing whatever it is.
18. I do believe that relationships can be wrecked beyond repair. Those are the breaks. You should have thought about it beforehand.
19. I dig vampires.
20. My favorite breakfast is eggs benedict.
21. As a matter of fact, I CAN'T live without chocolate.
22. I wish I could have a pet elephant (they're my favorite animal).
23. I secretly liked the Mmmmm Bop song by Hanson.
24. Sometimes I wish life really was a musical. Who doesn't want to randomly break into song and dance? This should be normal . . . .
25. I'm fascinated by witchcraft and witches.
26. I collect quotes.
27. I can't stand it when people aren't organized.
28. I HATE Relief Society voice.
29. I like to shoot guns and bow & arrows.
30. I want to learn to sword fight.
31. I'm terrified of needles and sharks.
32. I don't think I could live without music.
33. I love the mountains.
34. My favorite color is Orange.
35. Sometimes when I hurt peoples feelings, I don't really feel bad about it . . .
36. I have been on a date with someone who has the same first name as me.
37. I get mean when I'm really hungry.
38. I like to plan parties and decorate for them.
39. Sometimes I can get really bossy.
40. I end up being in charge of things a lot. Some people think it's because I'm a control freak or I like to be in charge, but it's actually just because I just want things to get done. I am more than happy to let other people be in charge of stuff if they'll actually get the thing done.
41. I like to study wars. I think it's fascinating.
42. I don't like spiders. I can deal with them being around if they're normal sized, but someone brought over a tarantula the other day . . . not cool . . . . no me gusta!
43. I randomly slip into foreign languages (French and Spanish). Hey, it makes sense to me. That's all that matters.
44. When I'm reading books written by foreign authors, I hear the whole thing in accents in my head.
45. I collect sand from all over the world.
46. Apparently, I'm gothic.
47. I believe Chuck Taylor's go with every outfit.
48. I become an emotional wreck when I'm really tired; pretty much anything makes me cry . .
49. Since the bulk of my reading and entertainment taste is of British origin, I randomly slip into British accents, which results in very curious looks from all.
50. I think we need more occasions to dress up in costumes ever year.

ahhh, sweet memories . .

here is what you do...

1. as a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and i had together. it doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! if we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is the most memorable for you.

2. next, if you feel so inclined, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. if you leave a memory about me, i'll be sure to write one about you...!