Quest for Happiness [Day 30]

It has been thirty days since I started my Happiness Quest. Aside from my brief four day tech break I have blogged every day this month, something that I find shocking, and didn't expect.

Since I started this blog ten months ago there have been two months where I've written absolutely nothing. During the other eight months I posted an average of four blogs a month. Strangely enough I found it easier to blog daily than to do it on such a sporadic basis.

Over the past month I have focused in on what makes me happy and what brings a smile to my face. I didn't change how I lived my life on a daily basis, but took the time to appreciate what was already right in front of me. 

I can't lie there were still days where acknowledging happiness took a back seat to allow time for complaining, being grouchy, frustrated, etc. Having this outlet made me  feel more able to bounce back from those miserable moments, as I was forced to look at the positive parts of each day. 

Although I enjoyed focusing on moments of happiness, I feel like the simple pleasures are getting redundant as subject matter. I am more aware of them now (and hopefully you are too!) but I think it is time to start something different for July at least. 

What's my new plan? I have always loved words, and used to spend hours filling notebooks with quotes that inspired me. This has led me to the decision that for July (at least) I am going to include a different quote in every blog that somehow relates to my day. 

I've also decided that I won't promise a blog everyday, because sometimes it just isn't possible, but I will blog at least every two days and a minimum of fifteen posts for the month. That you can count on! 

The dairy cows. They are huge beautiful beasts!

Since it is still June I do have one final happiness story for you. Today we went to the Experimental Farm museum. It has all kinds of farm animals and displays as part of the larger Experimental Farm that tests different species of plants and crops, etc. 

I love barn animals so it was the perfect way to spend a sunny day. I haven't been near a live cow in a while, I had forgotten how huge they can be! Sadly no milking opportunies presented themselves. But we did get to talk to some horses, and sheep! I had quite a lovely conversation with a brown eyed horse, and another with a donkey named Eeyore. Jay says they think I'm crazy, but I think they know I'm just friendly! 

We also saw a pig with its piglets and a couple of brand new baby goats! It was awesome, nature is  magical. The reason for the trip was to scout it out for an adventure with my babysitting kids, and I think they will love it!

To wrap up this blog and this lovely month of happiness, I want to thank you for sticking by me.  I truly appreciate all the feedback and support. 

Keep Smiling :) 

Quest for Happiness [Day 29]

Today I offer, a photo blog. I've spent about a week carefully selecting the silliest and most ridiculous pictures to share today.

Sometime in the past few years I lost the ability to just smile nice for photos. Now when I see a camera flash I automatically puff my cheeks out or stick out my tongue. Usually when I look at these pictures later I wonder what I was thinking, but also I laugh.

I am sharing these photos as part of my Quest for Happiness because they make me laugh and I think if I am going to take silly pictures they should at least be shared! Consider it a reward for sticking with me for a whole month, you can now openly mock my ridiculousness!

This was on the cover of the SMU newspaper

Ireland, fancy flavoured chips!

My happy face :) Extreme!

Yup, I'm adjusting my fanny pack and making that face!

Birds of a feather

Classy, I know.

All our pictures together look like this (as you already knew!)

At least I've progressed from my alien face days!

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 28]

Following up on yesterday's post I am still loving the job, but holy moly am I exhausted! Tonight's post is going to be short and sweet so I can get to bed, after Rookie Blue of course.

What is the focus of my happiness today is being completely silly, even though I am a grown up! Lately, Jay and I have been laughing a lot. It is so refreshing to laugh together, especially since until the past couple of months we were (read: I was) having a rather difficult time finding happiness in O-Town. 

Tonight's blog was inspired by one silly such silly event. After getting groceries we had an extra bag of milk that expired while we were camping and needed to be emptied out. My thought was to cut a corner and pour it out as you would to use it, but Jay had another idea. He dramatically sliced the bag open, while holding it in the sink and it spurted everywhere.

Our kitchen and living room is what they call "open concept" so the milk not only splattered on the counter but all over the back of the couch. It was hilarious, hopefully the hilarity is apparent from this post. 

I can't think of another example right now as my focus is lacking tonight. Hopefully this brought you a little joy, and if not I hope something else brought a smile to your face.

Also, don't forget tomorrow is Friday and the start of a long weekend filled with fireworks and sunshine! 

Keep Smiling :)

P.S. Amy Farafowler on The Big Bang Theory just said "Sheldon, you are ruining boyfriend-girlfriend sing-a-long night!" I want to have boyfriend-girlfriend sing-a-long night, it sounds like fun.

Quest for Happiness [Day 27]

I mentioned in a previous blog that I am doing some babysitting this summer (if I haven't- Surprise! I'm babysitting!)

How does this relate to a blog about happiness you wonder? Well, kind readers, it relates because spending all day with children makes me so happy!

I've only been babysitting for a few days but it is fantastic! It's been almost a year since I worked with kids and I was psyching myself out that it I might not remember all my kid friendly activity ideas, or that I might find it harder to be patient and silly. It was mostly unfounded worry (as it usually is with me!) while my coloring skills are a little rusty the rest is coming naturally.

I love eating fake sand cookies at the playground, playing with glitter glue, picture books and floor sized puzzles. It makes me smile that my days are once again filled with playtime and trips to the park.

Can you guess which is mine? Haha!

I've struggled in the past with trying to commit to a career plan, but I am positive now that working with kids is what I am meant to do in some capacity. I am so excited to start school in the fall and start making progress toward what I hope to make a career.

The reason my foray into babysitting is blog worthy today is because it affirms that you should always do what makes you happy. If you love something and you work hard you can find a way to make a living doing just about anything. Never give up on your dreams!

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 26]

Amazing!! (source fanpop.com)

So I might have mentioned once or twice that I am celebrating a birthday in just a few short days.

As I love reflecting today seems like a good day to take a look back on some of the things that I loved growing up.

I'm turning the big 2-4 so here is a list of twenty four of my favourite things growing up. I was a '90's kid through and through.

1. Backstreet Boys: I used to jam to their cassettes while playing barbies and had a huge crush on Brian.

2. Barbies: I loved playing barbies and could do it for hours. I had a wicked limo and pink VW beetle for them to cruise around in, and one of the “Folding Pretty Houses” that did not fold easily at all! Julia and I spent hours playing barbies and had a massive collection by the time we outgrew them (I was probably about 15 when that happened)

Source: IMDB

3. The Babysitters Club: I was a member of one of those book clubs that mailed you a new one every month and I loved these books. The movie was also fantastic! 

4. Spice Girls: I was obsessed with them, I always wanted to be Baby Spice or Ginger Spice when we played Spice Girls in the driveway with the neighbourhood kids. 

5. Titanic: Sometime around grade four I learned about the Titanic in class and became fascinated (seems a little morbid looking back). I still have many books about the ship and the sinking, growing up in Halifax I also was able to visit museums and sites related to the sinking aftermath.

6. Sweet Valley High: Once I outgrew The Babysitters Club I moved on to this series, which was a little more difficult since it was out of print by that time. I scoured yard sales and flea markets and eventually came to have the complete set which I probably read through four or five times. I also loved the short lived TV show in all its cheesy goodness. 

7. Saturday Morning Cartoons: They are truly a lost treasure. I remember getting up early to watch Inspector Gadget, Spiderman, The Little Mermaid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Care Bears, to name just a few. 

8. Will Smith: I loved his catchy rap beats, especially the Willenium album.

9. Saved By The Bell: This was probably the best show ever shown on TV. I've probably seen each episode at least five times, but never grew tired of it! 

10. Dinky Cars: One summer when we went camping in P.E.I my brother and sister and I created a huge track in the mud and spent hours playing with those little cars.

POGS (Source: Wikipedia)

11. Marbles: Our backyard had a sweet place for playing marbles. I don't know that I ever actually understood the rules but I loved carrying them around in my pockets!

12.  POGS: Again, not sure I understood the rules but I had quite the collection going for a while. 

13.  Beanie Babies: I spent many hours playing with my Beanie Babies and loved when you could get the little ones in your Happy Meals. I think my favourite was a black poodle because it looked just like our puppy, Meeko. 

14. Walkmen: I had this giant silver portable disc player that I carried to school every day in junior high. It was heavy and ugly but I adored it.

15.  LFO aka Lyte Funkie Ones: They were one of the less well known boy bands but I was a big fan. No lie I still have Girl on TV and Summer Girls on a frequent play list.

Source: Wikipedia

16.  Hit List on YTV: It was the easiest way to stay up to date on music news back in the day. 

17.  Family Channel: We first got this channel when I was about ten, and I became addicted immediately. It was the most watched channel on my TV until I was about eighteen. Smart Guy, Clarissa Explains it all and Phil of the Future were some of my favourites. 

18. TGIF on ABC: I used to come home from dances and watch Boy Meets World, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Teen Angel. 

19.  Full House: I grew up with this show, it was a weekly staple in our family. The Tanners were like an extension of my family. 

20. Mary-Kate & Ashley: Following Full House I spent many hours watching the straight to video Mary-Kate & Ashley videos and reading the accompanying novels. How the West was Fun is my absolute favourite. When I worked in Alberta we actually used to go rafting near where they filmed it which was awesome!

21.  Original Nintendo: I never really got into Nintendo, my brother and sister took it much more seriously (and were way better at it than me!) but I spent quite a bit of time watching them play it and what kind of 1990's kid would I be if it didn't make the list. 

22. Hair Mascara & Glitter: Looking back it is absolutely disgusting but before a dance at the rec centre I would add all kinds of hair mascara to my messy mane. I also slathered myself with goopy glitter.

Polly Pockets (source: retrojunk.com)

23. Polly Pockets: I always lost the figures but I had all kinds of empty homes for them that kept me entertained for hours. 

24.  Journaling: I was always writing in a notebook. Usually about boys I had a crush on, carefully encoding them by using initials rather than full names- clever I know!

So that about sums up my childhood (or at least the more materialistic side of it!) Looking at a list like this I'm actually feeling my age, most of the stuff on this list wouldn't fly with kids today.

Do we share any common '90's interests or did I leave out anything you loved when you were a kid?

            Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 25]

--> This week marks SIX years since I graduated high school. It often feels like more than six years has passed and other times it feels like just yesterday. I am now closer to my ten year reunion than I am to the date I graduated. That is a crazy thought.. I am getting so old!

To commemorate this week I've dug out some pictures from my Prom and Graduation. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I loved Prom. I took it way too seriously, my friends called me “Promzilla” in the months leading up to the big day. 

Looking at these pictures and others from around the same time I can actually see how much I've grown and how far I've come since the day I crossed the stage at the local auditorium.

My plan graduating high school was to take the quickest route to becoming a certified teacher, while spending every summer working at Tim Hortons Camp. If I had followed that plan I would have graduated in 2010 with my Bachelor of Education and hopefully already be teaching.

As you all know by now that is not what came to be. Since deciding teaching wasn't the path I wanted to take I have run through a huge list of potential careers, History Professor, Museum Curator, Journalist, Social Worker, I could go on.

Several jobs and experiences later I am certain of one thing: I want to work with kids and young adults in some capacity. It comes naturally to me and is absolutely what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I also have developed a much greater appreciation for what is important to me, and for who I want to become. I am finally starting to feel comfortable with who I am, stressing less, and learning to trust my gut more.

All that being said it is sometimes hard not to feel like I haven't accomplished enough since graduating. I have friends that have traveled the world, done amazing volunteer work, started careers, bought houses and so much more. In comparison I feel like I've somehow failed to do as much with my life as I could.

These are thoughts I struggled with for a while, but I am quickly realizing that success is not something that can be judged by comparing my life to anyone else. I am working hard to set goals for my own life and to judge my success based on how I live up to those. It is a challenge sometimes though, it is difficult not to want what others have when it is something you also eventually want.

Life is full of challenges, and changes and it doesn't always turn out how you expect, but that doesn't diminish how wonderful it is. I may be far from where I expected to be when I crossed the stage in 2006, but I have so much happiness and love in my life that it doesn't matter that things have turned out differently.

If you dwell on what could have been or what someone else is doing it will be hard to find joy in your own life. Instead celebrate the accomplishments of friends and loved ones, and of course yours as well. Whether it's something you've dreamed of for years, or an unexpected surprise take pride in your accomplishments and live in the moment.

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 24]

Today I want to share something that I wished I would have found earlier this month as I feel it would have provided me with a way to better track my happiness throughout the month. 

When I was in high school I worked at a local grocery store, it was a small one, only six cash registers (usually no more than three open at a time). It was an old store whose many clientele were elderly residents who'd been in the area for years. 

I had one customer, an elderly widower who began planning his shopping trips around my work schedule. At first I was a little concerned by his interest in me, but as his visits grew so did my respect for him. He had a sharp mind and a love of words and I think just wanted a friendly face to talk to. He would often bring me in his favorite quotes or words of wisdom, either photocopies or on handwritten scraps of paper. 

We had some wonderful chats, and he was one of the things that made it such a fantastic job. Once I moved on from my job there we lost touch, but I often think about him and hope he found peace. 

The below is one of the documents he gave me. It once hung on the wall in my bedroom to remind me to get happy but three moves in three years left it buried in a box of school paperwork until recently.  Some of the tips are a little silly or redundant, but the idea behind it is a good one and it represents many of the values and qualities I hope to possess.

We don't have a scanner so I tried to photograph the pages to share, but the font is hard to read on the printed pages so I don't know that it can be read from these pictures. Below is the content of the two pages in it's entirety. 

Suggestions on How to Live A Happy and Rewarding Life 

Take time to smell the roses

Take a nap on Sunday afternoons (I love naps!)

Drink 8 glasses of water a day

Never deprive someone of hope, it may be all they have

Be thankful for every meal

Don't be afraid to say "I'm Sorry"

Don't take good health for granted

Don't interrupt

Don't tailgate

Improve your performance by improving your attitude (Attitude is key, I need to remember that)

Wave at children on the school bus

Listen to your children

Leave everything a little better than when you found it

Leave the toilet seat in the down position

Keep it simple

Keep your promises

Be kinder than necessary (Like forming a friendship with your grocery store cashier!)

Take good care of those you love

Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out 

Wear outrageous underwear under the most formal business attire (This is one of my favorites!)

Vote!
Judge your success by the degree to which you are enjoying peace, health & love

Be a good loser

Be a good winner

Be romantic

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring & integrity, they think of you

Enjoy real maple syrup

Never refuse homemade brownies

Never give anyone a fruitcake

Remember other peoples birthdays 

Sing in the shower

Don't Nag (I have work to do on this one!)

Don't gossip

Don't expect money to bring you happiness

Be forgiving of yourself and others

Never give up on anyone; miracles happen every day

Say thank you a lot 

Say please a lot

Take your dog to obedience school.. you will both learn a lot 

Slow dance

Don't rain on other peoples parades (I love this one, unnecessary negativity is one of my pet peeves!)

Don't postpone joy

Stop blaming others, take responsibility for every area of your life

Take care of your reputation... it's your most valuable asset

Count your blessings

Whistle

Marry only for love

Call your mother

Do more than is expected

Be there when people need you 

Be someone's hero 

Support your community generously with your time and money

 

What are your favorite suggestions off this list? Do you have any other ideas for a happy life? 

Keep Smiling :) 

Quest for Happiness [Day 23]

Following yesterdays theme about our recent mini-vacation, what makes me happy today is very simple (partly because we barely left the house today as we are still exhausted!) 

Today I want to share our collection of "I Heart _____" magnets and signs. I've been collecting them ever since I went to NYC in 2008 and we have a magnet from just about every place we've traveled to since!

Without further ado, here is our "I Heart ______" magnet collection (Yes the Hintonburg sign is being held up by Twilight magnets, sparkly vampires are where it's at!): 

Pretty awesome right? It is hard when you are in a touristy place to leave without buying all kinds of treasures. Magnets and apparently Christmas Tree ornaments are my weakness (but that's another post!)

I am absolutely one of those people who displays a random assortment of papers all over the fridge. Currently I have two going away cards from my friends from September 2011, two postcards from another friend who went to Guatamala in the fall, a picture of Jay & I from 2009 (and not even a good one!), a save the date for a wedding coming up in December 2012 and every receipt for purchases in the last three months.  

I was also displaying all the mail we got from friends at home but I started running out of magnets (yes, even with the Twilight collection!) so they were relegated to the bulletin board!

When I was working with kids I also covered both my fridge and Jay's with art I made during the day with the kiddies, or cards and crafts they gave to me.

What is the point of having a giant magnetic surface in your kitchen if not to decorate it?!??!

<-- This is the front of one of my going away cards. I put this guy at eye level on the freezer door so he stares us down when we are going in for treats! Sometimes it's cute, sometimes if you look at him for too long it's terrifying. 

I am still recovering from our road trip, I'm a little sleep deprived and majorly lazy today so this isn't my most inspired post. I do genuinely get joy out of our magnet collection so it fits the theme, but I promise I've got a couple great post ideas in the works for the next few days, just stick with me!!

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Days 19, 20, 21, 22]

We arrived back home earlier this afternoon from a mini-vacation in southern Ontario complete with lots of fun in Niagara Falls. 

Travelling put me four days behind on my Happiness Quest posts but posting for the days gone by would be redundant, so I am going to combine four days of happiness into one awesome post! 

What has brought me great happiness this week is vacationing in the summer sunshine. Below is a compilation of a few of the many reasons why I love summer, road trips and why I am in the most fantastic of moods this evening. 

1) The smell of sunscreen: Weird right? Sure it is protecting my delicate skin from the harmful rays of the sun, but it also smells like the memories of summers past spent swimming and biking around the cottage or hiking through the woods, and now spent sight seeing in 42degree weather! 

Rain & Timbits at 5am

2) Timbits on roadtrips: Before this week it had probably been about four years since I ate a Timbit, now I want to eat them every day! Those delicious little doughnut holes kept us well nourished during what turned out to be a very long drive. 

3) Joel Plaskett Sing Alongs: Jay and I agree on few things, usually not food, music or TV related. One thing we do share is a love of Joel Plaskett so on road trips we always crank the Joel and rock out. It is awesome, he makes beautiful sing-a-long music. Should the opportunity present itself for you to witness his folk rock greatness in person absolutely take it- it will blow your mind with awesomeness! 

4) Sleeping in a tent: Although it was about 10 degrees too hot in the tent for sleeping this week, it is nice to fall asleep and wake to the sounds of nature. We recently invested in an air mattress which has greatly improved this joy. 

Soaked & looking a little windblown but so happy!

5) Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls: The other things I love about summer are all more general but of all the things we saw and did this week the Maid of the Mist was the best.  Having spent time in Niagara Falls before I was less stoked than Jay about all of the touristy sites but once that boat drove us into the falls and water was pouring down our faces and we couldn't stop laughing I was absolutely sold! It was too much fun to be standing in a plastic poncho being pelted with water from a gorgeous waterfall.

6) Making it to the Gas Station in the Nick of Time: Today about twenty minutes from home the gas light came on and started beeping, not the most reassuring sound on the highway. Also not the first time this has happened to me on a road trip! At least today we knew where we were so it wasn't too difficult to get to a gas station, last time it happened my best friend and I were driving along a stretch of US highway, not near any exits. Finally seeing an exit sign and finding a gas station at the end of the ramp is one of life's simple pleasures, trust me! 

That sums up why I can't wipe this silly smile off my face tonight (ok, that and the fact we are finally done driving for a few days!). Hopefully the past few days have held nothing but happiness for you as well. What are your favourite things about or memories of summer? 

Totally Legit!

I'll leave you with this last image of me hanging out with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We're besties, it's really no big deal! To answer your question, yes they always wear their engagement announcement outfits when we hang out, they like to look fresh for me!

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 18]

Holy Moly! I've been blogging for 18 days straight now! One thing that definitely made me happy today is that realization. I wasn't convinced I'd be able to keep this up when I started so I am pleased with my progress so far.

I'll admit yesterday's entry was a tad bit cheesy, I just love that joke! Today I'm headed in a different direction. 

I want to share some of my big dreams, things I want to accomplish and places I want to go. I've been working on my "Bucket List" for many years so I'll share the highlights.

Before you start reading, this may not be a conventional bucket list. Some of my ideas are a little abstract rather than events I can scratch off a list. My thought is, once I'm old and grey I can look back and hopefully feel like I accomplished all I set out to. Those in bold are things I've already seen or done!

Travelling Soul: Places to See

Travel my own country: Visit all the provinces and territories, I'm about half-way on this!

Visit France: See the Eiffel Tower

Go to Australia: Hold a Koala Bear and see the Sydney Opera House

Visit London, England: Visit Big Ben, Double Decker Buses; Buy awesome Royal Family masks!

Go to Scotland: My father & grandparents went when he was young and I've been curious ever since.

See New York from the Empire State Building
See Toronto from the CN Tower

Take Action: Trying New Things

Go rock climbing and repel myself: It took three months, and a few tears but I did it!

Ride a mechanical bull: Anyone know where to find one?

White Water Rafting

Camp every summer

Run a marathon

Hike the Confederation Trail

Go to a Broadway Show

Milk a cow

Ride a horse

Learn to understand one sport: I'm working on hockey & football it's going to take time though!

Being Responsible: Staying Safe and Healthy

Spend money wisely and always have money in a savings account

Become a good, safe driver: I need to conquer my nerves on this one!

Wear sunscreen

Eat right and exercise often to keep healthy

Read everyday (screen time doesn't count!)

Eat fruit and vegetables daily

Take multivitamins: I don't try hard enough at this one. 

I love football, I'm just not always sure how it works!

Live, Laugh, Love: The Abstract Goals

Own a house

Laugh everyday

Learn to forgive (Accept that mistakes happen)

Worry less, stay calm and don't panic!

Keep my family close

Stay in touch with friends: My ability to do this fluctuates, sometimes I pull away- I need to fix that!

Get Hitched and start a family

Practice Yoga

Go to Church

Get wild and crazy sometimes

Have my written work published: Three years on the university paper taught me a lot!

Read War and Peace

Making a Difference: Sharing and Developing Talents

Discover a job that I love where I can make a difference: I had one, now to find another!

Feel accomplished at the end of each day

Have a positive impact in the lives of others

Become bilingual

Graduate university with distinction

Volunteer in a soup kitchen

Donate Blood as often as possible

Become a strong confident leader

Always seize opportunities to learn new things

If you don't already have a Bucket List, I highly recommend taking some time to write one. When you know what you want out of life you are one step closer to having it.

My progress has stalled on a lot of these, especially traveling. I am slowly scavenging pennies for a trip to Europe that will hopefully scratch many of those goals off my list. With my recent decision to not work this summer and to go back to school it might be a good time to work on some of the other goals!

Ironically, given how this blog started, for the first time in 18 days I do not plan to write again for the next four days. I am taking a tech-vacation (ok, and a real vacation!)

Technology connects us, allows us to learn from one another and to share our stories. It also keeps us up all night, distracts us from connecting with those we actually live with, and encourages us to sit on our butts rather than enjoy the sunshine.

As much as I love blogging I am excited to take a few days off and get out and see some sights! Don't worry I will make up for it with lots of photos and stories upon my return to the world of technology.

Keep Smiling :) 

Quest for Happiness [Day 17]

Today I looked through a box of old letters I wrote to Jay and re-discovered my favourite joke of all time written on about every second letter I sent him.

I don't know if you will be able to handle the hilarity of this joke, but it is seriously the funniest joke ever! 

Just to preface, I got this joke off a math worksheet in junior high or high school. One of those pesky sheets with the questions that give you letters to solve a riddle. I hate math but I love jokes.

Are you ready? Be sure you don't have an audience if you are easily embarassed because you are going to laugh.. A LOT! 

Ok, here goes it: 

What did the girl melon say when the boy melon proposed marriage? 

(Any guesses?? Brace yourself for the answer!)

Yes! But we cant-elope! Get it?!?! Can't Elope/Cantelope like the melon! HILARIOUS!

Once you are done laughing, I know it takes a while to recover from the hilarity, post your favourite joke of all time in the comments!

Keep Smiling :) 

P.S. Happy Father's Day to all the Poppa's out there! You're Awesome!

Quest for Happiness [Day 16]

Since I left work and became a stay-at-home-lazy-pants I have become acutely aware of the patience and care Jay offers me. As many of you know I am a little high strung shall we say, not always easy to live with. 

I am also a bit of a control freak, so generally I make plans and hope Jay will go along with them. This works because he is laid back and tunes me out when I get too ridiculous. 

This weekend though I decided for a change I wasn't going to be a bossy bessie and would let him call the shots. We mostly like doing the same things anyway but I felt like it was time I asked him how he wanted to spend his weekend since currently everyday is weekend for me. 

We spent a lovely day wandering downtown Ottawa and hanging out by the Rideau Canal. Then I tried my best to not be a total pest while he read for a while before a game of frisbee in the park. 

The last time we played frisbee Julia was was here and I was not very cooperative or focused. Tonight I tried to make up for that by paying attention and actually trying to play along. 

In summation, what makes me happy today is making an extra effort to be kinder to Jay. We tend to take those we care about the most for granted and forget to acknowledge just how awesome they are. 

Since we spent the whole day walking I am very sleepy, so I am going to wrap this up and get started on something else that makes me happy: SLEEPING! 

Keep Smiling :)

Quest for Happiness [Day 15]

One of my goals for this month was to start volunteering somewhere or to come up with a plan to make a difference in a life other than my own. Unfortunately I didn't have time (or make time) to get something set up just yet and it's been hard to plan for the future when everything was so up in the air. 

A worthwhile read.

A lovely friend did suggest a volunteer opportunity today that once again got the wheels in my mind turning about volunteering somewhere. It's been too long since I did something without a selfish motive lying underneath. 

I've also been reading the book Me to We, by Craig & Mark Kielburger, founders of Free The Children. They started Free the Children when they were younger than I am and have accomplished so much good in a relatively short amount of time. 

The book really lays a good foundation for many of the issues facing young people worldwide and the work being undertaken to help improve their situations. As I mentioned in a previous blog about Kony 2012 & Child Soldiers only recently have my eyes opened to the suffering young people are facing in countries around the world. This book builds on lessons I learned from the Romeo Dallaire books I read in the past. 

Sadly once I finished the Romeo Dallaire books I lost my focus on trying to make a difference even in a small way. This book has re-ignited the passion to do something, to try and help. 

Something that made me smile last weekend during Westfest was seeing a young girl and her dad playing the violin to raise money for the Because I Am A Girl project. They had information about the program and a sign saying this was the second year they had done it. Where it would be so easy to keep the money it was really nice to see someone so young taking an active role in making a difference.

I am so inspired by the work of programs like Free the Children as well as programs like the one suggested to me by my friend that support children and young people in my community. I find it challenging to commit to one program because I want to be involved in everything. 

My hope is to find a program to give my time to on a regular basis, something with children or youth. I also want to get serious about buying local, organic and ethically sourced items whenever possible. We live near a farmers market so that will be easy, but I find training my brain to look for organic products at the grocery store more difficult. 

All this to say, what makes me happy today is people who use their lives to make a difference, big or small. This includes parents who love their children, people who volunteer or work with communities at risk, buying ethical products, taking care of the environment, the list goes on. 

This is by far my deepest post of my quest so far, but sometimes it makes me happy to get deep and thoughtful. I am serious about taking action, whether big or small. As I do that I will keep you posted! 

What action are you taking to make the world a better place? What causes are near & dear to your heart?

Thanks for reading! Have a fabulous weekend!

Keep Smiling :)