Happy Thought: Roller Derby

Walking up to the roller derby arena (local gym) I began to feel completely out of place.  My sister and I with our blonde hair, blue eyes, shorts down to our knees, shirts covering our stomachs were definitely in the minority.  In line in front of us was a tattoo clad, belly bearing group of girls.  I cautiously looked around at the crowd of people catching glimpses of others' attire.  Yep.  We did not belong.  Going to a roller derby had been on our bucket list but I didn't really think how out of place I would feel.  We shuffled into the arena, trying to act and look as tough as we could.  We sat on the far side of the bleachers to avoid being right in the middle of the excitement.  The announcer's voice boomed over the speakers.  "And here come the Lolitas de los Muertos!!"  Skating at full speed, fierce looking girls with skull painted faces filled the skating rink.  Then "here come the Hail Marys!"  The crowd roared.  The teams lined up in the rink and the derby began.  Elbows, hands, heads, were used as malicious weapons as several girls attempted to take out their opponent.  Not long after the starting whistle, my sister and I got caught up in the excitement and we found ourselves cheering as one roller derby girl shoved an opponent out of bounds.  Soon we forgot we weren't necessarily part of this "crowd" and had a blast doing something completely out of the norm.

Happy Thought: Painting Nails

Girls nights.  Stressful days.  Sad days.  All of these types of days are great reasons for painting nails.  This past weekend we had a girls' night. Sitting in a circle, remnants of our Cafe Rio meal randomly tossed out of the way, we decided it was time to paint nails.  Each of us quickly scanned the different color options and reached for the desired hue.  Then the best part!  Girl talk!  Painting nails seems to bring out the darkest secrets and before long we were discussing boy problems, work problems, family problems, and anything else under the moon.  Along with the dark secrets come the silly stories, stupid jokes and awkward stories.  Provides for some great entertainment!  Thinking about nail polish just brings a smile to my face and relaxes my soul.

Happy Thought: blowing bubbles in milk

I don't like milk.  I've had too many bad experiences with sour milk.  Have you ever smelled a carton of sour milk?  Let me tell ya, not a good idea.  It has scarred me for life.  The only time I drink milk is when I have cereal, oreos, or my mom forces me to drink it at home.  I will only drink milk at home on one condition, if I can revert back to my childish ways and blow bubbles in it.  For some reason my mom always has straws, so no worries, I've never had a problem doing it.  Who ever said playing with your food/drink was a bad idea?  Not me!  I love it!  Mentally, blowing bubbles  helps me drink it easier.  Maybe because its more non-threatening.  I don't really know, but it just makes me laugh.  Blowing bubbles is such a great stress reliever.  You can't do it for long without at least cracking a smile.  And if your younger brother/sister is sitting next to you, it just becomes a big ol' bubble blowing party.  Even though my mom chastises us each time, it's so worth it! 

Happy Thought: Blankets

I cannot live without my blanket.  Over the years it's become old and worn in like a pair of your favorite jeans.  It's been used to keep me warm, comfort me when I was sad, as a pillow and many other things.  As a child, I was never one to carry my blanket around with me everywhere.  In fact, I don't even remember having a blanket when I was young.  Now however is a different story.  I can't go to sleep without covering myself in my favorite blanket, or watch a movie without cuddling up in it.  It gives me a sense of security, covering up the outside world.

Happy Thought: Flowers

It had been the worst day ever!  Everything seemed hopeless and awful and I was just done with dealing with everything.  I called my older sister up on the phone and vented for quite some time.  Even though she was busy out in Washington D.C. with her P.A. degree, she was such a great listener and I felt at least a little bit better as I reluctantly hung up the phone.  Why does life have to be so unfair sometimes?  I knew I shouldn't be asking myself that question, but my mind seemed to wander that direction anyways.  Well, after a chick flick and some ice cream I still wasn't back to my normal perky self.  So I did what everyone was tell me to do; I went to bed hoping the next day would be a fresh start.  I awoke the next morning with a pit in my stomach thinking about the previous day.  I didn't want to get out of bed.  Sleeping through everything would be so much easier!  My mom quietly knocked on my bedroom door.  "Alyssa, there's something on the counter for you."  "Oh great," I think to myself.  That's just my mom's way of saying I need to do the dishes or something.  Moving like molasses, I slowly put my feet on the ground and head for the kitchen where the tower of dishes was sure to be waiting.  With my eyes still adjusting to the bright daylight, I walk in a daze to the kitchen.  Finally my eyes come in to focus on a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  "Hmm, my dad must have gotten those for my mom," I think.  Then I see a card addressed to me with the lyrics of Annie's "Tomorrow" signed at the bottom by my sister.  All of a sudden a quick smile appeared on my face and my burdens seemed much lighter.  Just the sight of the bright, beautiful flowers and a quick note brought me out of my funk and helped me adjust my attitude.  I loved seeing the flowers and they were a welcome sight, especially since they weren't the dishes I thought they would be.

Happy Thought: Milkshakes

So it's 10:00 PM and out of nowhere my little brother Brad says, "let's go get a milkshake!"  My siblings and I quickly run to the car.  Excitement and hyperness begin to build.  After blocking Brad from shot gun by launching my body into the car door, we all pile in.  Next step, music!  I crank up the volume knob, and roll down all the windows.  Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger" comes on and we all scream the lyrics at the top of our lungs.  I'm sure the elderly gentlemen driving next to us with his window rolled down didn't appreciate it, but we didn't care.  When we reach the 50's style diner we hurry in and sit down at a bright red booth common in diners.  We gaze excitedly at the options of shakes.  There's too many choices!  50, to be exact.  We finally decide on the shakes that look irresistible and call the waitress over.  To our disappointment, 2/3 of the shakes we wanted are gone. ugh.  Of course this has to happen.  So instead we go with the very common Oreo and chocolate shakes.  Though I couldn't get my chocolate raspberry shake, the Oreo one was so delicious!  As I sat and drank my heavenly beverage, the smell of greasy burgers and fries drifted my way and I couldn't help but take a deep breath and soak in the deliciousness.  Every drink I took, took one more worry off my shoulder until I had completely forgotten the worries of the day.  Definitely worth the late night trip to 5 & Diner.

Happy Thought: Laughing

"I love to laugh" sing Bert and Uncle Albert in Mary Poppins as they float to the ceiling of the house.  As they laugh and sing at the same time, its contagious and before I know it I start to chuckle along with them.  It really is so much fun to laugh.  You know those days where nothing seems to be going right?  Your alarm doesn't go off, you forget a homework assignment, mess up something at work, then get in your car to leave and the battery is dead.  That's the kind of bad day I'm talking about.  At that point you have two options:  to break down and sob (which is completely understandable) or to just stop and laugh at what's happened that day.  I would prefer the latter option.  Nothing can change what happened but your attitude can change just by laughing.  And not just a small chuckle.  A day like that would require a deep belly laugh.  Some of my favorite memories are when something happens that isn't funny to anyone else but for some reason you can't stop laughing.  I love that feeling.  Everyone looks at you like you're a loon, then after a couple minutes of fighting it they're laughing right along with you and no one can stop.  You just keep feeding off each other until everyone has had an intense ab workout.  What a way to lighten anyone's mood.  I think it's important to have those kinds of moments often.  Not only for your mental health but also physical health!  It's a great way to work out that stomach and make everyone feel happy :)

Happy Thought: Tootsie Pops

Quickly unwrapping the tootsie pop, I search for the treasured star.  Did I get lucky??  Nope, drats!  That is probably my favorite thing about Tootsie Pops.  Sure, I like gooey chocolate covered by different flavored candy.  But it's always so great to find out that your Tootsie Pop has a star and your friend's doesn't (maybe that's a little mean, but we used to always compare wrappers before popping the lollipop into our mouths) And don't forget that having the lucky star meant you would have a lucky day!  I also heard that if you turned in your wrapper with the star on it you got a free sucker, but I was never brave enough to try it out so maybe people just made that up and I was gullible enough to believe them.  Of course who can forget the famous advertisement, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Tootsie Pop?"  I attempted to count once when I was younger but gave up as soon as my tongue started to hurt from licking so much and I really just wanted to chew the yummy choclatey inside.  No matter how old I get, I will always enjoy tearing the wrapper off a Tootsie Pop to see if it will be my lucky day.

Happy Thought: Walking through the Sand

It has been years since I've been to the beach and walked through the sand but I can still remember the feeling of the sand between my toes.  It amazes me that even though I haven't experienced this sense in quite some time, thinking of it still makes me smile.  Somehow, just the thought sends a relaxing image to my mind:  a slight breeze blowing, clear blue water rhythmically washing up against the shore, blue skies, and people walking along the shore in the distance.  The sense of freedom washes over me as I think about squishing my toes in the sand and feeling the cool sensation on my feet.  Walking along the shoreline, you are able to let go of things that may be holding you back.  You can take a step back and look more clearly at life.  You can see the beauty of the earth and get the bigger picture.  Walking through the sand and squishing your toes in it in my opinion is much more relaxing than any pedicure or facial.  I would choose a trip to the beach over that any day! 

Happy Thought: Coupons

Now you may have seen the show Extreme Couponing and I have definitely not reached that skill level of couponing, but I have indeed gained an appreciation for coupons.  Right when the cashier hands me my receipt, my eyes quickly scan to the bottom to see how much I saved.  And I'm not going to lie, if I save more than 5 dollars I'm feeling pretty good about myself.  Before coming to college I never thought twice about looking through the newspaper to find the best coupons.  Partly because I was living with my parents and they bought all the groceries, and partly because I thought it was a little weird to clip coupons.  But today I can tell you, it might be a little weird but saving coupons saves money!  I'm a witness!  I don't go out of my way to find coupons but if I see some in the mail that have things I might buy, I use them.  The hard part is trying to only keep coupons for things I would normally buy.  Sometimes the coupons for candy just look so darn good to pass up, but that wouldn't help me save money one bit so I reluctantly learn to not give them a second look.  So although I've never saved more than $25 dollars, every little bit counts when you're a poor college student and coupons sure help!

Happy Thought: New Running Clothes

I am so excited about my new running shorts that I just had to dedicate a post to them!  In about a week I will be putting my life on the line as I attempt to run my first marathon.  You can't really tell from the picture but my shorts are neon yellow with bright blue on the sides.  Basically, I bought the shorts to get me pumped for the race.  I'm not too thrilled to be doing a marathon...running isn't my favorite thing and even though I've done a few half marathons, full marathons are plain torture in my mind.  I blame this whole situation on my younger sister.  She's always sworn she would never run, so in jest I made a deal with her.  Looking back I regret even saying anything but I told her if she ever ran a half marathon I would run a full.  Well I think just to spite me, she ran her first half marathon in March.  Even though I thought I made the deal jokingly, she wouldn't let me out of it.  And maybe I could have just said I didn't want to do it but a little part of me wanted to push myself to the limit and see if I could do it.  So here I am a week before the race and the nerves are starting to build.  I've put in the time and trained but along the way I injured my knee and my confidence was shot after that.  That's where the shorts come in.  What builds confidence for a race more than bright neon clothes?  Nothing!  I may not survive the race, but at least I'll be wearing some crazy awesome clothes as I try.

Happy Thought: Sunsets

Have you ever hiked to the top of a mountain and stood to admire the sun setting?  Or stopped as you were walking home just to look up at the sky brilliantly filled with color?  Mahatma Gandhi said "When I admire the wonders of a sunset, my soul expands in the worship of the creator."  I completely agree with him.  It's amazing to me how a sunset can remind us of the grandeur of God.  This past summer I remember driving home from a long day of work and I was exhausted.  My bed was calling my name, more like screaming my name..but as I was sitting at a stoplight, I glanced up into the sky and what I saw literally took my breath away.  A masterpiece was right above me.  Oranges, yellows, and pinks kept me mesmerized.  I couldn't resist taking a picture, even though it just doesn't do it justice.  I drove the rest of the way home almost in a daze, trying to ingrain the image in my head.  The beauty of it though is that I didn't need to.  The sun sets every day and even though some are more striking than others, they are all so beautiful.

Happy Thought: Letters

It's that time in the afternoon.  The anticipation has been building for several days.  Will it be there??  I grab the key and quickly open up the mailbox but then cautiously peek in...and there it is!  A letter!  Not just the regular bills, ads that I never look at, or mail intended for someone that moved out 5 years ago, but an actual letter addressed to me.  Joy and excitement wash over me and I sprint back to my apartment to read the much anticipated letter.  I have hardly shut the door and the envelope is ripped open and the paper unfolded.  Finally!  A letter from my younger sister.  She entered the MTC last Wednesday and it feels like forever since I've been able to talk to her.  I soak up her words and chuckle as she describes the "cafeteria food" and her "sweetest ever" companion.  Then all too soon, I read the "love, Sister Allison".  I once again realize just how exciting it is to receive a handwritten letter in the mailbox.  E-mails will never be able to replace the euphoria you feel when you open the mailbox to reveal a letter from someone you love.  It always gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that someone cares about me enough to write at least a little note letting me know what's going on with them.  Reading a letter can turn a bad day right around and make the world (or at least your world) a better place.