the little things

I just finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, which I would highly recommend! Iloved her approach of taking on a few small projects each month to make her life happier so that when times got tough she had a solid foundation. Today I was cleaning out our files and inside one was an excerpt from the book 14,000 things to be happy about... it made me smile in the middle of a long day. I've been keeping a gratitude journal for a while now but I think that sharing the little things in life that make us smile is so important and is what I hope to do with this blog. In the last year I have really started to appreciate the little things in life and not be so stressed out all the time.

A few of the things that made me smile this weekend include:
-Celebrating AC's birthday at Cellar on Greene- who doesn't love to close out a work week with colleagues, friends, and a glass of Chardonnay
-Celebrating my friend Candice becoming a licensed psychologist! Cantina 76, The Big Ugly, and Art Bar provided us with quite a fun night!
-Cleaning my apartment from top to bottom! My parents visit next week and with being out of town for the last month, it desperately needed it
- 27 Dresses was on TV. Story of my life and I love it.
-Tonight I am going to have dinner with college friends, Alex & Carey which is always fun

An advisor in college used to always send us a QOTD, which at the time drove me crazy because it filled my inbox but now I have become a huge quote person and this one makes me smile- Happy Saturday!

what this world needs is a new kind of army- the army of the kind. cleveland amory

#1 in 52 of 52

In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving” by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while. The couple who was the inspiration behind another of my favorite movies, The Blind Side. The book starts with a quote from Anne Frank that really gets at the heart and sense of commitment to compassion that the Tuohys have, “No one has ever become poor by giving”. The Tuohys came from humble beginnings to live the American dream. They still have held on to their simple roots and rather than focusing on “philanthropy- we aren’t the fancy types” to The Popcorn Theory which they describe as “not being able to help everyone but you can try to help the hot ones who pop up right in front of your face.” It is about noticing others, their potential and value, which I love. Rather than focusing on how much they helped Michael they focus on how much Michael helped their family and faith. The Tuohys say “Life is about doing small things with great love" and I can't think of a better motto to live by.