What Makes Me Happy

Day 14, Tuesday: Ten things that make you really happy

I present you with a list (in no particular order) of things that make me really (sometimes ridiculously) happy:

Chocolate - I have a major sweet tooth!  I will indulge in just about any sweet treat, but if I had to pick, chocolate would be the obvious choice.  My day is not complete unless I have had at least some kind of chocolate. 

I still dream about these churros con chocolate at Cafe Futbol in Granada, Spain.

Reality TV - I've mentioned several times on the blog that I am a reality TV addict.  You name it, I probably watch it.  I wrote more about my affinity for all things reality TV here.  There is just something about these shows that makes me happy (even though sometimes they make me cry).  The drama, the extremes, the outlandish behavior- they all put a smile on my face. 

FaceTime - FaceTime has become a major part of how I stay in touch with family and friends.  Being able to see the faces of my loved ones helps me to feel like I'm not so far away.

FaceTiming with my extended family on Thanksgiving. 

My Students - I've been teaching for a little over 6 years.  And I can honestly say that all of the students I've had the privilege of teaching in those years (even those who sometimes made me want to pull out my hair) make me happy.  It makes me happy to see them learn, laugh, and of course the hilarious things they say leave me smiling each day. 

Some of my students from my very first year of teaching. 

Travel- I've always enjoyed traveling.  I am so thankful that my parents made the effort and sacrifice to travel with us when we were growing up.  Traveling is so much fun for me and truly makes me very happy.  Even after a trip is over, the memories made always bring a smile to my face. 

One of my favorite travel memories

Sending/Receiving Mail - I have a slight obsession with cards.  I could spend hours in a card/stationery store collecting funny and unique cards.  I love writing cards for special occasions and even for no particular reason at all.  Of course I also love receiving mail!  I have a big accordion folder where I save many of the cards and letters I've received over the years. 

Warm Weather - Being born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona has truly made me a desert rat.  I would rather be hot than cold any day.  There is just something about a warm, sunny day that makes me happy. 

Can't you just feel the heat radiating from this photo of the beautiful Arizona desert?

Gift-giving - I love spending time thinking of a fun and thoughtful gift to give someone for their birthday or other special occasion.  I often have gifts picked out for people months in advance of any special occasion, because if I'm out shopping and see something that makes me think of a friend or family member, I buy it. 

Christmas Music - I've found that enthusiasm for Christmas music is a pretty black and white issue for most people- either you love it or it drives you nuts.  Me? I LOVE it!  In college, November 1st was always the unofficial date when I would begin listening to Christmas music (much to my roommates' annoyance) :-)  They were good sports though!  I've calmed down a bit over the years and generally try to wait until closer to Thanksgiving.  Something about the familiar songs and feelings they conjure makes me so happy.  I usually have a hard time weening myself from the Christmas music after the holiday season has passed. 

Koalas - In general, I'm an animal lover, but my obsession love of koalas has brought this to a new level.  Since moving to Australia, I have fallen totally in love with these adorable creatures.  The day I got to hold one was probably one of the top 5 happiest moments of my life.  How could you not love those sweet faces and furry ears?  I often tell my husband that I am not leaving this country without one. :-)

Bliss.

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
 

Something I (am not embarassed to) Know A Lot About

Day 2, Thursday: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you'd like (serious and educational or funny and sarcastic)

This was a challenging prompt for me! Like a lot of people, I tend to be overly critical of myself, and so I had a hard time identifying something about which I felt confident "tooting my own horn." So, I opted I'd go the non-serious route...

I know a lot about reality television. Probably too much as far as most people (my husband being one of them) are concerned, but I am unashamed. You name it, I probably watch it at least somewhat religiously and can recite random facts about the show/contestants. I love it all. I realize it is most likely rotting my brain, but I'm willing to take my chances :-)

What I'm Currently Watching and Know A Lot About:

Dancing With the Stars (watching an episode as I type this)

For some reason, this show makes me tear up at nearly every episode. I don't know what it is. I think it has something to do with the fact that I danced for nearly 15 years, and watching this makes me miss dancing. At the school where I taught in Houston, there were a group of teachers who watched religiously and would recap/analyze/wager in the teachers' lounge the days following the show. At the end of the last season before I moved away, I had several teachers over for a finale watch party. It was a blast!

The Voice (this is the VOOOOIIIIIICE!)

Again with the crying on this one. Can't explain it. And plus, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton?! What more could you ask for?! Oh wait, how about Usher- that's what more you could ask for! :-)

Ready For Love

I got really invested in this new show from the first episode. It's like a much smarter "Bachelor." They actually use professional matchmakers to screen and coach the girls on dating and relationships. However, I just learned that it's being cancelled and the rest of the season will only be shown online. Sad!

More Trash Shows I've Been Known to Obsess Over:

*this list may or may not be exhaustive....

The Biggest Loser

Another cry-inducer for me. It has proven impossible for me to get through an episode of this show without shedding at least a few tears. And I'm a sucker for a good Jillian Michael's reaming.

The Bachelor / The Bachelorette

I think I have watched nearly every season of this show. Half of the fun of watching this one though is poking fun at some of the ridiculous situations and contestants. This past season, my sister and I tried to coordinate our cross-hemisphere viewings of the Bachelor and got a kick out of exchanging texts with our insightful/mocking commentary.

American Idol

This is probably one of the shows I'm least invested in. I only started watching in the past 2-3 seasons. I LOVED when J. Lo and Steven Tyler were judges, so I'm missing them this year. Although Nicki Minaj and her shenanigans are pretty entertaining.

Teen Mom

Oh how I miss having MTV. In my previous, MTV-having life, if a Teen Mom weekend marathon was on, I would drop everything and hardly move from the couch. And if there was a Dr. Drew Follow-Up Episode? Even better!

Just About Any TLC Series - (Including but not limited to... Say Yes To The Dress, My Strange Addiction, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Sister Wives, A Million Kids & Counting)

The more off the wall, the better. It's the whole rubber-necking phenomenon- most of these shows are just so ridiculous and strange that you just can't help but stop and stare with your mouth open. Also, these shows make me feel so very normal. Sometimes I need that. :-)

The Kardashians (and any of the spin-offs)

This is a bit of a sensitive topic for me right now. This is one of the few shows that I haven't figured out a way to watch in Australia. Of course, this WOULD happen during Kimye’s pregnancy. The horror!

Giuliana and Bill

I actually didn't get into this show until I moved here. I found Season 1 on Hulu and watched the whole thing in record time.  She's a little annoying, but they're so cute together. AND, David even kind of likes this one- he thinks Bill is pretty cool.

My husband is a pretty good sport about my affinity for reality TV, bless his heart. Amazingly though, we have discovered a new Reality TV in Australia show that we both enjoy. It's called "Customs."I'm pretty sure it's actually a UK show, but Australia steals most things from the UK so that would make sense :-) It's basically just about customs officers at airports and all the crazy things they encounter.

Surprisingly, I have never watched any of the Real Housewives series. Shocking, I know! Honestly, I'm pretty sure I would love them, and I think I'm just avoiding them because I am well aware of my addictive reality TV show personality, and I know that if I started, I wouldn't be able to stop. I'm sure it won't be long though…

 

The Bachelor Watch/Text Parties

I'm just going to come right out and say it- I am an avid Bachelor/Bachelorette watcher.  I'm not even going to try and make myself feel better about it by calling it a "guilty pleasure" or a "vice."  Because I don't feel bad about it- I downright enjoy it.  I look forward to it each week.  If you've known me for very long, you'll know that reality TV is my favorite genre of television, but I won't get into the giant list of shows on my must-watch list- for now.  I also have to admit that after I got over the initial shock that we were moving to Australia, one of my biggest concerns was truly, "How will I watch my reality TV shows?!"  But, gotta love my technology geek husband, he figured out a way for me to still have access to these shows from down under even before we moved.  Phew! 
*If you find yourself in this predicament while overseas, I've included a link at the bottom to the website that we use to "unblock" these typically US-only websites.

Anyways, I digress- back to the Bachelor.  I was truly disappointed when I learned that this season's bachelor would be Sean.  To me he's pretty boring, but of course I still feel obligated to watch each episode.  Don't worry, I don't take the show too seriously.  One of the best parts of watching is poking fun of the ridiculous situations, crazy amount of tears, and excessively dramatic situations among the contestants.  However, this is a much more fun activity to do with other people watching with you!  Every once in a while, I can get my husband to take part in this fun-making with me, but that's pretty rare.  I'm still trying to make friends and make a good first impression around here, so I figure it's probably in my best interest not to reveal my affinity for The Bachelor quite yet.  Which is why I am SO glad, that my sister watches "with me."  It is so fun each week to coordinate a time to "watch" together (one in Australia, one in Seattle) and exchange commentary via excessive amounts of texts throughout the episode. 

Here's a look at some of our exchanges. 

First episode commentary: 

 

 

Neither of us are really all that impressed with Sean:

 

 

On Sean's tendency to begin each episode half naked.. aaaannndd another shattered rose foreshadowing:

 

 

Excitement at the prospect of TWO episodes next week... and some more Tierra hating:

 

Oh! And if you watch the Bachelor too (Come on, I KNOW we are not the only two!), you should check out this blog.  She does hilarious recaps after each show (they are often times more entertaining than the show itself).  Beware: she's pretty vulgar in her recaps, but she is so spot-on with her evaluations of the ridiculousness of it all. 

 

*If you're living abroad and want to get access to US website such as Pandora, Hulu, Netflix, etc., check out this website called Unblock US.  Basically, for about $5 a month, you register with them and they somehow assign you a US IP Address so you can use those websites just like you would if you were in the states. I'm not sure of the technicalities of it, but it works- trust me!  You can use it on multiple devices- we have ours on our laptops and our Roku.  Life changer for sure!