Defining happiness.

Oh Vox.  It just wasn't meant to be.

I've moved... yet again. (I'm sorry for this.)

http://shiningeyes.tumblr.com

Happiness is... a waggly tail.

I swear, I'll stop ONLY posting videos and pictures of my dog at some point.  I can't help it if she's so lovable!

QotD: Three Foods Forever

If you could eat only 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Submitted by formance.

tofu pad thai, bean burritoes (sans onions) from Taco Bell, white rice w/[chicken, broccoli, et.al] w/soy-sauce

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Watching Disney's "Ratatouille" inspired me to do this list. I don't have a refined taste for foods and am a shameless lover of comfort foods.  So I cannot call myself a legitimate "foodie" by any means. 

Without further adieu, an incomplete list of foods that are to blame for the expansion of my waist line: 

• artichokes
• baked ziti
• black olives
• chicken quesadillas
• chicken soup
• clementine oranges
• creme brulee'
• egg & cheese biscuits
• eggplant parmesan
• fettucini alfredo
• French onion soup
• fried chicken
• fried plantains
• green bean casserole
• grilled cheese & tomato sandwich
• hash brown casserole
• omelettes (especially Greek - spinach & feta)
• "Papa's linguini" (my boyfriend's grandfather's recipe - spicy tomato-based pasta)
• "Popeye's Favorite" wraps from Tropical Smoothie
• pho
• tapas (vegetarian)
• tiramisu
• turkey sandwiches
• vegetable lo mein

(FYI, I'm a former vegetarian that has only recently began to eat poultry again. That's the reason for the absence of all other meats and seafood.)  I could go on and on with this, but this is making me too hungry.

1. sunblock lotion
2. coconuts
3. gardenias
4. cherry blossoms
5. orange blossoms
6. roses
7. fresh-baked bread
8. gourmet coffee beans
9. strawberries
10. fresh laundry with fabric softener

Ah, what am I forgetting....

I'm going through an extremely difficult time and have yet to find a healthy way of coping.  Dwelling in the negative and constantly whining to people with only a passing interest doesn't seem to be an effective solution.  Also, I'm having an extremely difficult time keeping up with this blog without there being a defined purpose.  So to kill two birds with one stone and from here on out, I'm going to go back to my original intended purpose of this blog by making it a positive place.  It'll include lists of things that make me smile/happy and also continuing my "Happiness Is" photo series.

1. J surprised me yesterday by setting up a tv and our PS2 in "my room".  ("My room" being my office that I am forced to sleep in now due to my schedule is so wonky.)  Having the ability to fall asleep while getting lost in a movie or old episode of "The West Wing" is immensely helpful.  I'm so lucky to have that boy of mine.
2. The sound of wooden wind chimes.
3. Wind in the sails and in my hair. (I like to imagine this.)
4. When my newspaper subscribers wave at me, even when I'm running late on my route.
5. Discovering that I love Indian foods and have lots of Indian foods left to try.
6. Josh Groban music.  Sure, it's a wee bit cheesy... but his music still inspires me.
7. My beagle just isn't content until I let her curl up in my lap and cuddle with me. She's sweet, even when I'm impatient.
8. Divine comfort:  "This is what it means to be held. / How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life. / And you survive. / This is what it is to be loved. / And to know that the promise was / When everything fell, we’d be held." (from Natalie Grant's Held)
9. My old friend Brooke is getting married to the very same boy that she used to agonize over ("Does he like me?" "Did he ask about me?" "Ah, mixed signals!") when we were friends years ago. I'm so happy for her.