January 31, 2010: Day 31

Sometimes, I make hot cocoa just so I can eat the marshmallows.

January 30, 2010: Day 30

A bag of Twizzlers, a chick flick, and my best friend. Exactly what I needed.

January 29, 2010: Day 29

Even on the coldest of days...there is new life.

January 28, 2010: Day 28

There's just something about seeing your name in lights. I like to think the Whittier Motel always has half their bulbs out just for me.

January 27, 2010: Day 27

One can never have too many recyclable grocery bags. Right!?

January 26, 2010: Day 26

The weather has been almost spring-like which of course makes everyone a little happier, but it was the magical sky that really made me smile. It must be something in my genes. My grandmother always commented on the moon -- the size, shape, color, or position in the sky. She always knew when the next eclipse was or had some celestial fact about the constellations that she heard on the 5 o'clock news. Now my niece, Mara Grace, is always noticing the moon and without fail I smile when I hear her say, "the moon looks gooooooorgeous." There is something comforting about knowing that we are all under one sky...one moon...one blanket of stars...no matter how many miles separate us.

January 25, 2010: Day 25

I will never get used to nor like the fact that my sisters and I all live so far away from each other, however, the distance makes our time together even sweeter - even when it's virtually. An impromptu video chat with Bridget this evening truly made my day. My sisters can make me laugh like no one else can.

"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." 

~ Yiddish Proverb

January 24, 2010: Day 24

2-hour yoga session with 100+ other yogis, live music and a good cause...beautiful way to start a day.

Beautiful, fresh, natural (and yummy) colors.

Is this a sign that spring is around the corner?

This guy is just lovin' life. Cruising around on his sweet Shadow and smoking a cigar.

January 23, 2010: Day 23

A splash of color on a winter day.

January 22, 2010: Day 22

Perfect night out.

January 21, 2010: Day 21

A post-work trip to Trader Joe's with the girls was enough to make me happy. It goes without saying, an excursion with Cath, Deanna & Meg is guaranteed to be filled with laughs. As we were checking-out, Meg noticed this little girl (please note the adorable snowflake leggings, Irish cap and pink tutu!) When I saw her mother lift her up to pick out a balloon at the register, I knew I just had to ask for their picture. It's usually the simple every day things that make me smile the most.

January 20, 2010: Day 20

A powerful practice tonight. Both physically and emotionally.

January 19, 2010: Day 19

Lauren and I met at Starbucks before volleyball and took a seat next to a table of three friends who were knitting and drinking coffee. I instantly smiled upon seeing them laughing, talking, knitting, sipping coffee - purely enjoying each other and the simple things in life. Perhaps I was feeling especially sensitve after just hearing the remarkable news of a dwilding cancer and truly appreciating the meaningful things in life. I kept admiring them and smiling until I finally got the courage to ask them if I could take their photo. I, of course, explained to them my 2010 project and they were nothing but friendly and accommodating. You never know the influence a stranger can have on another. In this case, these three strangers made me content for that moment and hopefully one day I will unknowingly pass on to others too.

January 18, 2010: Day 18

Sugar-coated silence.

January 17, 2010: Day 17

Full tank of gas :)

January 16, 2010: Day 16

Home cooked dinner with some of my oldest friends.

It's amazing how much has changed through the years.

Even more amazing how much has stayed the same.

January 15, 2010: Day 15

$5,440!

I coordinated a fundraiser at work today for the Haiti Relief Fund after Tuesday's devastating earthquake. Later on today I will be sending a check to the American Red Cross for $5,440. I am so overwhelmed by the devastation that Haiti is facing but at the same time so incredibly touched by the generosity of those around me.

January 14, 2010: Day 14

Terrible picture. Delicious cheesecake swirled with caramel, peanut butter, butterfingers and peanut butter cups.

January 13 2010: Day 13

One hundred ribbons!

Lauren & I spent the evening putting together 100 (plus 5 for good measure) purple ribbons for our Pancreatic Cancer fundraiser on Friday. So many reasons this made me smile...the way Lauren & I made a perfect team and assembled over a hundred ribbons before they locked the doors at Panera...the people that stopped to ask about our arts & crafts project and feeling like maybe we were accomplishing our goal of spreading awareness one little bit at a time...glue-induced laughing & talking as we created...and of course abundance of my favorite color and the satisfaction of a completed project.

January 12, 2010: Day 12

Drove by this house today with literally dozens of little birds flying in and out of this tree. I couldn't help but smile watching them busily fly around. The picture doesn't do it justice, I was amazed at the pure number of birds. It reminded me of the birds flying around Cinderella getting her ready for the ball.

January 11, 2010: Day 11

Bedtime...

January 10, 2010: Day 10

Cutest little plant.

January 9, 2010: Day 9

Spending hours at a coffee shop with the girls. 

Ice cream filled cupcakes.

Laughing until my stomach hurts.

January 8, 2010: Day 8

Friday. Pay day. Coming home, lighting my favorite scented candle and going to bed early. 

January 7, 2010: Day 7

Watching the sun rise after a peaceful yet productive morning. There is something magical about seeing the sun and moon in the same sky.

January 6, 2010: Day 6

A day doesn't go by when I don't think about her and miss her. It's nice to know she is thinking of me, too.

January 5, 2010: Day 5

I am so thankful for days like today, that are filled with endless contentment. It wasn’t an unordinary day but rather a typical weekday packed with dozens of happy moments, many of which can’t be captured by a photograph...

Waking up before the sun and feeling like a hero for making it on time to a 6:15am yoga class…the feeling of offering jobs to not one but two people…hearing my favorite Crosby, Stills & Nash song on the radio and singing at the top of my lungs…getting cozy in my fleece pants at the end of the day…the start of a new volleyball season and being reunited with a group of people that I’m so fortunate to have as friends on and off the court…having multiple people suggest ideas for my blog and mention that they too have found themselves going throughout the day being mindful of things that make them smile. They say happiness is contagious. I believe it.

Sloppies on three!

January 4, 2010: Day 4

Bubbles! A hot, sudsy bath after a vigorous and satisfying hot yoga practice. Only my third day of a thirty day yoga challenge, but still feeling a sense of achievement. A new year ahead with endless possibilities...

January 3, 2010: Day 3

Homemade guacamole and Wawa iced tea. Is there a better way to close out a four-day weekend?

January 2, 2010: Day 2

I drove by this boat on my way home after a perfect weekend day. A day filled with yoga, watching High Fidelity all cozy on the couch, an unexpected lunch with a friend, and an evening cheering on the Celtics at the Garden. Driving home in the snow, it was so quiet and peaceful; I thought these lights looked gorgeous in the snow. Only a few more months until that snow is replaced with sand & sun!

January 1, 2010: Day 1

Happy New Year! What a way to bring in the new year (and a new decade for that matter) than celebrating the union of one of my oldest, dearest friends to the love of her life. Eating, drinking, dancing and watching fireworks over the clock tower as it strikes midnight. If this midnight celebration is any indication of the year ahead, it will indeed be filled with laughter, friends and contentment.