Dozens of Places To Curl Up With A Book

I have this little book that sits on my bedside table and it's called "14,000 things to be happy about". I don't know who wrote it but since this blog is supposed to be about good stuff, it gives me lots of good ideas. Glass is half full kind of things. So, sometimes I need a little help thinking of things....that's where this little reminder book comes into play.

Dozens of places to curl up with a book. I have always loved to read. We actually had a class when I was in grade school called Reading. I aced it every time. And, I got teased terribly by my family because in every candid picture taken when I was little, you'd see me in the corner of the couch, with my head in a book. I loved, loved, loved when Scholastic sent home book orders and begged my mom for new books.

I think one of the things I liked best about flying was that I had so much time while waiting for flights to read. When people tell you to visualize your "happy place" in meditation, mine is a big comfy chair at Barnes and Noble with a huge stack of books next to it. In fact, when the boys were attending St. Paul's but we still lived in Liberty, I could spend the entire day at Barnes and Noble, while I waited for them to get out of school, and never get bored.

I have several favorite books....."Eat, Pray, Love", "Beach Music", "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood". I'm also kind of embarrassed to admit that I like self-help books. I love to pick up books at garage sales for practically pennies. Libraries trip my trigger. And, I cannot wait for the day when this nursing school gig is up to have some free time to stick my nose in a good book.

Getting Back to Things that Make Me Happy.....

I've been absent for awhile. Mainly because I had to make grades and that involves mucho studying. I will be SO glad when this thing is behind me and I'm just working. Having some expendable moolah and some expendable time sounds like heaven to me.

Just a few things to think about before I hit the books again.....

Nothing thrilled me more than the idea of a commoner becoming a princess. It was just like a fairy tale. She is so pretty and poised and unassuming (in a classy, not Plain Jane kind of way). He's so handsome and tall and British. It reminded me so much of the fun we had watching Diana become a princess, too. It's every little girl's dream, I think. I know for sure it was mine.

This Doesn't Have to be About Oprah; Maybe a Thank You for being the Support System for Nursing School

Pajama Party

You grew up with Oprah, so why not let your inner child out to play. Throw on your comfiest pajamas and invite your closest friends over for the sleepover to end all sleepovers.

The Guest List
Party people who aren't afraid to stay up way past their bedtimes.

The Décor
Think cozy. Put out blankets and pillows to cuddle up with while watching the finale, and lots of sleeping bags for the rest of the night.

The Menu
No sleepover is complete without a late-night slice. Try some of these pizza creations from celebrity chefs:

• Spike Mendelsohn's Matzah Pizza
• Curtis Stone's Prosciutto and Portobello Mushroom Wheat Pizza with Pesto
• Art Smith's Margherita Pizza
• Jamie Oliver's Big Give Pizza

The Activities
Ask your guests to bring over old magazines and set up a dream board station with scissors, tape, glue and pieces of cardboard. Take turns looking for images that represent things you'd like to accomplish and share your creation with your friends. Be sure to save time for some old-fashioned fun like truth or dare, freeze dance and ghost stories as well!

The Playlist
Remember what your favorite bands and songs when you were 13 years old? Go with those. Have your friends send you their oldies-but-goodies ahead of time, create the ultimate nostalgic mix tape and laugh about days gone by.

The Parting Gift

• Gift card to your nearest coffee drive-thru
• An eye mask
• Comfy socks
• Lavender-scented candle

Yes!

Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human. - Anthony Robbins

Perfect Life

Mary (my therapist....doesn't that sound so L.A.?) assigned me the task of journaling what I would envision as my perfect life so here goes....

This is in no particular order:

I would live in a beautiful, updated home. Everything would be incredibly organized and stay organized. A place for everything and everything in it's place. My current dream is to live in a really upscale 2-3 bedroom high rise apartment. Lots of space (at least 2000 square feet); lots of windows and natural light. Exposed brick. Stainless steel appliances. Granite counter tops. Jacuzzi tub.

The building, preferably in Denver's downtown area, would have a pool and rooftop terrace, a fitness facility, security, elevators and underground parking. No more scraping windows or going out into the cold to go work out.

Rich and I would have lots of couple friends to do things with. People would come visit us. We would ski on the weekends. Or take in a show. Or a sporting event. Or we would fly somewhere for the weekend. In other words, we would actually get off our duff and DO something, instead of sitting around on our computers. Conversely, some nights would be awesome to stay in, curled up on the couch, glass of wine, and Netflix. A perfect balance would be nice.

I would be an awesome mom. Listening, caring, never losing my temper. My boys would care what I thought and they'd want to follow my lead, instead of always arguing. They'd be successful in what they attempted and be happy in life. They'd also enjoy doing things with Rich and I.

I would be done with this horrendous nursing school. In an imaginary world, I would be back flying but since that's not feasible, I want a job that pays well, has loads of time off and is interesting and fun while there. I can think of lots of jobs that would be fun....working in a hotel, organizing events....but they don't get check marks for all three of my criteria, unfortunately. Mainly, they just wouldn't pay well. I'm hoping and praying I can turn this nursing gig into something that will satisfy me. If I can get into pediatrics....no blood and guts stuff....work with a group of fun-loving coworkers, get paid well, work two weekend days as a full time schedule...well, that would suffice. Traveling nursing is still a possibility. BUT if Rich and I were able financially to get away once or twice a month, that would satisfy my need for travel.

I would lose all the weight, I would be in excellent shape, I would take good care of myself. I would go to an awesome church and I'd have someone to join me.

I'd still have some quality alone time....garage sales, mani/pedis, reading a good book, baking. BUT, it would be balanced with some good girlfriend time.

That's pretty much it, in a nutshell. My idea of a perfect life. Now, I think the task is looking at this realistically and seeing what is within my control.

Yes, I'd Like to Think So....

We would like to leave you with this very clear knowing that we hold: You are just a few laughs away from letting a whole lot of good stuff in. You are just a few kisses away from letting a whole lot of good stuff in. You are just a little bit of relief away from letting a whole lot of good stuff in.

--- Abraham