Lists and the women who love them

Last year was a busy blogging year for me… just not on this blog. I launched my webcomic, which – like a shiny, new toy – has gotten the lion’s share of my attention. I’ll admit that I’ve found myself missing this space and hope to give some more attention to my first blog-child in the coming year. (We’ll talk more about that later this month – stay tuned.)

With that in mind, I wanted to start off the new year with a new post. When a friend told me about 50 Happy Things, I just knew that this was the perfect way to kick off 2016 (and to help me find some positivity in a year that seemed to be full of sad news from the world at large). Plus, I love lists. I have a list of the lists that I keep. It’s like list-ception.

You can visit Tales from the Motherland for the full lowdown, but here are the basics:

  • Set a timer for ten minutes.
  • During those ten minutes, write a list of 50(ish) things that made you happy (or that you were grateful for) in 2015. (After time was up, I went back and added some links, comments, and photos – you know I can’t resist a good link roundup.)
  • Add your post to the list of bloggers participating in this flood of gratitude. (Don’t have a blog? That’s okay! You can do this on your own – either just for yourself, or to share with your friends in another format. Also, if you want to tell me some of the things that made you happy in the comments, I’d love to hear them!)

I armed Tavish with a stopwatch, which he promptly ignored in favor of going back to sleep. (Hosting people for New Year’s Eve is exhausting, apparently.) So, looks like I’m on my own. Here we go…

50(ish) Things from 2015

  1. Tavish – did you really think I could start anywhere else? I sure do love that little dude. He just has so much personality and is so loving. I simply must smile when I see his tiny face.

    Dog in the hood via wantmorepuppies.com

    Dog in the hood.

  2. My husband – yet another no-brainer. We started dating almost fifteen years ago, and I can’t imagine life without him.
  3. My family – the one I was born with, the one I acquired through marriage, and the friends who have become family along the way.
  4. Our Christmas tree – for real, we had a seriously awesome tree this year. It’s like department-store-display good. (That photo doesn’t truly do it justice).
  5. Grilled cheese – makes me happy every year, honestly.
  6. My super supportive and amazing group of blogger friends who have become some of my best friends – they make every day better.
  7. Biological Clockie – 2015 was the year I finally let the comics out of my brain and into the world, after all.
  8. Twitter – I have a serious Twitter addiction, and I’m okay with that.
  9. Friends of Homeless Animals – I love how much they do for homeless cats and dogs, and I love the warm fuzzies that I get after a successful adoption event.
  10. My job – I celebrated my first anniversary at the new gig, and it remains intellectually challenging and rewarding. So glad I made the move.
  11. My wonderful work friends, who encouraged me to shed some of my cynicism and share my affinity for writing song parodies with the office at large. (Scary!)
  12. Spending some quality time at the beach without getting sunburned. (Achievement unlocked.)
  13. Missing Monday – my obsession with this webcomic is out of hand.
  14. The Mindy Project – the move to Hulu was a good one, my friends.
  15. Having my dad here for several days in April – we went to a concert, visited with family, and celebrated Easter together. It was an absolute blast.
  16. Game nights.
  17. My bazillion Wolf Trap visits – oh, those summer nights. (Cue the Grease soundtrack. You know you want to.)
  18. Laura Benantiher show at the Barns at Wolf Trap was a true 2015 highlight, and she basically cracks me up on social media at least once a week.
  19. Scoring tickets to Garth Brooks – it was a stressful Ticketmaster experience, but finally getting the tickets felt like a victory!
  20. Doing a Paint Your Pet night with a friend.

    Paint your Tavish via wantmorepuppies.com

    Skills.

  21. Books. Lots of books.
  22. Finally throwing a crafty baby shower instead of just collecting ideas on Pinterest that I promptly forget about.
  23. Decorating the house – including finally finishing our game room (with a pool table, no less).
  24. Getting a shoutout from Buzzfeed for my punny pet names – finally got my 15 minutes of fame, y’all.
  25. Stitch Fix – it’s really helped me have more fun with fashion (and it’s so much easier than going to the store).
  26. On the fashion front, I’d also add purchasing rain boots with puppies on them.
  27. Building a Lego version of Santa’s workshop (a super fun gift from my husband).
  28. Puppies – just in general.
  29. Discovering Bark Trek – I love that this comic exists, even if I am a little jealous that I didn’t think of it first.
  30. Movie theaters with reserved seating and adult beverages.
  31. Baseball.
  32. Podcasts – I’ve finally embraced them (not just Serial), and I love them. Makes time in the car fly!
  33. My new bluetooth speaker – now my tunes sound even better when I throw a random solo dance party, which I do often. (Tavish finds this practice mystifying.)
  34. HAMILTON – its very existence makes me happy. The cast recording gives me life. (Now, if I can just find a way to see it before 2018…)
  35. Puns. (Duh.)
  36. The best foosball table ever, courtesy of my friend Michelle (of Hey Love Designs). I laughed so hard that I cried and could not breathe. Amazing.

    Foosball fun via wantmorepuppies.com

    I mean, it’s brilliant.

  37. Movie nights with my girls – I’ve been blessed with an abundance of supportive and fantastic ladies in my life.
  38. Meeting my new “niece” – she’s the cutest!
  39. Throwing a surprise Top Golf party for my husband’s birthday (and having a blast golfing with my best friend’s daughter).
  40. Spaceballs night at the Alamo Drafthouse – use the Schwartz!
  41. Tetrobot & Co – that game is crazy addictive. (Special shoutout to Professor Layton too – I could puzzle all day.)
  42. Catching Cinderella while it was in town – dinner with good friends followed by a happy, nostalgic, and uplifting show.
  43. My new glasses – considering I think I bought my last pair over 10 years ago, I was due for some updated frames.
  44. Watching Tavish dream, which he is actually doing right now. It’s adorable. (He’s used to the spying – it’s cool.)
  45. BB-8. I can’t help it. The cuteness is strong with that one.
  46. Finally finding a group of gals to indulge my inner retiree and play Canasta with me. (Here’s to more games in 2016!)
  47. Mentoring – I really enjoy it, even when it’s a challenge.
  48. Those amazing nachos at the Myrtle Beach airport.
  49. Spending time in our backyard – we’ve really made it into a haven, and I love it (when the pollen is not keeping me from the out of doors).
  50. Happy news from my friends – I have secondhand joy when one of you experiences something good. It warms the cockles of my heart. (Always remember… little victories count too!)
  51. Photography. (I need to bust out the DSLR more this year.)

Whew. I’m tired now. Maybe it’s time for the first nap of the new year? Tavish is already like seven naps ahead of me. I have some catching up to do.

What made you happy or grateful in 2015? Share in the comments – let’s get some secondhand joy going. (Also, if you do your own 50 Happy Things list, let me know so I can stop by and read it!)

Want to check out some other 50 Things posts? Go here.

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4 thoughts on “Lists and the women who love them

  1. What am I grateful for? I’m grateful for you. I’m grateful for the friends we have in common. I’m grateful for a lot of things, so maybe I need to start a list too.

    Love you, lady, Must make seeing you in 2016 a priority. <3

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