number five: dogs

i've had a scar on my left forearm since i was two from the neighbor's dog biting me. to some, this traumatic event would equate to a permanent fear of pooches. thankfully, this has not been the case for me.

my first dog was a mut, his name was ripples and he was ridiculous. this dog would have been awarded the gold metal in the high jump, easily clearing 6 foot fences. he was too much for my parents and sadly spent the entirety of his life outside in our backyard. because he was always outside and wasn't easy to play with due to his wildness, i never really bonded with him. i still feel badly about that.

my next dog i'll never forget. his name was sydney and he was a miniature Australian Shepard. syd was an ass hole- a totally dominant little guy but completely adorable. he was a good dog overall though. what i'll never forget about him though is his connection to my dad. you see, i'm a complete daddy's girl, and when syd got sick and had to be put down that was the first and only time i've ever heard my dad cry. the memory of those phone calls still bring me to tears. and the night before he was put down i got to see him one last time, and he did what he always did, albeit much slower and with a lot more effort. he crawled between my legs and put his head on my thigh. it still brings me to tears. just fyi, this was not supposed to be a sad post.

now my parents have a new dog, smedly. he's a black lab mix and hands down the BIGGEST black lab i've ever seen. and possibly the dumbest. my brother tried to teach him how to swim and the guy almost drowned. he has the power all dogs have over me though, i see them and get incredibly happy. he's a goofball and honestly one of the largest reasons i hate that i can't ever go home anymore, i miss him that badly. even though he takes up all of the bed, he's still my favorite person to sleep with.

right now i'm dog sitting for my boss. he has hands down the best dog i've ever met, chaco. he's a gorgeous aussi boy who goes nuts when i walk into a room and shakes his little but and smiles a doggy smile. it lights me up.

dogs really are the best animal in the world, and i'd give anything to have one of my own. i can't wait until i finally get to take one home and come home to him every night. i'd much rather have a dog than a boyfriend at this point. chaco is snuggling at my feet right now, and although he does try and lick my toes, i can't stay mad at a face like that. dogs really are better than people in most ways. if you have a dog go snuggle him or her, it'll fill you up in an unparalleled way. and give your pooch a second snuggle from me.

number four: Elizabethtown

it goes without saying i love chick flicks. i'm a very girly girl, and i'm a sucker for a good love story. i read somewhere that elizabethtown was named one of the worst movies the year it was released. i would like to disagree. i've watched this movie too many times to count, i once played it four times on repeat while i wrote a 10 page research paper on the virginia colony. there are two scenes, or maybe they're called sections, of the movie that make me feel more alive than real life sometimes. but before i explain them to my avid readers, i'll give those of you who have yet to watch my favorite movie a quick synopsis.

Drew (played by orlando bloom) launches a shoe, and the shoe is a complete failure. oh and for those of you who love alec baldwin, he's in the movie. but anyway, the shoe is a failure so drew's next decision is to kill himself. his plan is interrupted when his dad dies while visiting his family in kentucky, and thus drew is sent there to collect his remains. i hate that word, remains. but regardless. so drew goes, and meets claire (kirsten dunst), his flight attendant. for the record, i'm not a kirsten dunst fan- i think she needs to wear a bra more often- but since she does in this movie the casting is perfect.

so drew gets to kentucky and takes care of the funeral arrangements, and in the process he and claire manage to fall in love in the most discreet way. that's the only way i can describe it. you just really have to watch it to understand. and then my two favorite parts happen.

drew's father's funeral. it includes an unintentionally hilarious speech by an old war buddy, a tap dancing susan sarandon, and then there's freebird. his cousin is this ridiculous drummer whose band never played anything but it was the highlight of his experiences. they finally perform, and it's the classic freebird- who doesn't hear that song and just start grooving- i dare you to try not to. and then they catch the place on fire and everyone's panicking and running for the doors and his sister just stands there under the sprinklers and embraces the moment. it's a beautiful scene, and just reminds me of the wonderful absurdities how they can bring joy to miserable situations. that scene just amazes me.

then there's the road trip. claire makes drew this epic road trip, guided by her handmade map- complete with an entire soundtrack for the drive and experiences for drew to have while driving home with his father's ashes. let me just say, this movie has an amazing soundtrack. i usually couldn't care less about soundtracks, but every single one of the songs through the entirety of the movie is completely perfect. the road trip playlist is amazing, and i wish there were printed copies of the map claire makes him and the musical accompaniment. this is the road trip i want to take. hand created by a person who has this amazing love and vision. his final stop is to meet her, which is cliche. and to be honest, i usually stop watching once he gets to the world's second largest farmer's market. to me, i loved watching these two characters engage with each other and it's obvious they're going to get together. that doesn't really matter to me and isn't what i love about this movie.

what i love about this movie is the journey. using the word 'plot' doesn't work for me when thinking about this movie, journey sums it up so much better. going on a journey involves a process, and that's what this movie is, a process of love and happiness. i like to think of love as a process we all go through. there are beginnings and then we continue. that is life, and life is about love. the process of love is something i am incredibly passionate about- i go through it daily from all the beginnings i've made. i continue to fall in love with the people in my life daily, and i think that's what i've learned through watching this movie well over 100 times. this movie made me incredibly happy today because it reminded me of beginnings and continuing on and the process that makes us feel so alive even at low points. today i'm looking more forward to beginnings, and i encourage you to enjoy the process a little more.













this post brought to you in part by katie riley, whose DVD has been in my possession illegally since 2006.

number three- potato bugs

anyone who knows me will tell you i HATE bugs. despite what you may believe, i enjoy the outdoors. however, mother nature and i would get along a lot better if her little friends weren't so gross. worms, ants, beetles, moths, centipedes, spiders... the standard bugs send me running in the other direction. worst of all are bees. at least i have a legitmate reason for that one- i'd like to not be killed off by their little stingers. it's not a glamourous way to go, and when i go, i want it to be all glamour. however, as i was walking from my apartment i came thisclose to stepping on the only bug i can describe as cute.

some of you may know him as a roly poly bug, pill bug, or doodle bug. or if you're a big nerd you might know him by his technical name, armadillidiidae vulgare. my response to that is that you're wrong. that is not his name. his name is potato bug. and he is wonderful.

when i was little, these were the bugs i loved to play with. some of you will be shocked to learn i indeed enjoyed playing in the dirt. but i had a thing for digging holes and turning over rocks to see what was under there. in my backyard adventures i enjoyed stumbling upon worms but most of all potato bugs. i loved how they would curl up in tight little balls to protect themselves. what i loved even more was when they would change their little minds and decide that i was no longer a threat and continue to crawl all over my hands. worms were wet and gross, so they'd most likely just be used to throw at my poor little brother. but potato bugs were fun to me.

i could go into great detail about all the fun facts i learned about potato bugs today, but why ruin this with education. today, the little potato bug i almost stepped on lived to see another afternoon. he's probably feasting on a compost pile somewhere. it's the little things in life that really bring a smile to my face, and i hope you can appreciate a creepy-crawly today as well.

number two- napping at inappropriate times of day

i probably should just dedicate this to my bed, but that's just too much of a give away. and plus, i'm not picky about the beds i nap in. my favorite bed isn't even mine. so instead, i shall write about my tendency for napping. but still, let me tell you about my bed for a quick second so you can step inside my world.

my bed is a hand-me-down from my honorary sister sara. it's my first big kid bed, and now when i go to my parent's and stay the night sleeping on that good ol' twin stresses me out. i have a thing for sleeping diagonally, taking up as much space as a person of my stature can. i suppose this happens because i'm so used to sleeping solo, and why i feel so constrained when sleeping avec un homme. my bed is never made. because what's the point of making a bed? my bed doesn't need to get fancy, i like it just the way it is.

the only thing about my bed which isn't amazing is how loud it is. it's squeek is legendary and can be heard from across town. it's like it is yelling at me for laying on it. if my bed could talk i'm sure it would complain as it is MY bed and has grown accustomed to hearing me at all hours of the day and night on the phone complaining to Gabe. i try to be extra gentle to my bed for the most part so it will stop it's whining, but so far without a change. so if you hear a series of very loud squeeking around bellingham, it is probably my bed having a meltdown.

back to the real subject here- naps. the benefits of naps are irrelevant really, all that matters is how happy they make me. but since you might be curious, here are a few as outlined by about.com:

more patience

less stress

better reaction time

increased learning

more efficiency

better health

those are all good things, and for me especially my patience gets better and my stress level decreases. voila happiness! these are universal reasons to encourage napping. however my napping is different, not because of the outcome, but rather because of when i chose to nap.

most people encourage power naps. those are short bursts of sleep lasting about 30 minutes. those are wonderful. but my naps are epic. usually i consider a nap unsuccessful unless it's at least an hour. my favorite naps are the sort that last upwards of four hours. i wake up amazingly refreshed and happy with myself. however, i rarely take these naps at appropriate times of day. you'll rarely find me sleeping between noon and 5 o'clock when most normal people nap. no, i usually get incredibly tired around 7 or 8 pm and wander into my room, promising sarah i'll only be an hour, and usually wander out of my room with sleep in my eyes around midnight.

this is my favorite thing today. i am an easy woman to make happy. give me a bed, a cozy blanket, and a pillow and you've got a great way to keep me pacified. i encourage you to try taking a nap at inappropriate times of day. it may not be for you, as some people enjoy productivity, but sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered.

number one- sitting in your underwear with a fuzzy blanket

i am personally opposed to pants. it's a life-style really. and today, or rather tonight, this makes my world amazing. that's what this blog is for really, i'm making a conscious decision to focus on the little things that make me happy. and being wrapped up in my amazing fuzzy green blanket with my tie-dye undies brings sheer joy. when you think about it, who likes pants? they're restraining and rarely all that comfortable. hence the joy. i encourage you to take the time to avoid pants- you'll thank me later.