So Much To Love...

I recently read a friend’s blog about the negativity that surrounds us on a day-to-day basis. Whether it’s the job market, the weather, family issues, work issues, food quality, service quality, etc. etc., people always have something to complain about and it seems to bring everyone down. As a generally happy and positive, yet overly emotional person I try very hard not to get roped into other people’s negativity. Over the years, I have learned that my happiness and the happiness of my family are what matter most and societal pressures are not worth living up to.

Sometimes it's too easy and inconsequential to come up with an "I don't like" or an "I wish" list, so in an effort to clear my mind of the negativity that often enters my head without permission, I put together an "I love" list…A list of some of my favorite things that make me happy no matter what.

I love the beach, and I’m not talking about the beaches of Lake Erie, I'm talking about clean beautiful beaches. I love that I am lucky enough to be married to my best friend. I love running. I love listening to the same song on repeat, especially when I’m running. I love that my husband adores me. I love vacation…oh, how I love vacation, especially beach vacations. I love my family. I love my husband's family. I especially love that my family loves my husband...and he loves them. I love sports, especially basketball and football. I love that some women just “don’t get me” and my love of sports. Regardless of what the rest of the world thinks, I love Brett Favre. I love food. I love wine. I love cooking. I especially love cooking with my husband. I love Costco. Despite its age, I love my house. I love that my family will always go the extra mile to help us with our house. I love that my in-laws have bought my husband and I tickets to the men’s Final Four for three straight years. I also love that my husband would always prefer to go with me than with one of his guy friends. I love that I live in a smoke-free state. I love a good night's sleep but wish I could do without it. I love all-inclusive resorts. I love taking walks without a destination in mind. I love that I was married at the beach and we have made countless memories at that same beach. I love planning and mapping bar crawls in different cities, but still cherish the original Madison crawl. I love finding new places in the city that I’ve lived in for 31 years. I love that I can walk to my brother's house and we often meet in the middle for dinner. I love trying to “Go Green” and reduce my carbon footprint with sustainability, even if I’m not always the best at it. I love getting new running shoes, even if I already have six (eight?) pairs. I love a good deal. I love that my husband and I share so much in common, yet we’re really not that much alike. I love my uncluttered life. I love that I work with my mom and we car pool almost daily (my car loves this too). I love my health. I love my happiness. I love to relax and do nothing, mostly because I’m always over-planning. I love that no one cares that I wear my hair in a ponytail for 350+ days of the year. I love lists so much that they’ve become a part of who I am. I love life as a DINK (Dual Income No Kids). I love to plan vacations (just ask Jenny) and I think I’m damn good at it. I love the Food Network, Travel Channel and ESPN. I love cheese. I love bacon. I love pizza. I love that all of the contents of my fridge have a purpose. I love to laugh. I love being a strong independent woman, but also love being taken care of. I love that over the 10 years that I’ve known my husband, I have grown, matured and changed so much, yet we’ve done this together and continue to love each other deeply. I usually love surprises, even though it may take me a little while to absorb it. I love to organize. I love that I’m compulsive and my husband couldn’t be less compulsive. I love to paint. I love that I'm still (kind of) the baby of the family. I love happy hour and can never resist a last minute invite to happy hour. I love cook-outs in our backyard and the company that it brings. I love pay days. I love date night, either at home or at a nice restaurant. I love my nieces and nephews regardless of how much or little I see them. I love that we’ll be two hours into a trip and my husband will remind me to bring something, even though he knows that I’ve been making lists for months and packing for days. I love random hole in the wall bars where you meet real and often seedy people…trendy bars make me feel dirty. I love myself. I love my husband. I love our life. Although there is so much to love, what I love most is being home.

This was fun and it feels good writing about the best things in my life.

You should give it a try…