Girl’s Life

Well we’re officially into January and well into 2008, and I’ve had some time to really be contemplative about where I’m at right now, where I was in 2007, and how life is going to change in the coming year. I mean, whoa–we’re adding a whole new member to our family this year!

It’s true that we had quite a few changes in 2007–in fact, I’d say it was “the year of change” when it comes to categorizing all the years of our married life together so far. I turned 30, we moved to a new house, I got pregnant, we both started new jobs, Sophia started daycare, Grammy moved away (as did my brother and his family), and we made the hard decision to leave our church and the kids we loved there, among the many other things that happened last year.

Overall, it was quite a ride, to say the least. But even with all of that, looking back I’d say that it was a pretty amazing year, even with all the highs and lows. And I think, looking forward, that instead of making resolutions about the things I’d change about my life, I want to focus on what about my life delights me.

I got the idea from an inspiring blogger, Christine Kane, who was also my inspiration last year to forgo the ritual of resolution-making in lieu of simply choosing a word to live by. Being me, I couldn’t choose just one word, of course. So last year I focused on happiness by way of joy and gratitude (and then threw in creativity for good measure). And I think that overall I tried to live joyfully and gratefully last year, although I know I failed at times (hmm, my entire first trimester of this pregnancy would most definitely classify as a less than joyful time for me).

There are so many big decisions and events on the near horizon for me personally and for us as a family, that I can’t help but focus on the here and now to not get overcome by the hugeness of it all. Moving forward, I am choosing to simply be delighted with the world around me, and I am also focusing on the word expansion this year (expanding our family and, hopefully, the expansion of my photography into something more substantial).

But for now, I’ll share with you my list of 100 things that delight me today (in no particular order). Hopefully this list will also inspire delight in you for the little things in your life that make you smile.

1. a warm toddler belly first thing in the morning
2. photoshop
3. my Nikon
4. yogurt
5. being completely engrossed in a great book
6. flickr
7. holding hands
8. NPR
9. the sound of rain on the roof
10. warm dog breath
11. tea parties
12. handmade crafty goodness (etsy.com!)
13. blogging
14. pedicures
15. digital photography
16. the way a baby’s little hand curls around your finger
17. naptime
18. my husband’s cooking
19. guitar music
20. laughing so hard your belly aches the next day
21. hiking
22. fireplaces
23. dishwashers
24. my duvet cover and all my pillows
25. inspiration
26. instant messaging my husband
27. celeb gossip magazines at the hair salon
28. picture frames
29. full bookshelves
30. libraries
31. graphic design
32. remembering my vitamins
33. caramel
34. my daughter’s infectious giggle
35. movies with great soundtracks
36. craftsman furniture
37. a big glass of red wine
38. eating good food with good friends
39. organic face wash
40. the crisp smell of fall
41. mentoring high school and college aged kids
42. social networking sites
43. explodingdog.com
44. the passionate and innocent prayers of a 2-year-old
45. traveling somewhere new
46. the sound of the train whistle as I’m drifting off to sleep
47. the view of the sunrise from my backyard
48. Big Bear
49. listening to my husband play the piano
50. my dog’s fuzzy belly
51. warm bread
52. a good latte
53. baking cookies
54. wonderful grandparents for my daughter
55. date night with my husband
56. my daughter’s genuine excitement to see me, no matter how long it’s been
57. the smell of freshly cut grass
58. the smell of clean laundry from the dryer
59. the smell just before it rains
60. the smell of the seasons changing
61. pea coats
62. pod casts
63. pancakes
64. beaches
65. great girlfriends
66. creativity
67. going barefoot
68. really good art – especially good student artwork
69. Jon Stewart
70. robin’s egg blue
71. Blueprint Magazine
72. drivers who give the courtesy wave
73. videos on demand from Charter cable
74. rainy days when you have nowhere to go
75. toddler toes
76. baby sign language
77. funky jewelry
78. playing dress up
79. white Christmas lights
80. Halloween costumes
81. unique water pitchers
82. a job that gives me lots of paid time off
83. letter press note cards
84. gift cards
85. a new house
86. a long hot bath
87. jeans
88. chocolate
89. the internet
90. flip flops
91. babies learning to walk
92. camping
93. berries
94. reconnecting with old friends
95. sleeping in
96. forgotten money
97. organizing
98. road trips
99. carousels
100. random outbursts of song in our daily lives

What about you? What delights you? Feel free to add onto my list in the comments or create your own list and leave me a link!