Happy Stuff
Ok, call me crazy, but I like to be happy...and this is just a big list of some of the stuff that makes me that way. Read through, and I guarantee that at least one thing on this page will bring one of those little reminiscing cutsey-wutsey smirks to your face. If not, check your pulse, you may be dead. (Many thanks to Ms. Alyssa Rosso, who found me this kick-ass background:)
Vanilla coke. Warm glances. Time with friends. Being held late into the night by a guy who smells good. Being able to share everything with someone who understands me as well as I understand myself, and who doesn’t make judgements. Acceptance of my beliefs by friends. Lowered purity test scores. Guys who only *pretend* to be all big, bad, and cool. Conversations that make me giggle incessantly. Fairy tales. Having someone read to me. Having people play with my hair. Speaking french. Quiet evenings at Mammoth Park. Feeling as if I'm stuck in a Billy D. song. Functioning computers. Kisses. Propositioning people in sign language. When a bad week ends. Random IM messages. Visits from best friends and hugs from people you could hold forever. Shopping. For bras, especially. Wal-mart late at night. Tickle wars. Music. Thursday mornings. Movie night. Squishee runs. Sheetz in general. Laughing at the drunk people in Sheetz. Not seeing a friend in forever and having it feel like it’s been 15 minutes since you last parted. Band festivals. Ben and Jerry’s. Smores. Snow. The oak grove. Guys in suits. Sleeping in my own bed. Being so tired you feel drunk. Naps. Naps. Naps. Not-so-random hugs. High school friends. Bean-bag chairs. Early morning quiet. Purple sparkly butterflies. Cheesecake. Fuzzy things. Edward muller. Berry colossal crunch. Having mountain dew and pop-tarts for breakfast. Independence. Blue hugs. Days when a class is cancelled. The way we’re strong enough to deal with the big things, but the little things drive us crazy. Real food. The way your mouth feels after you brush your teeth. Coffee with way too much sugar. Sugar in general. Friday nights. Getting off campus. Smiles and laughter. Body checks. Bodyguards. Soft hair. The crazy things we do when we’re bored. Cappuccino. Talking like a five-year old. Reading books that aren’t required. Impressionist paintings. Austin powers. Poetry. Taking pictures. My sock collection. Bookstores. Lazy afternoons. Having other people help you to solve your problems. Being forced to attend events, but they turn out ok because of who you’re with. Movies which star Julia Roberts or Robin Williams or Richard Gere. Dinner mints. Gardens. The pagoda. Flavored chapstick. Nailpolish. All the phrases which go something like, “When I’m old and I do _____, shoot me.” Loving people. Having them love you back. Chocolate. The front row at concerts. The lady of shallot. Eat n’ Park. Pittsburgh. The fort pitt bridge. Local music. American Pie—the song, not the movie. Photo booths. Family. Creative hiding places. Fortune cookies. Pixie sticks. Vanilla. Powerpuff girls. Writing. Rambling. Odd dreams. Completely understanding the way another person feels. RBI baseball. Live (the band). Listening to Live live. Star Lake Amphitheatre. British accents. People I can always stand being around. Arabian accents. Hugs. Wheelie chairs. Spinning until you’re dizzy on wheelie chairs. Chocolate graham crackers. Revisiting your childhood. Piggy-back rides. Fire drills. England. Bridge to Terabithia. Frolicking in the rain. The Wonder Wears. Daria. Scooby-doo. Johnny Bravo. Getting dressed up. The color purple. Robert Fulghum’s books. Crisp, clear nights when you can see all the stars. Sunsets. The tree outside my window. The way we were. Doodiehead. The laughter of children. Impromptu dance parties. Kung fu fighting. Talking about the future. The Rocky theme song…especially when it turns into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme somehow. Guitar sounds, even if they don’t have words...(Brrrrr-berrrr nerrrrr....) Random birthdays. Free time. Beautiful song lyrics. Memories of summer. Singing along to those really cheesy 80's songs that no one willingly admits they know the words to when you're all by yourself. Admitting that you know the words and singing along with friends. Sitting on your best friend's porch and doing absolutely nothing. Having nothing better to do than absolutely nothing. Tossing pennies into fountains. Running through sprinklers to cool off on hot days. Being missed. Mardi Gras.
6/10/00--Those moments that you wish would last forever. And if you had to define "happiness," it would be "right now."
6/18/00--The drive-in. Because you can scream at the screen and have your own little side conversations and no one else hears you. Conversations that end in uncontrollable laughter because of comments like, "I was laughing so hard that I had to stop."
Obsessions. Sharing obsessions with your friends. Eat N'Park coffee. Calling a friend's house and realizing that all their family members are familiar with your voice. The feeling you get when you're done with a shift that seemed to last forever.
6/27/00--Lounging around the pool for days at a time. Rafts that are supposed to just float in the water, but you end up twisting them and feeling like hot dogs or oysters, whichever the case may be. Icing battles. Rose gardens. Trampolines. Meeting people that it feels like you've known forever. Hot tubs. Finger puppets. Miniature golf. The water traps in miniature golf and how your ball is magically sucked into them, no matter how far away it appears to be when you hit it. Wildwood Pizza from Edinboro, Pa. The Notting Hill soundtrack. Boats. New albums from your favorite bands. Potato chips--though it's not fun to feel like one because you just happen to be wearing a liiiittle too much suntan oil... Getting pictures back that you don't remember taking:)
7/17/00--Fireworks. Especially playing with sparklers in the rain. Rusted Root, every now and again. Conversations that don't involve words. Bike rides. Surprising people by visiting them at work. The times when random knowledge comes in handy. Going back to college. ;)
7/28/00--Camping. Mountain pies. Campfires. Critters. Kings. (Not the royal kind.) Cracky dreams. Trying to analyze cracky dreams.
8/12/00--The way Shana says "Back in the day" to stuff that happened last week. Buying all sorts of stuff you don't need that looks good for your return to college. Random projects that you would hate doing for school, but when you do them for yourself, they're fun. (Like making a happy pwem/picture book:) Your final shift at a low-rate minimum wage job. (Like BP.)
8/17/00--Aliens;) Sneaking food into the movies...but if you sneak pop, make sure you don't bring cans...funny, how loud they sound when you open them in a quiet theatre. The special voices and dances that people haul out for their favorite--and *only* their favorite--band. Polar bears. Stories about parents--and the way you can only see the humor of the situation in retrospect. Buying shoes. Hearing all your favorite songs on the radio, all in a row. When you're speeding and you *know* you were going well over the speed limit and there's a cop with a radar gun lying in wait for you, but the cop lets you go:) Bowling shoes. Happy dances that take place when you get a strike in bowling. Inserting the word "happy" into random phrases. Grilled stickies a la mode. Times when your friends do something to embarass you, and you know you should be mad, but your tummy is too busy hurting cuz you can't stop laughing to even bother with anger.
9/14/00--Eddie Vedder. Sold-out crowds at Star Lake. When a slow song starts...and everybody starts to sway...and lighters appear here and there...and the stars form this perfect sparkling ceiling...and a second seems infinite. Truly sharing someone else's joy.
9/25/00--Dragging various friends to Clarks' concerts and having them enjoy the show despite themselves. Seeing old friends again. The warm squishy feeling you get when you walk in the door to your *home*.
10/16/00--The moments when you have tons of work to do and spend hours wrapped up in girl talk anyway. Being nice to people you're not used to being nice to. People that refuse to kiss anyone's ass.
1/8/01--Being added to the Clarks' guest list, which means free tickets to a sold out show. Free parking in the middle of the city. New Years', even if you don't get a good kiss. Truth or dare. The New Stanton Motel. New clothes. Buying those new clothes with your bestest friends. Being at your best friend's house when she calls from school...chillin' there just cuz you love her family that much.
1/20/01--Having no homework for a college class. Nicknames like "Dr. Mofo" and "Mr. Frisky" for your profs. Go-carts. The Barenaked Ladies' music.