Dogs and books and Travolta, oh my!

Sara from Sprinkle of Cinnamon graciously tagged me with the Happy 101 award:

The rules of the game are that I list 10 things that make me happy, do at least on

e of them today, and pass along to 10 blogfriends. I usually feel like I owe y'all a debt of positivity, since you put up with all my ranting and raving, so here is a great opportunity!

Things that make me happy, in no particular order:

1. Nature. The surest way to put me in a good mood is to get me out in the sunshine in a beautiful landscape. I am definitely an outdoors person, and all of the times where I have felt the most centered and at peace have been during hiking/camping trips in beautiful/remote places.

2. My dog. I have owned G. for 4.5 years now, and I truly have no idea what my life would be like without him. I got him as soon as I moved out of my parents' house, and I have never been a grown-up on my own without this unbelievable companion. He is like my furry shadow, never more than 3 feet away from me if he can help it. Staying strong so that I can take care of him has been a significant factor in holding me accountable during my recovery. In addition, he is ultra-tuned in to my moods, and has a big, comforting and calming effect on me when I'm stressed.

3. Science. Slightly related to #1, but all forms of science--even outside my own realm of research--absolutely fascinate, intrigue, and enthrall me.

4. My family. My ED has been rough on them, and they probably (definitely) could have handled it better, but holy Batman have I got a fantastic family. My mom is my best friend, just edging out G. because I've known her longer. ;p My dad (actually adoptive stepdad, my bio dad was a loser that we escaped when I was very young) absolutely worships the ground that my mom and I walk on, and goes out of his way to show it. My brothers are becoming more and more like men every day, and I'm so proud of them. Plus my extended family: I'm very close to my grandparents, who provided a safe haven for my mom and I when we had to run away from bio dad. My aunts and uncles are all impressive people that I enjoy. Of course we all have our issues, quirks, and whatnot, but I love us.

5. Rock climbing. I love the exertion, I love the challenge, I love the rush when I get to the top. I love the fact that it's a mental as well as physical sport. I love that you are your own competitor, and it's all about pushing yourself above and beyond without worrying what anyone else is doing. I intended to pick it back up this semester, but this damn wrist injury is holding me back.

6. Reading. I am a voracious reader; I go through 2-3 books a week during the semester and more on breaks. I also subscribe to a number of magazines (I think it's at 7 right now), and try to balance the environmental footprint of that by reading a couple of newspapers online.

7. Talking to/helping elderly people. Maybe because I am so close to my grandparents. I am such a softy for elderly people, and I wish that we had a culture that valued them more.

8. My boyfriend. Known around here as "M" or "Match." (Yes, there is a story behind the name, it's not just a hopeful nickname). He is incredibly sweet and being around him just makes me feel good. I have been way more spontaneous with him than I have been in probably 10 years or so, I feel like our relationship is really helping me to challenge some of my over-self protection tendencies that usually cause me to keep people at arms' length to some degree. It doesn't matter what secret or insecurity I reveal to him, he is always accepting and supportive. He came over to wash dishes for me the first day I had my arm splinted. He texts me good morning every day. He doesn't mind me bringing G. over to his house when we hang out. He gave me a sweet nickname (and, ironically since I use a pseudonym on this blog, I have never liked nicknames much before, but this one I love). He's starting grad school in the fall, and I'll be all over the place traveling this year (conferences almost every month and several trips to Research Country, I'm starting to feel like Clooney's character in Up in the Air), but I'm just going to see how things play out. It's a big change for me to just "let things be" like that.

9. Grease. I have seen this movie over 200 times, I kid you not. I can pretty much recite it from memory, but I never tire of seeing young John Travolta...YUM.

10. Last but definitely not least: Coffee! Coffeecoffeecoffee. I used to be an extreme caffeine addict (I've fallen back into that a little bit over the last month or so, with all my traveling, but am working on detoxing this week), but then cut out the caff my last year of high school. (Seriously, at that point I just needed an IV drip, I was consuming about 2 pots of coffee and a few diet Cokes every day, it was giving me ED-enhanced heart issues). I never shook the behavioral addiction, though, and my day is not complete without multiple cups of coffee. I'm a slight snob, though, and don't like to drink drip if there is any option; I am an Americano girl, I even invested in an espresso machine for home.

I ran out of items! There are more, of course. Peanut butter, cribbage games, piano, towels fresh out of the dryer, jigsaw puzzles, girly cocktail drinks.....As for doing things from my top 10 today: I am about to go for a walk with my beloved G. (maybe this includes nature, we'll be out in the sunshine), then go to lunch with Match. Double challenge: we didn't decide this until about an hour ago, previously unthinkably short notice, AND it is a new, independent restaurant with unknown nutrition data (!) I have already read about 75 pages of my book and plan to finish it this afternoon. I am going to talk to mi madre on the phone shortly. Science is a part of my everyday life, and I'm getting to work a new grant proposal tonight. Not a bad proportion of things on the list for one day!

Ok I suck at tagging people because I never know who has been tagged and am shy about doing it because then I have to face the fact that the person may not actually read my blog often and I have the unintentional snub effect. So I am going to wimp out and randomly tag everyone. What makes you happy? Share, please, and go do something kind for yourself today!

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