Things That Made Me Happy in January 2018

The things that made me happy this month are:

• Seeing Paddington 2 in theaters
• Seeing The Greatest Showman in theaters
• Getting the Valentine's Day leggings I ordered from a friend (who is a fashion consultant)
• Getting the popsocket that I ordered (yes, this made me happy!!)
• Having an internship interview at a local bakery
• A friend calling me a few times, just to talk

Not a whole lot happened this month, but at least I have these few things to be happy about this month.

Things That Always Cheer Me Up

When I'm not feeling well, feeling down, or just need a pick-me-up, there are several things that cheer me up, which include:

• Snuggling with my cats
• Reading
• Taking a nap
• Taking a bath or shower
• A long talk with friends
• My favorite music
• My favorite movies
• My favorite TV shows
• Watching my favorite YouTubers
• Nature
• Journaling
• Blogging
• Crocheting
• Knitting
• Baking
• Hot chocolate
• Bike riding
• Outings with friends, family

**Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!

Things That Make Me Feel Peaceful

I am one of those people that tend to get stressed out a lot, so I have things that I love to do, to relax and feel peaceful.

And that includes:

• Reading a book
• Journaling/blogging
• Writing (pen and paper style)
• Taking a long nap
• Warm baths/showers
• Walks through nature
• Watching my favorite YouTubers
• My favorite music
• Snuggling up under a warm blanket
• Baking
• Photography
• Snuggling with my cats
• Making lists (yes, I am one of those people; I LOVE making lists!!!)
• Lots of laughter
• A weekend getaway somewhere

***Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

Things I Want to Be Known For

I don't want to be known for fame or fortune, or any of that. There are are things that I would much rather be known for, such as:

• My kindness
• My friendliness
• My love of family
• My love of children
• My love of animals
• My caring side
• My sense of fun
• My artistic side (photography, baking, writing)
• My generosity
• My child-at-heart side of me
• Being a good listener
• My love of reading
• My love of writing
• My love of photography
• My love of baking
• My love of travel/visiting new places
• Just being an overall good person

I just want to have as good a life as possible, and make a good life for my future family.

***Thanks to Sarah Jo Burch for the idea for this post!!!

My Wyoming Bucket List

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Devils Tower
• Old Faithful
• Hot Springs
• Buffalo Bill Center of the West
• Rocky Mountains
• Old Trail Town
• Teton Range
• Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
• Wind River Range
• Flaming Gorge River
• Jenny Lake
• Cheyenne
• Grand Prismatic Spring
• Wyoming State Capitol
• West Thumb Geyser Basin
• Morning Glory
• Upper Yellowstone Falls
• Lamar Valley
• Tower Fall
• Hidden Falls
• Castle Geyser
• George Washington Memorial Park
• Gibbon Falls
• Excelsior Geyser
• Teton Pass
• Bighorn Medicine Wheel
• Hole-in-the-Wall Outlaw Hideout
• Hell's Half Acre
• Intermittent Spring
• Isa Lake
• Lone Star Geyser
• Register Cliff
• Tree in the Rock
• Ames Brothers Pyramid
• Independence Rock
• Lincoln Highway Monument
• Pronghorn of F.E. Warren Air Force Base

My Wisconsin Bucket List

• Madison
• Devil's Lake
• Cave of the Mounds
• Circus World Museum
• Harley-Davidson Museum
• Olbrich Botanical Gardens
• Noah's Ark Water Park
• Wisconsin State Park
• Mirror Lake State Park
• Milwaukee
• Henry Vilas Zoo
• Milwaukee County Zoo
• Amnicon Falls State Park
• Apostle Islands
• Wildcat Mountain
• Knuckleheads Trampoline Park
• Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary, Help of Christians
• Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo
• Green Bay
• Green Bay Botanical Garden
• Cave Point County Park
• Rotary Botanical Gardens
• Boerner Botanical Gardens
• Lake Superior Zoo
• Timbavati Wildlife Park
• Bigfoot Zipline Tours
• Dr. Evermor's Forevertron
• FAST Fiberglass Mold Graveyard
• Lost City Forest
• Washington Island Stave Church
• Schoolhouse Beach
• Kenosha
• Mary Nohl House
• Jurustic Park
• Lake Michigan Triangle
• Yerkes Observatory
• The Dickeyville Grotto
• The Rock in the House
• Wegner Grotto
• Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church
• The Bronze Fonz
• La Crosse
• Man Mound
• Mount Horeb Trollway
• Ladybug Building
• Fred Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park
• Rudolph Grotto Gardens
• Prairie Moon
• Orson Welles Birthplace
• Grandview
• Chippewa Falls Christmas Village
• 45th Parallel Marker
• Toad House
• Wequiock Falls
• The Chair That Grew
• Camp 5 Museum
• Chatty Belle
• Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum
• Shrine to Anglers
• Annie Stewart Memorial Fountain
• Pabst Mansion
• World's Largest Soup Kettle

My West Virginia Bucket List

• West Virginia State Penitentiary
• New River Gorge Bridge
• Seneca Caverns
• The Greenbrier
• Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
• Seneca Rocks
• Prickett's Fort State Park
• West Virginia State Capitol
• West Virginia State Wildlife Center
• Heritage Farm Museum and Village
• West Virginia Zoo
• Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
• Blackwater Falls
• Spruce Knob
• Coopers Rock State Forest
• Bluestone State Park
• Lost World Caverns
• Good Zoo & Benedum Theater
• Valley Falls
• Herrington Manor State Park
• Little Beaver State Park
• Cathedral Falls
• West Virginia Botanic Garden
• Mothman Statue
• White Park
• Nuttallburg
• Congressional Fallout Shelter at the Greenbrier Resort
• New Vrindaban Palace of Gold
• Curious Rock
• Cass Scenic Railroad
• Berkeley Springs Castle
• John Brown's Fort
• Kenova's Pumpkin House
• Green Bank Telescope
• World's Largest Teapot
• Birthplace of the Steamboat
• Charleston
• Mortar Man
• Whipple Company Store
• Our Lady of the Pines
• Upper Big Branch Miners Memorial
• Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
• Dolly Sods
• The John Henry Statue
• Babcock State Park
• Greenbrier River Trail
• Helvetia

My Word for 2018: Confident

Last year, I decided to have a "word" for the year, and settled on RESPONSIBLE.

I got a pretty good start on that, as I got a job at the end of February, and have missed only 3 days at this point. Which is saying something, as it means I like my job, and am not wanting to miss many days.

I also got my first ever credit card in September, and have not gone too crazy with it. I am not in debt yet (even though it's only been a few months), so that is saying something.

This year, I have decided on CONFIDENT as my word for 2018.

I am a very shy person, and very self-concious about myself, which has prevented me from doing things that I really want to do.

I am one of those people who overthinks things, worrying about what others would think or do if I say or do something, and who doesn't love her body, and I really want to work on that. I have been like this for years, and that really needs to change.

I want to:

• Accept and love myself for who I am
• Not worry so much about what others think of me
• Do more things out of my comfort zone
• Do more of the things I really want to do
• Become more comfortable with speaking up, and with public speaking
• Make more friends
• Think more positive thoughts about myself
• Live the life I want to live (more positive, more adventurous, more loving, more outgoimg, more confident)

Do you have a word for 2018? If so, what is it?

Things That Made Me Happy in December

Here are the things that made me happy in December:

• Receiving the advent calendar I ordered from the Ingham Family
• Receiving a Christmas card from The Ingham Family (you can find them HERE, HERE, and HERE)
• Putting up the Christmas tree (and decorating it) and decorations
• Buying and wrapping up presents for Christmas
• Listening to Christmas music
• Buying some baked goods from my church's annual bake sale
• Celebrating Christmas with my family
• Celebrating a birthday
• Going to the annual Winter Fest/Cookie Walk in town
• Seeing Coco in theaters
• People on my home delivery route giving us (there are four people doing home deliveries for the library) presents for Christmas, to thank us for what we do for them
• Seeing The Last Jedi in theaters
• Going to my work's Christmas party
• Decorating cookies, playing a couple games, and eating dinner at a friend's house
• Celebrating New Year's with my family

What made you happy this month? I hope that it was filled with lots of joy and happiness, and that next year brings just as much, if not more, joy and happiness!!

My Favorites of 2017

I can't believe today is the last day of 2017!!! This year went by sooooo fast!!!

I figured I would share my favorites from this past year, with you guys.

My favorites from this year, in no particular order, are:

Harry Potter Magical Creatures coloring book

I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan, and I love to color, so this brings the best of both together. I got this for Christmas this year, and am soooo thankful I did!!

Baking and decorating stuff

These are also Christmas presents from this year. I LOVE to bake, and was/am VERY excited to have recieved these :D

A Q & A a Day 5-year jounal, and one of the Pentatonix Christmas CDs

I have always wanted one of these Q & A journals, and am very excited to fill it out. Also, Pentatonix is/are one of my favorite artists/bands.

Tangle fidget toys

I found out about this fidget toy from a workshop I went to at work. Someone from a local housing facility had come in to talk about mental health, and had brought in many figdet items, one being this. I absolutely loved it, so I put it on my Christmas list. I was really hoping I would get this, and am so very happy I did.

Dove Refresh + Care Detox & Purify Dry Shampoo

This stuff is awesome!! It has a light, fresh scent, doesn't weigh my hair down, and actually does what it is supposed to do. I was at Walgreens, looking at all the different dry shampoos they had, and trying to figure out which one would work for me. This one looked the best, si I went with it, and I am so glad I did.

Muk Luk slippers

I really needed a new pair of slippers, as my old ones were pretty worn out. I found these when I was shopping for a new coat, and really liked them. They actually keep my feet warm, they fit just right, and I love the look of them.

Ingham Family hoodie

I LOVE hoodies, so when I saw this, I had to get it. It is one of the merch items from one of my favorite YouTubers/YouTube families, The Ingham Family. It is warm and comfy, it fits well, and it has a pocket on the front.

 

 

The Simpsons: Tapped Out app game

I play this on my phone (an Android), but it is also available on the iPad, and most likely other phones/devices. Basically, Homer blew up Springfield, and you help him rebuild the town. There are different tasks for you to complete, and once you do complete them, you get money and points. The more tasks you complete, the more money and points you get, and it helps you unlock more land, characters, buildings, other tasks, and more. It's pretty fun!!

 

My Favorite YouTubers

 

The Frey Life

Mary and Peter Frey, and their service dog Ollie, chronicalling their lives while living with Cystic Fibrosis (Mary's condition). They always find the good in everything and every day, even if it's not such a good day.

 

The Ingham Family

Mom and dad (Sarah and Chris), their 3 girls Isabelle, Esme and Isla, and their adorable puppy Prinny. They document their everyday adventures/everyday life.

 

Knorpp and South

Mom and dad, and 9 kids (4 biological and 5 adopted), capurting their life of travel, adoption, making memories, and more.

 

Taylor Layman

Taylor does makeup tutorials, shopping/holiday hauls, DIYs, and more.

 

Nikki Lilly

Nikki mainly focuses on makeup, but also does baking tutorials, trying foods from different countries, hauls, her favorites, and more.

 

Alyssa Ruby

Alyssa does product testing, funny skits, DIYS, holiday hauls, and more.

FunsizedStyle
Michaela is whom this channel, and she is another beauty vlogger. She does unboxings, tutorials, product reviews, and more.

Kayla Mochi
Kayla is such a caring, bubbly, friendly person!! She does skincare tips, lifestyle, hauls, bullet journaling, stories, and more.

The movie Coco
I saw Coco in theaters, and absolutely loved it!!! It's an animated movie about celebrating loved ones on Day of the Dead. I love animated movies, and learning about different holidays, traditions, and cultures, so I just had to see this movie (and I am so glad that I did!!!).

Yes, I know this is long, but it was a good year, and I have found a lot of things and people this year, that I love. Did you have any favorites for 2017? What were they?

I hope that you have a wonderful, safe New Year's, and that 2018 is good to you!!