tabitha45

Wow, this has been tougher than I expected. Maybe because I’m putting more restraints on myself than necessary, like trying not to do things that are closely related to each other, or something. Anyway, here’s 41 through 50. Yay!

41. Crying. Okay, now that seems odd, right? Saying that crying makes me happy? But here’s the thing. I have a really hard time crying. Like, even when I FEEL really emotional, tears just don’t come that often. So on the rare occasion that I am able to cry, whether it’s because of sadness, fear, joy, or whatever, it’s an extremely freeing experience. More on that sometime, maybe.

42. Unexpected compliments, like the time my friend told me she thought I was wearing makeup but then realized I wasn’t and thought I looked really pretty. That was huge for me, because my face has been a constant source of self-consciousness due to acne. So, it meant that it was finally beginning to clear up!

43. Logic puzzles of all sorts. I love to flex my brain! Sudoku, rebus, those story ones where you figure out who brought which pie to the potluck on which day, and where they’re from…it’s fun stuff.

44. Working up a good sweat at the gym or going running. It’s such a triumphant feeling to get my heart rate up, wipe my forehead and keep pushing myself…and an even greater feeling to FINISH a workout or run and think, “That was a good one! But tomorrow’s will be even better.”

45. Thinking about the possibility of a wedding in a year…ack! :)

46. Playing board games, card games, or other sorts of group games. Some of my faves are Ticket to Ride (Europe Edition, of course), Catch Phrase, Phase 10, Settlers of Catan, Gumpsh, and moooooore! It’s just so fun. Even when I lose (which is often).

47. Doing little things to make people’s days brighter. I should really start doing it more often.

48. Reading/exploring other people’s blogs. Currently I’m obsessed with The Pioneer Woman, and especially in love with her step-by-step photographic recipes. Yummy!

49. Receiving nice comments on my blog(s) from total strangers who stumbled upon my musings.

50. Hearing an old song and realizing I STILL know the words to it.

Yesterday I drank at least 100 oz of water (that’s what, like 12 glasses?).

Just for the record.

Here we go…I’m DOUBLING my current count, making it 40 down, 60 to go!

21. Reconciling friendships that were, for one reason or another, temporarily broken.

22. All things Romania – visiting the country, speaking/hearing the language, devouring the food, learning about its history and culture…I’ll never be “over” Romania, and I hope I get to visit at least a few more times in my life.

23. Singing. I’ve always loved being in choirs and worship teams, and if I had the time and a liiiiiiittle more talent, I’d totally find a cool band to perform with, even if it was just singing cover songs at coffee shops.

24. Sleeping in. I definitely took full advantage of that luxury during my week off of work this holiday season, and it was wonderful.

25. Mythbusters. It’s educational, suspenseful, comedic, action-filled…and I love watching it on Joe’s parents’ couch with their dog Spikey (and with Joe, of course).

26. Journals. I’ve got four or five online journals I’ve started over the last several years, along with a gazillion paper journals, and while I kind of go in phases as far as which one(s) I write in, I feel more self-aware when I take the time to write. And I pretend to be organized or strategic in some way by having a journal all about this topic and another all about that one, but mostly I think I just have a fetish with journals.

27. Having my house all to myself for a day, because that means I can be weird, sing out loud, dance through the hall and in the living room, watch six movies in my pj’s, AND know that if I really wanted to, I could totally do it all naked…lol. Well, except the movies-in-pj’s part, cuz I don’t sleep in the nude.

28. Star-gazing. A clear night sky is just so magnificent, romantic, and awesome.

29. Line dancing. Maybe because it’s the only kind of dancing that I feel like I’m any good at, but whatever the reason, I always have a blast when I do it. Now if only I could get Joe to try to learn to two-step with me…

30. Ben & Jerry’s oatmeal cookie chunk ice cream. ‘Nuff said.

31. Flying. I know a lot of people get in airplanes and, from the moment they take off, are just waiting for them to land so they can get on with their travels and adventures. But for me, flying is a great part of the adventure. If I get a window seat, I love to look down at the world below, where I’m headed and what I’m leaving behind, and just enjoy being literally on top of the world. And yeah, I kind of like turbulence, too. Is that weird?

32. Hugs. Cheesy, I know. But I really love a good hug, whether it’s from a good friend, or my boyfriend, or a family member, or even a stranger sitting by me in church when the pastor says, “Hug someone next to you!” It’s a comforting, warm and encouraging feeling.

33. Having a really solid workout or run, where I feel like I put in 100% of my effort and energy, and afterwards felt that great sense of healthy exhaustion, you know, where you almost feel refreshed even though you’re sore…if that makes sense. (I need one of these kinds of workouts right about now…)

34. Mom’s delicious rice croquettes. They might be second place in the “Foods I Could Eat Every Day of My Life” contest, right after artichokes.

35. Coloring. Yes, I like to color in little kid coloring books. I especially love using crayons, but I’ll do markers or colored pencils on occasion, too. I’m not such a big fan of the books with too much text or a bunch of pages with stupid little mazes or puzzles…I just like to color!

36. Parks. I love going to the park to read, or nap in the grass, or play on the swing set and slide and monkey bars, or just walk around and watch the little kids play.

37. Looking at people’s pictures on facebook. It’s kind of ridiculous how entertained I can be by looking at an album of a friend of a friend’s, where I don’t even know most of the people. I guess it comes with being an avid people-watcher…I like to see people interacting, even in still frames, and think about what kind of lives they lead, etc. Of course it’s always most fun when it IS people I actually know…

38. Really sour stuff, like those Warhead candies, or Lynchburg Lemonades (it’s an alcoholic drink with Jack Daniels – super tangy!), or just eating the lemon slice out of my iced tea at a restaurant.

39. Taking jumping pictures. You know, when you and a bunch of friends (or just you) jump as high as you can in the air, and the person taking the picture tries to snap it while you’re all mid-air? It’s not even so much about the end result, but more about the goofiness involved. And, honestly, I think some of my favorite jumping pictures are the ones where one of us (usually me) is totally NOT mid-air, but instead looks completely ridiculous, like they’re squatting or trying to stand on one leg or something.

40. Making lists. No, seriously, it’s really fun for me. I make so many to-do lists, often-times with overlapping information that never seems to actually get done, and yet there’s some sick satisfaction I get when I just MAKE the list, MAKE myself aware of things like that. Besides to-do lists, I make lists of people I’ve dated, kissed, traveled with, or had crushes on, I make lists of things I want to buy but don’t need to or can’t afford to, I make lists of stuff I want to do sometime in my life, and I even make lists of 100 things that make me happy besides money. However slowly the list may come together. :-P I’m 40% done!