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Amelie of Swordmaiden of the King sent me this tag back in November, and now I’m finally getting to it! With a busy weekend behind me and not much time to blog, this is the perfect kind of post for a new week.
10 Things That Make Me Happy…
1. Tennis shoes
“Say what?!” you choke–but I, an intellectual, calmly reply, “Tennis shoes are incredibly comfortable; they don’t slip off, they keep your feet warm in the wintertime, you can be on your feet all day long and your heels, arches, and knees will never hurt–and unless your laces come untied, they’re probably the safest shoes you could possibly wear.” Three cheers for tennis shoes; they haven’t let me down yet.
2. My art collection
In my writing nook, I have five pieces of art that are all very precious to me: three bunny sketches done by my talented aunt, Gail Lloyd (check out her Facebook page here!), a canvas my baby sister Joy gave me featuring fabric flowers and the gold-painted words “Faith, Hope, and Love,” and a painting of Peggy Carter done by my sweet friend Nichole. The latter piece features the quote, “I know my value–anyone else’s opinion doesn’t matter,” which means a lot to this recovering people-pleaser.
3. Russian Hymns
The first time I heard my grandmother useΒ Sacred Treasures III: Choral Masterworks from Russia and Beyond*Β during her Christian yoga class, it was “love at first hearing.” The slow, meditative music helped me focus on both the exercises and the Lord’s presence more than any other music she’d used before or since.Β As I cultivate both the rich traditions and joyful reverence of the early Church in my own life, I know I’ll be listening to these enchanting, calming hymns on a regular basis!
4. Lily’s Chocolate
My mom puts a bar of Lily’s Chocolate in our Christmas stockings every year, and this Christmas I got the salted caramel one. Lily’s Chocolate is stevia-sweetened and each bar is divided into tiny squares, so I can nibble on that bar for daysΒ without guilt.
5. Nuclear science
I received the book Midnight in Chernobyl* for Christmas (holly-jolly stuff, I know), and while details of the disaster itself are never pleasant, the highly-scientific second chapter left me enamored with the science behind nuclear energy.Β For someone who wasn’t all that interested in science as a kid, it’s strange to feel so giddy over this powerful aspect of God’s creation now! Magic is real and it’s called “science,” people.
6. Writing
This sounds like a no-brainer coming from me, but if you’ve ever known the breathtaking joy of writing again after months of Storyteller’s Block, then you know why I’m including this. It’s been aΒ looooooongΒ time since I’ve been so eager to play with my characters.Β To be fair, they’re notΒ mine–I have no real claim over Rey Skywalker or Ben Solo, unfortunately–but they’re great playmates anyway. (*grins*)
7. Emailing and texting my fellow fangirls
When no one else in your house has seen a Certain Movie and can’t relate to your abject sufferingΒ over Certain Characters, it’s such a relief when your friends start frantically texting you poems they’ve written, tweets they’ve seen, jokes they’ve heard, or meaningful little plot points all related to the Aforementioned Movie. Friends, you know who you are, and I appreciate you. We love one (1) Disney Princess and one (1) Disney Prince, forever and ever, amen. (See #6.)
We only serve facts on my Twitter account.
8. Making plans!
On New Year’s Day my hopes for attending the Anselm Society’s Imagination Redeemed Conference in April finally became concrete plans, and I am SO. HAPPY. I can’t wait to soak in the wisdom and whimsy of these passionate Christian artists!
9. Getting back to the old routines
Holidays are lovely, but there comes a point when I, hobbit that I am, need my daily rhythms back. Last week I was able to get back into a daily writing routine, resume my Hope*Writers studies, return to handbells and choir rehearsal, and ease my three youngest siblings back into piano practice. I even got to work out three days in a row. (*relieved sigh*)
10. The Rocky Movies
My sister Lillie, who just turned 13, recently watched all the RockyΒ movies* for the first time–which, of course, meant that we got to watch them all over again, too! These films will always be family favorites; they may feature some pretty unnerving fight scenes, but they still tell the story of a wholesome, kindhearted underdog who triumphs through perseverance and love.
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