33 for My 33rd | Things That Bring Me Joy
You guys!!! I’m 33 years young today! I love that I’m just a wee bit past the mid-point to retirement and that I have so many things in my life that I love and bring me joy. I thought it would be the perfect time to share them with you all! Enjoy my random and weirdly specific list of 33 things that bring me joy!
Mr. San Diego Baking Me a Birthday Cake | My sweet loving husband is NOT a baker, but he spent what felt like an entire day in the kitchen baking me this GORGEOUS carrot cake! He’s the best!
Going to Bed Early So I Can Wake Up Early | 4:30 am is my BEST time. I can clean the house, write a blog, and fold my laundry by 7:00 am and feel great and energized about it.
Slowly Enjoying My Coffee + Mornings | I wake up about an hour earlier than I need to on workdays. During this time, I enjoy my giant cup of coffee and watch the local news, and clean up anything I didn’t get to the night before. Not feeling rushed when I wake up is the best way to start my mornings!
Editing a Great Photo | When I take a good photo, the act of opening it up and making minor edits can make me GIDDY! I love photography and I love seeing the product of my finished work – it fills me with so much joy to see how much I’ve grown and how much I still have to learn.
FaceTiming My Nieces | I try to call my nieces at least 3 times a week and we always FaceTime. It is THE BEST. Words can’t describe how much I love them and how much joy they bring into my life. Our FaceTime sessions are usually hilarious because the girls have such incredible personalities and I love seeing how the world looks through their eyes!
Baking | Obviously, if you follow my blog, you can tell that I love baking. Even if my finished product is a disaster, I still LOVE the action of being in the kitchen and creating something. Plus, it makes my house smell amazing! I’ve also learned how to be patient and to be intuitive, which is huge for me!
Husband Sneakily Grabbing My Tush | I love that after all these years together, my husband still regularly grabs my butt when out in public. His little act of social rebellion is a reminder that he loves me and my flat booty. Even though I slap his hand away every time, he and I both know that I LOVE it.
Everything Fall | Summer needs to hurry the F up and leave. I’m ready for sweaters, all things cozy, and pot roast with mashed potatoes.
Listening to Audiobooks | I’m obsessed with Audible. My AirPods are constantly in my ears with a book of some sort playing. Whether it is the newest month’s book pick from the Reese Witherspoon Book Club, an exciting book on self-improvement, a historical fiction or paranormal fantasy novel, or Harry Potter on full rotation for the millionth time – I love my audiobooks and I don’t care if you don’t.
Rain | Look, I know rain can ruin a day, but I absolutely LOVE when it rains and I especially love being out in the rain with my husband. One of the best impromptu dates we had was when I was at the laundromat and Mr. San Diego decided to come and keep me company. As my clothes were being washed, we traipsed out into the rain to find a place to eat and we both were soaked within minutes. We had the BEST time and it will always go down as one of our best date ever!
Peonies + Tulips | Honestly, they’re just beautiful flowers and I absolutely love them. They’re definitely my favorites and I can’t wait to have the space to grow my own garden of them!
Stretchy Pants | My thick thighs might save lives, but they definitely die a slow death if they’re trapped in pants with no give. Putting on a pair of form-fitting jeans that stretch in all the right places feels damn good.
Matt Kemp | Just because he isn’t playing for a team at the moment doesn’t mean that I’ll ever stop loving him. He will always be the man I leave my husband for in my dreams, and I will always hate steroid-using Ryan Braun for ROBBING him of the MVP in 2011.
Being of Service | I’ve spent years obsessively learning about random things and I love being able to be useful and share my knowledge with everyone. If I had more patience with humans, I think I would have made a great teacher. Offering up my help is how I show love and helping someone create or accomplish something fills me with joy!
Using Almond Milk for Everything | Cow milk and I have a terrible relationship. Thank you to the genius who invented almond milk so I can put it in my cereal, use it to bake with, and add it to my smoothies. No more death by milk!
Post Workout Euphoria | For the past few months, I have been regularly working out and going to pilates and kickboxing classes. That feeling at the end of a really hard workout is amazing!
Listening to a Good Story | When someone starts to tell me their life’s story, I turn into a child who is raptly listening to a thrilling story, especially if the storyteller is of a mature age. I love listening to the tales that impacted their lives in monumental ways and learning from the lessons they learned!
Deep Cleaning My House | This one is both true and false. While I love the finished product of having a super clean home, the actions required to get there piss me off. I hate cleaning but I love the results.
The Smell of Clean Laundry | Sometimes the smell of freshly laundered clothing is more enticing than the smell of an expensive cologne. Now that I FINALLY have an in-unit washer and dryer for the first time in my adult life, I find that I love that smell even more!
Eating Something New and Not Getting Sick | Yeah, this is a weird one, but the truth is that I have A LOT of food allergies and have developed this weird fear of unknown foods. For example, if I unknowingly eat something that was cooked in the same pan as shellfish, my day is ruined. That is why I get SO excited when I try something new and I don’t have any issues after!
Driving a Freshly Cleaned + Tuned Car | Is it just me, or does your car seem to run smoother after getting a car wash? I feel like a super responsible adult when I get my oil changes, tire rotations, and car washes in a timely matter.
Tamales at the Local Farmers Market | Texas’ idea of Mexican food is very different than mine. Y’all, I don’t like TexMex. Luckily, we have a local farmers market where we can get authentic and delicious tamales every Saturday if we wish. This helps me get my fix for awesome Mexican food and resent Texas a little less.
Recorder Fail Videos on YouTube | Do you remember those weird plastic flutes that most of us were required to play in Music Class during the 5th Grade? Well, those are called Recorders and some genius decided to record themselves playing theme songs and popular music on a Recorder. They are hilarious and make me cry from laughter every time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCPj4JPbKtA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G44xTr8D_bw
Finally Having the Perfect Perfume | Every single time I spray Jo Malone’s Peony & Blush Suede perfume on me, I think the perfume was made specifically for me. It is the best smelling perfume I’ve ever had, and I can’t stop sniffing myself when I wear it. I’m so glad that I have finally found “the one”.
Making To-Do Lists | I absolutely love being productive and to-do lists are a key! It helps keep me on track and not get overwhelmed. Once I’m done, I can cross the finished items off my list and know that I was productive AF!
Taking My Pants + Bra Off After Work | One of the first thing I do when I get home is take off my pants and bra and put on my comfy lounge pants and super soft and stretchy yoga “bra”. It is the best after a super long day!
Getting a Pedicure | I don’t just mean painting my toes – I mean the entire process of going to a nice nail salon, sitting in chairs with built-in massage rollers, and having a complete stranger massage my feet. It is bliss, I tell you. Bliss.
Having a Great Eyebrow Day | If you only knew the effort that goes in to drawing on my eyebrows, you’d understand the struggles that come with a bad brow day and the pure joy that comes from a great one!
Finally Having a Fireplace | Turns out, Texas gets A LOT colder in Winter than San Diego ever did, and I absolutely love that I finally have a fireplace that I can use to keep me warm! The smell, the sounds, the glow – I’m obsessed!
Having a Husband That Feeds Me | Not only does this bring me joy, but it is critical for a successful marriage. Mr. San Diego takes good care of me and my hanger tendencies!
Mr. San Diego Getting a Haircut | I love how handsome the husband looks when he gets his hair cut! He never keeps up with it, so by the time he finally gets it cut, it makes a huge difference!
Remembering Our Drive to North Shore in Kauai | Even though our trip to Hawaii for our One Year Anniversary in Feb 2018 was slightly disastrous, I will never forget the drive we took to the North Shore. There was a part of the drive where we turned around a bend in the road and were met with the most breathtaking scenery I’ve ever seen. Mr. San Diego and I both stopped breathing for a moment and just looked at each other in awe. It was incredible and I think about that moment often because it brings me so much joy.
Celebrating Another Year of Life! | I love that I’m 33 now! I love that I’ve learned so much, loved so much, and lived so much!