I’ll be honest: I’ve been pretty whiney lately. What with work, writing, and a twice-daily two hour commute, I feel like I haven’t had time to reflect on all the great things that are happening in my life right now — so instead, I’ve just been complaining about them. But you know how complain-y people are so annoying? Yeah, that’s who I’ve become.
 
So I forced myself to take some time to really think about the good things I’ve got going on right now. Even if you’re not a chronic complainer like me, you’d be amazed at what a little retrospect can do for you!

That being said, here are the five things that are making me happy this week!


 

My job

Yeah, working eight hours a day is pathetically hard for me, and yeah, I miss out on things that my friends are doing. But I was never more grateful for this job until yesterday, when I was told that I was picked out of 50 applicants. I don’t know why I was picked — honestly, I’m the absolute worst interviewer ever (once, when asked why I wanted to work in the food industry, I said I liked free food).  

But talk about the world’s biggest confidence booster! It escalated my interest in my position a billion times and made my whole week. Taking a moment to revel in your good fortune can, as I found out, drastically change your outlook on a bad week (or even, I suspect, your life!).


Cleaning

I have never found cleaning and organizing to be pleasant in and of themselves, so the indisputable fact that I HAD to tackle the mountain of clothes taking over my bedroom was one of the things dooming my week. But once I did it, it’s like the biggest weight had been lifted off my shoulders! I took three full bags of stuff to sell, and gave the rest to the Goodwill. So not only is my room a little bit cleaner and my mind feeling lighter, I’m also $30 richer. Hey, I’ll take it!


Pumpkin Ale

Whole Foods is awesome enough on it’s own, but when fall rolls around and they start stocking up on my favorite beers, I’m over the moon. Pumpkin ale, pumpkin pilsner, pumpkin what-have-you…I don’t care, it’s just all so good! The other day I bought my own Elysian brewery six-pack of the best pumpkin ale on the planet (this may or may not be a sales-pitch for Seattle microbrews). Needless to say, I’ve been pretty happy these last few days. It’s the little things!


 
 The Voice


I’m one of those people that hates American Idol, with a burning and completely uncalled-for passion. I don’t know why (though it might have something to do with Ryan Seacrest). Anyways, last week, my mom left The Voice running on the TV, and though I tried to fight it, I couldn’t help it: I was hooked from across the room. So while I can’t usually stand those mass game show/reality show conglomerations, The Voice has me reconsidering. Did anyone catch De’Borah?! Or Trevin? They’re amazing and inspiring. And Adam Levine ain’t too bad either.


 
Fall Weather

It’s finally getting cloudy in Seattle! I know how completely ridiculous that sounds on multiple levels, but as a girl who has been stockpiling thick cardigans and scarves all summer, it’s exciting! After a long sunny stretch, there’s nothing better than sipping on a pumpkin spice latte in the brisk morning fog. The best part about cloudy Seattle days is that the whole city smells like salt and sea, and sometimes it even smells like Europe (my sense of nostalgia is weird). I know the excitement of cool weather will only last for the first few days, though, so I’m gonna enjoy it until then!

(By the way, how gorgeous does my city look in that pic?!)

Now I wanna hear what’s making you Lovelies happy this week!

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