becky's list of things that make her terribly happy

we've all seen these all over the internet.
i made the decision NOT to make one.

okay... I'm not entirely sure why. it was one of those things on principal. you know, the rockstar diaries encouraged everyone to write one, so i would not.
everyone else would.

shut it. i know it doesn't make any sense. and these are certainly all things you already know. and they're pretty cliche. i think they make most people happy.

so here is my list of ten things that make me terribly happy:

1. rain: the on and off all day kind, the it's still sunny somehow kind, the intensely strong, loud, and powerful thunder-filled kind. all kinds.

2. wind: wind, wind, wind, the same as rain. all kinds.

3. when babies laugh, and their toes curl up, and they can't stop giggling and no one knows exactly why.

4. the beginning of the seasons: the first snow fall of winter, the first robins of spring, the first staggering, too-hot to handle day of summer, the first time you eat squash for dinner in the fall.

5. my sisters: mary, lisa, kathryn. they are all so smart, so funny, so beautiful. i miss them.

6. my brother: jack and me, we are the same. except maybe he's smarter.

7. music: you know when an old song comes on and it wells up in your chest, bringing memories with it? or when you sing loud and off-key with your friends? or the way a hymn can suddenly make so much sense, even though you've heard it a thousand times before?

8. pictures: art, old photographs, little drawings by toddlers, homemade movies, and the way taking a picture of something immortalizes it. i can't get enough.

9. pulling something warm, fresh, and perfectly done from the oven: cookies, cakes, homemade pizza, potatoes, pork roast any one?

10. words: writing them, reading them, getting lost in them. finding them, understanding them, becoming part of them. if I could be a writer for the rest of my life, I would be happy. if I could somehow make money by writing this blog, I would be forever content. if I could devour a new book every week, it could never be enough.

oops. I have to have eleven.

11. my friends: my friends from home, from school, from my family. I love finding the perfect gift for them, especially for no reason, genuinely surprising them, being a good listener to them, seeing them happy (especially giddy in love happy), knowing I can always turn to them, getting a call or text from them. HAVING them. I love them.



also, (I can't stop myself! everything makes me happy) I decided that because those were all things that were big and obvious (sisters, friends, music?) I am making another tiny list down here of all the little things that make me happy. it's even in little font, with a little picture.
1. quoting things
2. silly kissing
3. reading aloud (especially poetry or children's books)
4. riding my bike to the store, and coming back with fruit in my basket
5. listening to summer sounds out the open window
6. going home
7. introducing my friends to something I love
8. freshly laundered sheets (cool and fresh, not warm and staticky)
9. falling asleep with someone else next to me
10. lemon tea with milk and sugar from an actual teacup, not a mug
11. dresses with pockets

I added eleven, because I had eleven on the other one.

speaking of sister-Lisa, and things that make us happy, you can read HER list here.