Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

My favorite Mermaid with feet, Cecilia has bestowed upon me the prestigious Happy Award. It's my first time receiving an award . . .

The Happy Award

and to be honest, it makes me feel like a real blogger. It's good to know that people are reading my randomness and actually enjoying it. Thank you Cecilia, and it sucks that I can't award you right back because your blog brightens my day too! So as the rules go, I am supposed to list 10 things that make me happy and then award 10 bloggers that make me happy. So let's get started . . .

10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY...HAPPY...HAPPY...HAPPY (that's the echo)

#10 - MILK AND COOKIES

Call me a big baby but I totally get "the Cookie Monster." If I'm eating a crunchy cookie like ginger snaps or oreos, I HAVE to dip it into my milk for precisely 4 (Mississippi) seconds and then slurp the milk out of it and CRUNCH. This is a ritual that I must partake of in front of the television while watching something additionally addictive like 24 or Lost. I'm getting happy just thinking about it.

#9 - WORKING IN TELEVISION

I am happy to be a part of something that millions of people see every day. I am happy to be smart enough, competent enough and confident enough to deal with both people and machines, being trusted to ask poignant questions and creative enough to manipulate video in order to tell a story. While I am not always happy with my job, I am happy most of the time. And it beats the heck out of working at The Olive Garden (trust that!).

#8 - CUDDLING

Cuddling is wonderful. I love the feeling of waking up after a long night, wrapped in someone's arms. It really helps that the man-friend is an amazing cuddler and gives me rubs (even while he is sleep). I swear I go to sleep feeling his hands rubbing my back and wake up to the same thing.

#7 - SPRINGTIME

I am a huge fan of Spring anyway, but after the horrible blizzards that have been pounding the East Coast my level of appreciation has skyrocketed straight through the roof. Seeing the birds coming back as the weather gets warmer and watching the grass get greener fills me with joy.

#6 - MY NIECES (and all little girls, really)

I have three nieces. A 6 year old, 4 yr old and 2 yr old. As any proud Aunt, I think they are the brightest, funniest, cutest, most special little girls to ever walk this planet. It breaks my heart when they look at me (with their huge, baby eyeballs) and just thinking about them makes me happy.

#5 - SPIRITUALITY

Today I was physically tired, sleepy, bloated, and in an anti-social mood. I didn't feel like going to work for seven hours (starting at 5 am) and I darn sure didn't feel like going to church right after. Despite all of this, I prayed for strength walked into church, sat down, concentrated on the message and walked out feeling rejuvenated, mentally stimulated and morally challenged. And I always feel this way when I take the time to feed my spirit (whether it be reading the bible, praying, or just going to church and getting encouragement.) Spirituality makes my soul happy.

#4 - MY PUPPY

He's not actually a puppy. He's 2 years old.

George is big, he's smelly, he sheds EVERYWHERE and he has officially turned me into one of those people who is obsessed with dogs. The older he gets, the more I see his personality come out. I've seen him smile, cry, get angry and throw himself down like he's having a temper tantrum, watch TV (he's watching figure skating right now), get scared and try to jump into my lap (like Scooby Doo), outsmart my family, protect smaller dogs and try to cheer me up when I'm sad. Oh, and he also likes to listen to Bob Marley. I love this dog. He makes me happy.

#3 - MUSIC AND DANCING

I love music and I think that dancing is one of the truest expressions of joy. It is one of the few things that give me instant happiness.

#2 - the Man-friend

I've been "seeing" the man-friend in one way or another for over 4 years and I still gush over him as if we've just met. He is the embodiment of the word "gentleman" and has stepped my "dating-game" up by 100%. After him (if there is an after) I can only hope there exists another guy with half the man-friend's charm and poise. And that is real talk. He makes me very happy.

#1 - WINE

I love wine. It's sophisticated, tasty, healthy and just plain sexy. It goes great with good food and good company. It can make any evening feel a tad classier and puts you right to sleep when it's done (just like something else I know. wink! wink! nudge! nudge! High five . . . no? okay). I think I'll have a glass right now!

But not until I list the 10 bloggers that make me happy.

They are . . .

Islandbaby at A Beautiful Recovery

Steph at Not the Oxygen

Mirriam at Black Fire, White Fire

Rebel Mel at A Little Lady's Thug Life

She Bloggs at She Bloggs

J Money at The Typing Makes Me Sound Busy

Her Mommy at Embellish.meant

Blackgirlinmaine at Black Girl In Maine

J Skittle at The Good the Bad & the Semi-Literate

Invisible Woman at Black Cinema at Large

Thank you guys for making my blogging experiences wonderful. Also, a special thanks to Cecilia for giving me the award in the first place. In the words of Simple Jack of Tropic Thunder, "Youuu muh-muh-muh-meh-meh-maaake me haaaappy!"

So I award the Happy Award to the aforementioned bloggers. Please pass it along. :-)