Life is Good. Let's Talk About It.

Life can be rough. The world can be an ugly, terrible place at times. And we certainly talk about those times...and talk, and talk, and talk about them. When there's bad in life, it seems like it can't be talked about enough. 

But life is also good. There are a million little reasons to be happy, and I don't think we talk about the little things nearly enough. 

Life is good. So let's talk about it. 

• A good thing in my life lately: These candles. From Wal-Mart. Anytime you can get 5 candles for $10, it's a good thing. But when the candles smell amazing and not at all cheap, it's an amazing thing and we should talk about it. Note: You also need the pumpkin spice collection. For some reason I can't find a link to that one. 

• Also on the subject of candles: Target has a blueberry pumpkin candle. A BLUEBERRY PUMPKIN CANDLE. For whatever reason, it's not on their website. But it's $7 and you need to get it and experience a whole new level of happiness. 

• I've been waking up and lighting a candle or two next to my bed before turning the lights on, and drinking my coffee by candlelight. It's not quite having coffee in front of a fireplace, but it'll do. It's such a nice and cozy way to start the day. 

• In more happy news, I had my first ever fall experience at a Trader Joe's. It is fall flavor wonderland. If you like pumpkin flavored things and have a TJ's near you, you need to go. I have spent every day since trying to figure out what all I can put pumpkin butter on. Hey, it's not my fault that the baby likes pumpkin even more than I do. 

• I truly believe that October is just a happier month. I just wake up happier and more refreshed in October-which is really saying something, because sleep and I aren't on the best of terms right now. But it's October! How can you not wake up and be happy to be alive in such a wonderful month? 

What's good in your life today? Let's talk about the good things!

Happy to be Alive, Because: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

If there's ever a time that makes me over the top happy to be alive, it's Christmas time. 

1. The Macy's Day Parade at Universal. This is tradition, and whatever day we do this on ends up being one of my favorite days of the year. This year was no exception.

A small note about the above picture...I have recently discovered that if you take a picture of me A) after 10PM or B) After 8PM on a day that was full, I will look like I've had too much to drink. So that's fun. 

2. Tonight is mine & Christopher's annual Christmas date night. We go to the mall and split up so we can buy our last presents for each other. It turns into a fun game of avoiding each other and pretending we didn't buy anything. Then we have dinner and celebrate how freaking fantastic the week of Christmas is. 

So yes, I'm voluntarily going to the mall on the last weekend before Christmas. Glutton for punishment over here. 

3. My week has been full of playing Santa. Making lists and shopping and wrapping and mailing...I love buying presents!

4. Christmas music. Can't stop, won't stop. I've been going strong with the Christmas music since midnight on Thanksgiving, and I'm not even close to sick of it yet. 

5. Because Christmas is in six days. If that's not a reason to be happy, I don't know what is. 

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Hot Cocoa Bars & Elf.

1. Christmas memories. We went to see the tree lighting last week, but ended up getting caught standing in the rain.While that normally would have been frustrating, it's hard to get mad about something when there's a gorgeous Christmas-tree all lit up like magic in front of you.

2. Hot Cocoa Bars. 

My mom and I set up a hot coco bar for a Christmas party on Tuesday, and it was adorable. And delicious.

3. Elf.

This is how we ended our weekend--with the greatest movie ever. Have you watched it this season yet?!

4. These pens. You need them. You'll love them. Buy them immediately. I got a brand new pack on Tuesday, and I can't stop journaling and making to-do lists, simply because these pens are so fantastic.

5. Christmas in love. I wrote about it yesterday, but MAN...I love spending Christmas with my partner in life. Sneaking around to hide presents from each other, having someone to share the late night drive home from Christmas parties with, and a billion other things that make my heart feel like it's just going to explode with love. Spending Christmas with my best friend is just my favorite thing in the world.

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Good Books & Christmas Trees.

1. CHRISTMAS! We're in full-blown Christmas mode over here, people! The tree is up, some presents are wrapped, Harry Connick Jr. is singing Christmas songs to me, and my penguin mug is full of peppermint mocha coffee. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

via

2. The Downtown Orlando tree lighting ceremony is tonight! Along with food trucks and Christmas music. Excuse me while I find my new happy place.

3. This book. I read Even in Paradise last week (because my library delivered it to my apartment, hollllaaa), and it was SO GOOD. It had a very Great Gatsby-esque feel about it, which we all know I love.

4. The song of the year mashup. I love these! I love hearing what was popular that year, and seeing the music videos all mashed together is SO cool.

5. Christmas shopping. Buying presents is one of my favorite things ever. I love it all--making lists and searching for deals and wrapping them up and trying to keep them a secret until Christmas--I just love it!

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Best. Week. Ever.

This week starts my favorite month of the entire year. I've been giddy (<--I erased that and tried to think of a different word that maybe didn't sound like a child in an early 1900's novel, but it's true--I've been straight up giddy, yo) since waking up yesterday morning because this week is going to be the best!

1. Mockingjay Tonight. This needs no explanation. I'm just really, really excited about it. 

2. THANKSGIVING. Chris and I celebrate Thanksgiving, just the two of us, on Wednesday, and it is one of my favorite days ever. Then we go see family on Thursday! So basically my heart feels as if it's going to explode for about 24 straight hours. And my stomach too, because turkey. 

3. Black Friday. I know there are a lot of opinions about black friday shopping, so if that offends you, just skip to the next one. I had never been black friday shopping until Chris took me two years ago, and I was instantly hooked. It's so much fun to drive around like crazy people together, listening to Christmas music and chugging peppermint mochas. And it's really nice when you have a tight budget--we pretty much knocked out most of our shopping in 24 hours last year!

4. I found out that my library will deliver books to your door. Megan told me about this, and it is life-changing. 

5. This morning, while watching the sunrise and drinking peppermint mochas, my word count crept over 37,000. NaNoWriMo, you've been good to me this year. 

What are your Thanksgiving plans for the week? 

Happy Life Advice: Part Three

Part one here and part two here.

Wake up ten minutes earlier so you can enjoy a cup of coffee in bed.

Watch a sunrise or a sunset at least once a week. 

Every once in a while, buy yourself something totally impractical that you don't need whatsoever.

If you have stuff in your house you don't like or use, throw it away. 

Decorate your house for fall. If that's not really your thing, just drive yourself to hobby lobby, buy a scarecrow or pumpkin, and put it on your table. Instant happiness.

Have a premiere party for all the new fall shows. And by premiere party, I mean turn your phone off and sit down with a pumpkin coffee and a hoodie and binge watch the goodness that is fall television. 

Glitter nail polish. Enough said.

What's your favorite cocktail to get when you go out? Learn how to make it at home. 

Watch the first movie that pops up on your Netflix recommendations.

Sometimes, just make the decision that you're going to have a fun night. Even if you have to wake up early the next day, or even if you have ten dollars to last you the week. Just make yourself have fun, no matter what that looks like to you. 

When you're having a bad day, pour yourself a glass of champagne and turn on your favorite song and dance around the kitchen to the whole thing. Just try to still have a bad day after that. 

Decide that today is going to be a good day. Decide to be happy today.

What makes you happy? 

Happy to be Alive, Because: Dog Days & Fall Candles.

1. ^^That was the view I had while drinking my coffee yesterday morning. Not too shabby. 

2. This. Gatsby had a sleepover with his best friend, Goose, and they clearly had a lot to talk about. Gatsby thinks he weighs about 100 pounds, and Goose thinks he weighs about five. They make a good little team. 

3. This tweet:

It seriously made my day. Thanks, Jenna! 

4. It's been a really long few weeks.  Life has been really good, but I also feel like there's just been bad news after bad news after bad news. So this morning, I'm having an extra cup of coffee and spending extra time snuggling with this guy before I tackle my to-do list. It's the little things. 

5. Fall Candles are burning. My pumpkin decorations are going out today. And I may even squeeze in a trip to Hobby Lobby. Life is good in the fall, my friends. 

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: FRIDAY.

I know that Fridays are meant for being happy and thankful, but this week is most definitely a contender for the worst week ever I've had in a while.

A car wreck (that I cannot wait to write about), a ticket (my first ever), a stolen credit card (Target, I love you, but you're killing me here), a 4:00 wake up call every. single. morning. (which I realize is normal for some people, but yo..I'm tired), and what I feel like are a thousand other things that have gone wrong since last Friday.

But weeks like this one are the exact reason I list out five reasons I'm happy to be alive every week.  So let's do this.

1. Friday is here. And I've never been so happy to see it. 

2. My family came to visit!

3. The pumpkin spice latte comes back into our lives on MONDAY. I know a lot of you are griping about this because you just can't be bothered to have pumpkin interrupt your summer.  To you I say:

4. On that note, I played this on repeat approximately seventeen thousand times yesterday to combat the horrible day I was having. #adultlife

5. New headbands are here! And they are super colorful.

On that note, I'm off to drown my sorrows in buckets of sunshine. It's just so much harder to have a bad day when you're tan, yes?

Linking up with karli + amy to celebrate how we're all just really happy to see Friday.

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Lemonade + Local Friends.

1. It's August!  I love Fridays, I love new months, and I love months that bring me closer to to pumpkin candles and scarecrows. So today is a really good day.

2. Megan has moved to Orlando! 

I knew Megan and I were going to be great friends when we both went on a trip to LA two years ago and didn't know each other, but still adventured all over together all week. If by the end of the week you are taking grainy selfies (see above) together, you know the friendship is a keeper. 

3. Sushi and blueberry lemonade. 

Which is how we celebrated Megan's move to the great city of Orlando. I told you, a keeper. 

4. I plan on spending my entire weekend by the pool. Reason #873 Florida is the greatest: I can talk about pumpkin candles and pool days in the very same conversation and it's totally normal.

5. You can still go win yourself some money. Happiest of Fridays to you!

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: Summer & Fall.

1.  I'm having entirely too much fun with the Party Party App.  Mostly just with Gatsby, but hey.  Who doesn't like having a photo booth in their pocket at all times?

2.  I can't get fall off my brain.  I love summer and am usually so sad to see it end, but I'm getting more and more excited for scarecrows and pumpkin spice lattes. 

3.  Because I have fall on my brain, I've already ordered the fabrics for my fall headbands.  Here's a little sneak peek...I can't wait to get my hands on them!

4.  In an effort to get more serious about my shop, I'll be creating an entire new line for fall.  I am SO excited about this.  That means that as of August 18th, all of the current pretties will be gone.  Until then, you can use the code "SEEYASUMMER" which will mark everything down 25%.

5.  It's still summer.  Because even though I am extremely excited for fall, it's still July, and I love that can cart myself, a book, and a mimosa up to the pool this weekend.  But let's get real...I live in Florida.  I'll be doing that until December. 

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: The Office & Coconut Coffee.

1.  Holidays that fall on Friday mean days spent on the water.  

If holidays could fall on Fridays all the time, that would be fantastic.

2.  We've started watching The Office again.  This is my first time watching the show all the way through a second time, and I had really forgotten how perfect it was.  And how the whole show is made up of really good one-liners.

3.  My grandparents were talking about what kind of coffee I liked, and my grandpa said, "I bet she likes coconut coffee, because that's the kind of coffee that's in her book."  To know my grandpa actually read my book just warms my heart; the fact that he remembered the coconut coffee detail just melted me.

4.  I mailed out more headbands this week than I've ever mailed in a single week before.  That makes me really happy because it means I have an excuse to keep making more.  {psst...this code is still good.}

5.  For the first time in forever, I have zero plans this weekend.  And I could not be more excited about it.

What made you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive, Because: You're Mine For Life.

23 years ago today, my favorite human being was born.  Happy birthday to my babe!

1.  I have someone to take these types of pictures with:

And these types of pictures with: 

2.  I get to wake up and see my best friend every morning.  Cliche?  Duh.  Absolutely true?  You bet.  And he brings me coffee every morning.  Boom.

3.  No matter how many times I tried to imagine what this season of life would be like (a lot of times, by the way), I never thought it would look like being married to the hardest worker who is just as passionate about my dreams as his own, living 17 stories in the sky downtown, and spending nights adventuring and then coming home to a little fox.  It's nothing like I thought it would be, in all the best ways.

4.  I get to do life with someone who knows me, pushes me, makes me laugh, brings me flowers, knows just when to bring home pizza and wine, and walks my sissy dog.  That, my friends, makes a good life.

5.  I am about to have the best weekend ever celebrating the love of my life.

Cheers to 23, my love!  It's gonna be a good one.

What made you happy to be alive this week? 

Happy to be Alive, Because: Stars, Summer, & Coffee.

1.  I saw The Fault in Our Stars.  It was beautiful.  If you're on the fence about seeing it, read this.

2.  We now live in a tiny studio apartment.  This means when I wake up, my entire apartment smells like coffee.  Which is a beautiful thing.

3.  It's officially summer.   And by that, I mean it has been officially summer to me since May.  I have no idea when summer technically starts, but since I am now an adult with no summer break, any day that is warm and free is dubbed summer.

4.  The entire fourth season of Pretty Little Liars was released on Netflix on Tuesday.  In other news, I have four episodes of Pretty Little Liars left. . .this pretty much covers my reaction to every single episode:

5.  Days of creativity.  I made a necklace this week of my favorite summer colors.

here

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

Happy to be Alive: Books, Headbands, and Peaches.

1.  Tomorrow is moving day!  While this means that today will be crazy, I'm so looking forward to waking up in our new home on Sunday.

2.  I mailed out 58 of my books to reviewers this week!  The blog tour for my book is starting in two weeks...this means that 58 book bloggers I have never met will read and post about my book.  This is both insanely terrifying and thrilling, and I'm so excited to see what they think!

3. I made these headbands for my shop and asked Chris to take pictures of me so I could list them.  He was actually really good at it and I got to laugh a lot while listening to someone say I was pretty.  Hello, win-win.

4.  I'm working really hard on being okay with the fact that not everyone is going to like me.  This has a lot to do with the fact that I just sent 58 copies of my book to strangers.  To them, it will be 304 pages of words.  To me, it is 304 pages of three years filled with dreams and emotions and time and tears.  I'm working on being okay with the realization that there are going to be people who just don't like my book.  I was looking on pinterest (because duh, where else else do you turn when you're trying to learn a big life lesson?) and saw a quote I've heard so many times:

I'm pretty sure it's going to be a lifelong journey, but I'm going to try to remember this every are of my life.  Way easier said than done.

5.  Let us end on a wonderful note...it's a three-day weekend.  I wish you immense amounts of pool time with way too much sunshine and guacamole.

Why are you happy to be alive this week?

w h i l e   y o u ' r e   h e r e :