25. Walking

Today I was reminded of the things I so often take for granted. I've been pretty good about it over the years, due to various surgeries and injuries. However, today I was reminded of these things. Things like walking, and being able to sit down without pain, and the ability to cuddle with my boyfriend and go upstairs and sleep and eat. Today, my saving grace was walking. Well, technically Brian, because without him I would have been stuck on a couch all day in a lot of pain. But, thanks to him, I got to walk around the neighborhood (with Scout bracing my tummy, of course) and avoided boredom with euchre and movies and Friends and the dinner table. But the best part of the whole day was walking, super slowly, holding hands in the sunshine just before night overtook the sky. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Walking

24. Beds

I can't help it. I love my bed. It's my sanctuary, in a way. A place I go to escape the world. I can study there, or talk to people I love on the phone. I can email, play computer games, read, sleep, or look at the stars on my ceiling. I can think, ponder, pray. It's where a lot of serious talks have occurred with friends and family and where a lot of funny times have been had as well. It's where Scout, my teddy bear, lives and where my favorite bedspread rests. It's the most comfortable piece of furniture I own, and my favorite. My dad built it (with love and care, obv) and I thoroughly enjoy every moment I spend there. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Beds

23. Holding Hands

There's something about holding hands that makes us all feel safer. We came into the world with a reflex telling us to grasp whatever hand touched ours. As we grew older, it became a rule: "hold my hand while we cross the street!" In Red Rover it was a part of the game - same with Ring Around the Rosie. Then we hit the age where it's a sign of love, friendship, and trust. In almost every case, holding hands is a good thing -- and one that always makes me smile. =)

Today's sunny thing?
Holding Hands

22. Dresses

This weekend was full of dresses. Weddings always seem to have that effect -- dresses come out of closets for the first time in years. I'll bet I wasn't the only one that did that this weekend. I tried on old homecoming dresses, prom dresses, sun dresses, easter dresses, summer dresses, and about 60 new potentials for this wedding. I eventually had to settle on two, of course, but with unlimited funds and unlimited time, I'd probably have ended up with about 27 new dresses in my closet even though I rarely dress up.

There's something about a dress that makes a girl regress to childhood. Makes her want to play dress-up and curl her hair and put on her mommy's makeup and twirl in circles. Then she gets the makeup on and the hair done and slips on her heels and she transforms into a woman. A woman who wants to walk down the street, clutch in hand, and turn heads. She wants to dance and sway and feel the music pulsing through her veins. And, by the end of the night, with the makeup slightly melted and the out-of-place curls falling loosely around her face, she carries her shoes in her hands and wanders home, ready to crawl in bed and drift off to sleep, once again resorting to the dreamworld left over from childhood.

21. Wind

Wind is a funny thing. There's the wind that I'm not a fan of -- strong gusts against you while running, wind that messes up your hair when you spent forever doing it, wind that blows your dress up, wind that makes all the pretty leaves fall off the trees at the end of Fall, wind that pushes your car into the next lane and freaks everyone out. But for the most part, I really like wind. It flies my kite, dries my sweat, pushes me along on runs and rollerblading trips, moves air through the house, rocks me to sleep at night, gives the ocean and lakes waves to float on. As a general rule, wind is a pretty sunny thing. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Wind

20. Cinnamon Rolls

When I was little, my absolute favorite way to wake up was to the smell of cinnamon rolls. It didn't matter what time it was -- if that's what I woke up to, I was out of bed and downstairs. I don't like them quite as much as I used to (probably due to the high number of calories found in each one) but when my mom came upstairs today and said "Cinnamon rolls are almost done!" I got a bit nostalgic, remembering all the times I woke up to them as a kid.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Cinnamon Rolls

19. Naps

Despite a total fail in writing about naps yesterday, they still deserve to be today's sunny thing. I don't really take naps any more -- I'm too busy for that. But there have been several times when a 20 minute nap has been exactly what I needed to get through the rest of the day. On rainy days, there's nothing better than cuddling under the covers and listening to the rain fall down in the middle of the afternoon. Perhaps this summer I'll find more time for a few naps. Perhaps in the pool. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Naps

18. Incoherency due to Exhaustion

So last night I was attempting to catch up on the blog. I had spent the day at a wedding, meeting the boyfriend's entire extended family, and then talking & dancing at the reception until relatively late so, naturally, I was probably exhausted. However due to an amazing coffee bar I was quite awake.

Or so I thought.

I was about to write #18: Naps. I got out 6 sentences when a brief moment of clarity hit and I realized that it made no sense. At all. What did I type, you may ask? The exact wording was...

"I don't nap any more. I did. A lot. It started when I was born and ended something in my sophomore year of college. I could probably use them more than I do but, alas, life gets in the way. Plus research.. it's not bad if you can find it okay when we get there. =)"

Now I understand when Brian laughs at me when I try to talk to him before I go to bed.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Incoherency due to Exhaustion

17. White Picket Fences

When I was little, I never understood the world's fascination with white picket fences. Supposedly everyone wanted "the cute little house with the white picket fence" but I never got it. I hated fences. I didn't like being kept in or contained... I liked running free. I still feel that way.

Now, however, I've got a different view of white picket fences. I actually find them kind of cute. And I always imagine that inside the cute little houses with white picket fences is a girl that always dreamed of having that picket fence. =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
White Picket Fences

16. 1999

1999 was a great year. Y2K, Britney Spears in her glory days, gas at $1.22/gallon, U.S. women's soccer winning the women's world cup, Barbie turning 40, The Bad Touch making the top 5 list, Lance Armstrong's first Tour de France win... basically 1999 whoops.

Tonight my biffle & I made plans for parties we're throwing next year. Party Like It's 1999 is quickly becoming my favorite. It's gonna have karaoke because 1999 had some BA top songs.

Who didn't love 1999? Fo reals.

Today's Sunny Thing?
1999

15. Old Books

I went home this weekend and went through the bookshelf in what used to be The Spare Room (previously the baby room, and now it's Stephen's room -- who, in fact, used to be "the baby"). I was specifically looking for one book but emerged with 7 or 8. I've got quite a summer read ahead of me!

I began one of my childhood favorites last night. It's the book that made me want to work in Pediatric Oncology. Reading it again is reaffirming that dream. It was a brand new book when I bought it. Now it has yellowed pages and that Old Book Smell. We all know that smell. It's the smell of every book grandma reads. It's the smell of libraries. And now, it's the smell of my childhood books. In a way, that's kind of sad to think about. But at the same time, I've always liked that dusty book scent. Now my old faves have it! =)

Today's Sunny Thing?
Old Books

14. Orange Moon

I hope you've had the experience of driving down a country road at sunset on one of those spectacular but rare nights when the moon is huge and bright and orange. It's an experience I had a few times last summer and am looking forward to this year.

Seeing that orange moon is one of the best parts of commuting to work. I'm not sure I'll get to see it as often this year as the floor I work on now doesn't schedule 12 hour shifts (and thus, I won't be driving at sunset) but I'm still hoping to experience at least a few orange moons.

The problem with the orange moon is that you can't capture it on film. At least, not on a normal camera. It doesn't put off enough light to show up in the photograph. If it does, it's just a tiny speck in a black picture. I've tried. Several times. And never has it turned out. Thus, I've got to rely on memory. I hope you can have the same memory. =)

Today's sunny thing?
Orange Moons

13. Playing the Piano

When I was 3, I decided that I wanted to play the piano. For Christmas I got a little color coded keyboard with about 6 huge keys on it. It came with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and a few other simple songs, printed on cardboard with color coded notes, perfect for little fingers. It was made for little girls and boys my age. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. So, shortly after receiving that keyboard, I got another one. This one had smaller keys, and a lot more of them, and had pre-programmed songs. The keys lit up as you played them and it was quite fun to fool around on. But, again, it wasn't enough. Finally, when I was 4, my mom signed me up for piano lessons. We went to the Conservatory where Miss Lee asked if I knew my ABC's (just A-G would be sufficient) and if I could count to 4. I was dismayed. Of COURSE I knew my ABC's (all the way to Z, thank you very much) and I could count too (past 100, for that matter). So, piano began.

I stuck with it through some tough times. There were times I loved it, times I hated it, times I got frustrated, and times I hated the sticker she gave me for completing a song. There were times my wheelchair prevented me from being able to reach the keys and times I wouldn't use my index finger because "my tiny baby cousin Rose touched it and she might die." There was a time when Miss Lee couldn't teach me anything new and I switched to Banae (who is an absolutely amazing piano instructor) and that began a whole new set of tough times. Eventually a time came when sports and school and clubs and babysitting prevented me from having the time for piano, and thus, 12 years later, I had to stop taking lessons.

Now I just fool around with it. I play when I'm home alone and once in awhile with the cousins (who have no patience for learning anything but hitting every key at once). But it's something I still love and something I hope I keep up for a long time to come.

Sunday's Sunny Thing?
The Piano

12. Window Seats

I've always wanted a window seat. No joke. Ever since I learned what they were. Jackie Coon moved in next door when I was 9 years old and she had a window seat in her room. I saw it and was immediately jealous. Since then, I've always had dreams of having a house with a window seat. A comfy one with cushions and pillows and a cozy blanket. Perfect for curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book, wrapped in my blanket and sitting in the sunshine. I'd sit there to watch the rain. And the snow. And the sun. Someday...

Saturday's Sunny Thing?
Window Seats

11. The Rosary

I've missed a few days! So I'm making up for them. =)

I have a special relationship with the rosary as of late. Well, as of July 4, 2009. That was the day that my entire life turned around. Crazy, I know, but it's the day that I found myself. It's the day I found God. It's the day I was truly, 100%, happy. I don't know how or why it happened on July 4, but I was driving to a 4th of July party, saying a rosary (using the colorful one I made in kindergarten that only has 9 beads in the 3rd decade) and all of a sudden, this feeling of complete and utter happiness came over me. So much so that I broke into tears. That day God gave me the courage to stand up for myself. The courage to move on. The courage to be truly happy.

Since then, I've found a lot of great moments in the rosary. The night Kevin & I said one decade of the Glorious mysteries. The morning we got up early to say the rosary on retreat. The day Marcus & I got to church to discover that mass was at 7a.m. instead of 7:30 and said a rosary on the way to class instead. All of the early mornings and late nights I said a rosary on the way to work. Making a rosary in kindergarten and again on retreat this year. Andrew & I making opposite rosaries. All of the rosaries said in the car on the way to and from Ann Arbor. The rosary I said in my dream Friday night. So much joy from that little string of beads.

Friday's Sunny Thing?
The Rosary

10. Sunglasses

You know it's really summer when the little ones appear outside with their sunglasses on. As a kid, my mom wore sunglasses year round. "The snow is too bright!" she'd explain. I never understood it. I didn't get out my sunglasses until school was out. Sunglasses were for summer, and that was that.

Although I wear sunglasses year round now, I am much more excited about it when I'm concurrently wearing shorts and a tank top. Or even more so when I'm in a bathing suit. Floating in a pool. With absolutely nothing to do for the entire day. =)

Today's sunny thing?
Sunglasses

9. Sunflowers

Today I came up with all sorts of sunny things I wanted to write about. It was so hard to just choose one! So I'm adding another tonight.

When I was little, I got a frame from my grandma. It was a Pocahontas frame, and while I never really liked Pocahontas, the frame came with a packet of sunflower seeds. Oh did I love those sunflower seeds. I planted them next to our shed in the backyard and watched them grow. They lasted for years. Then, in gradeschool, we sang a hymn that said "Like a sunflower that follows every movement of the sun, so I turn toward you, I follow you, my God. In simplicity, charity, I follow. In simplicity, honesty, I follow. In simplicity, fidelity, I follow."

That's how I learned that sunflowers turn toward the sun. And that's when I decided they were the coolest flowers ever.

They seem to fit this week, though. After this weekend's retreat, I've got a lot of things to work through and figure out, but I know for sure that I want to follow God's will for my life, whatever it may be, and it seems to me that sunflowers set a pretty darn good example.

Today's sunny thing?
Sunflowers

8. Fields of Gold

We all probably know that song "Fields of Gold" by Sting. But have you ever actually seen one? It is one of my favorite sights in the summer. I always feel lucky when I happen to drive by a wheat field right at that pivotal moment just before the sky explodes into pinks and blues and purples and oranges. That moment when the sun is burning at its very brightest - almost as if it's fighting the earth to let it stick around longer. As if it's trying to prove that it can light up the world for longer than 15 hours. Then, with a final burst of gold, it gives in and disappears below the horizon, allowing the pinks and blues and purples to take over for the night.

Today's sunny thing?
Fields of Gold

7. Fudgesicles

I have been craving fudgesicles for years. You think I'm exaggerating, or perhaps being sarcastic, but I promise you, I'm not. My family is big on those frozen pops -- the little plastic bags of juice that you stick in the freezer and eat, and then drink the melted juice when you're done. We aren't big, however, on fudgesicles. Except me.

Now that I'm on my own, guess what I get to buy and eat all I want? That's right! Fudgesicles! So, at Kroger today, I took an exciting leap of joy and bought a big box of Fudgesicles. 40 calories per popsicle of pure, happy, excitement.

Today's Sunny Thing?
Fudgesicles =)

6. Painted Fences

Everyone says they want that "white picket fence" outside a cute little house with a wraparound porch and a tire swing hanging from the big oak tree out front. Well, I don't want the white picket fence. I don't really know what I want but I think that maybe, just maybe, I want my fence to be as cool as the one that a road in Ann Arbor has claimed. Someone wonderful painted cartoon-ish flowers all over it and every time I drive by, it puts a smile on my face.

So, today's sunny thing?
Painted Fences

5. Polar Bear Plunge

This weekend involved an incredibly rewarding retreat. I met some wonderful people, learned some extremely valuable lessons, and, most importantly, grew closer to God again. Finally. I needed a refresher.

Part of the retreat was quite exhilarating. It involved several retreatants leaping into some very cold water. Twas quite the experience.

So today's sunny thing?
Polar Bear Plunge

4. Silly String on my Car

After babysitting, I was driving downtown when the truck in front of me decided to have the back passenger hang out the back window & whoop my car with silly string, of all things. My first inclination was to be upset and frustrated by them darn kids. But it wasn't more than a second before I realized how happy it made me.

Today's Sunny Thing?

Silly String on my Car

3. Round-a-bouts

Today's sunny thing:

Round-a-bouts

When I was 15, I received a book entitled "Sixteen: Stories about that Sweet and Bitter Birthday" which contained short stories about, well, being 16. The only story I remember out of that book was about a dreaded Round-a-Bout. A young lady that was about to receive her driver's license was extremely nervous to attempt the most difficult part of living in the city: the round-a-bout. It took many many attempts and several close fails, but she survived. Unfortunately the story ended after she succeeded...once... and didn't detail whether she survived the second or third times, and never mentioned the possibility of her actually becoming proficient at driving around the round-a-bout. Thus, ever since then, I've been terrified of round-a-bouts and have found myself glad that I live in the U.S. where we don't really have them.

Until you go to Brighton.

The darn town has several. Including two right in a row. And if you want to visit Cari, you've gotta hit em. Both.

The first time I did it, I was with a darling chica named Mado while talking on the phone with her mom. It didn't go very well, to say the least. The second time, I was following Mom R. & Mado on the way to lunch and that went a little better, thanks to my spectacular tailgating skills. Since then, I've gotten progressively better. And thanks to those round-a-bouts in Brighton, my self confidence is just a teeny bit higher.

So today's sunny thing? Round-a-bouts. Because the Celtic Woman concert was TOTALLY worth the trouble of going through them.

2. Surviving a Scary Rollerblading Trip

Today's happy thing?

Surviving a Scary Rollerblading Trip

This afternoon I went for a run, immediately followed by a rollerblading trip along a level path. This is vital to my survival as I have yet to master the skill of stopping on rollerblades. I was quite excited about finding a flat path to rollerblade...right out my front door!

So, imagine my surprise when I got as far as I wanted to go, turned around, and realized that I had been skating UPHILL the entire way. AKA I was gonna have to travel downhill the entire way home.

This is not safe for someone that can't stop.

However, despite ALMOST faceplanting into a pizza delivery guy, a runner, and a non-English-speaking couple, I survived. Unscathed. And relieved.

Thus, today's happy thing? Surviving. =)

1. New Blogs

I have decided that today's world spends far too much time focusing on the bad things in life. The bad decisions. The bad economy. The bad days. It's time we focused on the happy things. The positive moments. The "little" things that make up our days and set them apart from the day before.

Today's little things?

New Blogs
&
Biking in the Sunshine

There's nothing like digging your bike out of the basement, pumping up the tires, & taking it for a nice long ride. Uphill. Where your lungs get into overdrive and every breath draws in that sweet April air that's got nothing more than a hint of the winter chill left in it.

The world smiles when the sun shines. =)