It has been about two weeks into my Birthday Challenge. I haven’t logged into any dating websites. Tito is still around, but less so. Though he is still present as my friend, I can feel him backing off and not really wanting to see me as much as he used to. It’s okay. I place no blame on him for that, I guess it’s to be expected. He isn’t meant for me, and that is okay. Totally. I still think he is a great guy. Just not my guy. When it’s right, I won’t have to convince someone to be with me, they will WANT to be there. Over the two weeks I’ve had a fews highs and lows. This time, there is no masking the lows with cute texts from a hot guy. I have to resort to other measures. One of my favourite ways to get happy has always been to count my blessings and remember the things I love. So I guess now is as good a time as any for my next 100 Things I Love post.
- Strangers who become friends
- Little Moir’s Food Shack in Jupiter, Florida.
- Getting to see Dita Von Teese’s Art of the Tease in Miami, that was a bucket list thing for me.
- The supply closet at work. I do like to help myself LOL.
- Making someone’s day a little better
- Birkenstocks: I know lots of people find them to be quite hideous (especially men), but I have to say that I completely adore mine.
- Sneaking out of work a few minutes early … sometimes more than a than a few
- Diet Coke. I kicked my nasty habit and now I’ve returned to it. *sigh*
- Hanging out with the girls
- Having the friendship I now have with my ex husband. It means so much to me, more than I’m really capable of expressing. It’s a balm to my soul.
- Original glazed Krispy Kreme donuts when they are fresh and still warm. It’s like eating a sugar cloud(s) of love! (Come on guys, you know I don’t stop at one LOL)
- Taking walks
- Nachos, fully loaded please. Lots of guacamole and sour cream!
- Dresses that make me feel pretty and look thin. I’m partial to maxi dresses that allow me to eat lots but still look good. It’s kind of like a fashionable moo moo. Well you know, what do you expect after a mountain of nachos?
- “Ah-ha” moments
- Scarface
- Feeling wanted
- My femininity
- Fresh pineapple when it’s sweet and juicy. Which other fruit comes with it’s own crown?
- Being still. I don’t mean not moving, I mean not feeling the need to act or react. Instead, making the choice to just “be.” I am far from an expert at this, but it’s something I’m working on. This works so well for me when I’m successful at it.
- An open heart and an open mind. Such a beautiful combination.
- That I finally have a car
- When I earn a Fitbit badge
- Crispy fish fingers with tartar sauce and lemon
- Full, soft lips
- When I guy I like tells me I’m beautiful
- Not having to shave my legs when I’m single (or anything else, for that matter)
- Discovering a cool new song on YouTube … the more obscure the artist, the happier it makes me.
- Groupon. So okay it twists my arm to spend more money than I should, but I do love an amazing bargain.
- R1 Coffee for the most delectable avocado toast.
- Books & Books in Coral Gables, probably Florida’s coolest bookstore.
- Patty Cake$ — a very cool movie that never made it into popularity, but surely deserved it.
- When I return stuff and I see the money going back onto my credit card. It’s ridiculously satisfying.
- Chocolate covered graham crackers
- When my eyebrows are perfectly groomed. I’m definitely an eyebrow person. I’m not into all the pencil work people do (it’s too fake for me), I just like a perfectly tweezed brow.
- Gwpaddict.com a very cool website that lets you know which skincare and makeup brands are giving away free goodies with purchase.
- Kerastase’s Oleo Relax … the best hair product for frizzy manes. It’s expensive, but it actually works. It also happens to have the most amazing scent.
- The smell of toasted raisin bread
- The times when I am able to handle my difficulties with grace.
- Men with muscular arms… so sexy. And if there also happen to be tattoos??? Well, I kinda die a little.
- Having my hair done at an upscale salon, and leaving feeling fancy AF.
- When someone lets me in front of them at the supermarket.
- My vulnerability. Even though it opens me up to hurt, it also leaves the door open to let the magic in.
- Feeling my own power. It doesn’t happen every day, but when I am able to tap into it, it’s positively exhilarating!
- Ashley Longshore, a New Orleans artist who makes me laugh out loud. I just adore her. Do follow her on Instagram.
- Le Tub in Hollywood, Florida. I love chilled the atmosphere, and the burger is freaking fine! It makes me feel like I’m on vacation.
- Going out of my comfort zone, it’s where the magic happens.
- Kissing
- The street art scene in Bushwick, Brooklyn. It was there that I discovered the most beautiful piece of street art I had ever come across.
- ABC Carpet and Home – expensive but filled with treasures. The place is positively dreamy. It’s like Anthropologie on steroids.
- Slumber parties
- Selfies that I actually look good in
- Stranger Things, a TV series I love on Netflix
- Being toasty warm
- Pizza: a love triangle which I can totally get into.
- Raggedy Ann, I have loved her since I could remember.
- People who are honest and real.
- When someone buys me a food treat.
- Oysters … who would have guessed?
- Impromptu adventures
- Tying up loose ends
- Easy days at work
- Kind words
- Tatcha’s Koyoto red lipstick. I have been looking for my perfect red for the longest time. Apparently, this is a universal red that looks good on every woman.
- Knowing that I have everything I need and most of what I want.
- Reminders that someone you love, loves you too (I’m not just talking about romantic love).
- The Biltmore in Coral Gables. I felt blessed to be able to spend the night there when Krazy Cat came to visit me. AND I got to have afternoon tea.
- Romantic friendships and friendly romances. It’s something Gabrielle Bernstein discusses in her book, “Spirit Junkie.”
- Love bruises, I find them completely erotic. Is that odd?
- Going to the Standard Spa in Miami. Utter luxury. Awesome memories. A steam room and hamam that makes me feel like I’m in heaven.
- Generosity
- Dipping my feet in the water.
- Watching a great Bollywood epic
- Genuine smiles, the ones that start from the heart and make other people smile too.
- Tracy Emin
- Living somewhere that doesn’t get winter.
- Feeling childish enough to be silly and let my inner dingbat roam free.
- Seeing the people I love laughing and smiling. It makes my heart feel light.
- Super shiny lip balm
- The family environment we have at work. It makes tough days a lot more manageable.
- Romance
- Making my Fitbit goals for the day. These days it’s 20,000 steps.
- Stepping back. I am learning that not everything requires me to act or react. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. I’m slowly learning how to release control and allow the Universe to do her thing.
- Colored contact lenses, a fun but dramatic way to play with my looks.
- Hope
- Jasmine tea
- Waking up like a tiger… “rawr”!!
- La Maison du Chocolate
- Keeiping a journal (aka recording the crazy)
- Bumble bees. They make honey, they fly, and they wear glamorous fur coats.
- Benetint by Benefit. I’ve been using this lip and cheek stain since it came out. It’s is completely weightless and looks so natural.
- When my BirchBox comes in the mail.
- Making amends, because life is way too short to hold grudges.
- Yayoi Kusama and her Infinity Mirrors
- The smugness I feel when my iPhone falls, and the screen shattered, but it’s only the glass screen protector. Caroline will not be thwarted.
- Lobster sushi from Sushi Yama
- Browsing through the books and magazines and Barnes & Noble in a comfy armchair (and their chocolate cupcakes slide into my belly quite nicely)
- New sneakers
- Seeing good things happen to people I love.
- That no matter how bad I sometimes feel, I have the courage to keep going. We are so much stronger than we ever give ourselves credit for.