3 things that make you happy:
ice cream sandwhiches
my sister's pool
friends at Keystone Church

2 things you looking forward to today:
bike riding
quiet evening with my hubby

2 long term things you looking forward to:
finishing my newest Heifer display poster
biking to work

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Liz (my neighbor)

3 things that make you happy:
laying in my hamock
cuddling with my cats
watching cats play

2 things you looking forward to today:
calling nae
being a lazy bum :)

2 long term things you looking forward to:
seeing renae
kayaking

1 person you are going to appreciate:
grumbles

Friendship Pansies

3 things that make you happy:

dinner
friendship pansies (aka johnny jump-ups)
pine

2 things you looking forward to today:

blockplay
quiet

2 long term things you looking forward to:

blockplay
rivers

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Donnie

3 things that make you happy:

elbows
cheese
herons

2 things you looking forward to today:

time with my girls
finishing cutting & sanding supplements for block set

2 long term things you looking forward to:

family
friends

1 person you are going to appreciate:

jo

Yellow!

3 things that make you happy:
brie
fresh flowers
yellow

2 things you looking forward to today:
family dinner! :)
spending time with my budgie Boo

2 long term things you looking forward to:
ripping up & re-doing my garden this fall--getting it ready for next year
going on a tropical vacation with my hubby

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Boo

3 things that make you happy:

fried chicken
walking with jo
herons & trains at the beach this morning

2 things you looking forward to today:

Kathryn & Eliza being here this evening - Albert? Levi?
completing & trying out new blocks I am making

2 long term things you looking forward to:

being again able to use power tools now & then
wading

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Albert

Heifer tomatoes?

3 things that make you happy:
yummy cherry tomatoes
the skylight in our hallway
my Moo-ma

2 things you looking forward to today:
tomorrow is Friday!
finishing the photo presentation for my Heifer sermon on Sunday

2 long term things you looking forward to:
learning to work with wire & make jewelry
visting the Heifer Ranch in Arkansas

1 person you are going to appreciate:
my Grandpa Ed

3 things that make you happy:
feeling the sun warm me when I'm col
haiku
horses

2 things you looking forward to today:
coal walk
having a quiet moment

2 long term things you looking forward to:
writing good poetry
going to Westport

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Ralph

knotting Jello?

3 things that make you happy:

Jello
maps
knots

2 things you looking forward to today:

appointment with dr s
getting some groceries

2 long term things you looking forward to:

an outing to the Yakima Canyon
getting some Guidecraft Mini Unit Blocks

1 person you are going to appreciate:


dr s

3 things that make you happy:

the sound of water
ice mocha
led zepplin

2 things you looking forward to today:

resting
making someone smile

2 long term things you looking forward to:

skiing
hugging tasha


1 person you are going to appreciate:

suzy

Muted Massages

3 things that make you happy:
raspberry jam
dusk in the summertime
muted TV (or none at all!)

2 things you looking forward to today:
having Kristen & Kyle over & seeing their wedding photos
visiting Grandpa in his new group home

2 long term things you looking forward to:
finishing our wedding book!
using my gift certificate for a massage (I got it for my 21st birthday!)

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Hoang

shhhhhhhhhhhh

3 things that make you happy:

kingfishers
tides
chooooooooooooooooocolate

2 things you looking forward to today:

library
quiet

2 long term things you looking forward to:

outings with jo
going back to powell's books sometime

1 person you are going to appreciate:

jo

3 things that make you happy:

climbing trees
bird songs
laughing

2 things you looking forward to today:

walking coal
catching up with ASA

2 long term things you looking forward to:

going to the ocean
singing in choir

1 person you are going to appreciate:

myself

3 things that make you happy:
fresh rain smell
warm hardboiled eggs
butterflies (especially swallowtails)

2 things you looking forward to today:
riding my bike
having an evening with my hubby

2 long term things you looking forward to:
spending more time at the Seafair Powwow next summer
having children (loooong term)

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Levi, my hubby

Duwamish River

3 things that make you happy:

Barn Swallows
jigsaw puzzles
tangrams

2 things you looking forward to today:

seeing trains
walking & birdwatching by the Duwamish River

2 long term things you looking forward to:

bicycling (this week? next week?)
eventually having a cell phone with a built-in camera instead of a seperate accessory

1 person you are going to appreciate:

my mother - I am going to try to have lunch with my parents today (maybe)

Roses & Chai

3 things that make you happy:
holding a brand new baby
smelling roses
fish tacos from taco del mar

2 things you looking forward to today:
getting my house clean
treating myself to a morning chai (in about 5 minutes)

2 long term things you looking forward to:
getting a new job doing something i enjoy
seeing my sister graduate

1 person you are going to appreciate:
my moo-ma

not too sunny

3 things that make you happy:
waterfalls
good stories, well told
the beach

2 things you looking forward to today:
getting together with alan
napping

2 long term things you looking forward to:
going to nae's at thanksgiving
camping again

1 person you are going to appreciate:
dr s

Too sunny?

3 things that make you happy:

Birds
Arlo & Janis
Thunderstorms



2 things you looking forward to today:

Walking with Chris
Magic Mosaic


2 long term things you looking forward to:

Rain
Seattle Light Rail

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Chris

the smell of the woods on a hot summer day

3 things that make you happy:
playing in a river
taking photos of nature
the smell of the woods on a hot summer day

2 things you looking forward to today:
going into the Watershed
cuddling with coal

2 long term things you looking forward to:
getting together with bethany again
camping again

1 person you are going to appreciate:
rachel

Before they had wings

3 things that make you happy:

Potatos
Elephants
Old Formula I cars, before they had wings

2 things you looking forward to today:

library
toy store - Tree Top Toys, Lake Forest Park

2 long term things you looking forward to:

pumpkin pie
setting up & running my slot cars on the floor

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Amanda Jane

3 things that make you happy:
Cookies
watching the osprey
mooing

2 things you looking forward to today:
making krystle smile
doing a good campfire program

2 long term things you looking forward to:
Being mentally healthy
Visiting Renae

1 person you are going to appreciate:
Krystle... it's her birthday

Amanda Jane

3 things that make you happy:

Amanda Jane, who is four days old
Firetrucks
Jigsaw puzzles

2 things you looking forward to today:

Posting in BlockPlay on Froebel blocks
Seeing Chris's Simple Gifts post on our Yakima River outing

2 long term things you looking forward to:

Seeing Amanda grow, and her sister Kayla
Changing Seasons

1 person you are going to appreciate

My brother - today is his 6oth birthday (Happy Birthday, Steve!)

3 things that make you happy:

Dancing with cats
An unexpected blimp overhead
Vietnamese sandwiches

2 things you looking forward to today:

New books from the library
Eliza coming by

2 long term things you looking forward to:

More strangers finding our blog(s) & enjoying it (them)?
Edgar Reitz's Heimat on DVD

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Kyra

Why those questions?

I've been asking myself those questions (or a close version) off and on for about 8 years. It started because my job had turned into something miserable and I was finding it hard to face the day. I didn't want to wake up. I didn't want to go to work. I was grumpy and frustrated and I didn't like that person.

I was also watching his great show "In the Actor's studios" fairly often (for me). I'm clueless about actors and those sorts of folks most of the time. But the interviewer was so great I would get sucked in. And he always ended in the same way. He asked a set of questions that came from a French survey. Such simple questions but they truly revealed the person. "What's your favorite sound?" Things like that. That's what I always wanted to hear. Those familiar questions delighted and comforted me.

So driving to work one day I was trying to find positive things to think about and I thought of those questions. I decided to come up with my own questions. Questions to remind me of all the good things in life. Questions to start my day right. The question format has changed slightly over the years, but the questions remain mostly unchanged. I start with the simplest question, "Name 3 things that make me happy" because it breaks the power of the tiredness/grumpiness. I start thinking of puppies or sunsets or good friends and suddenly I'm a little lighter. A little more willing to play the game and find the good things.

Alan started this blog and it delights and touches me. I'm not sure what those questions will mean to you, but that's what they mean to me.

Flip-flops

3 things that make you happy:
smiling children
wearing flip-flops to the office
laughing with my co-worker


2 things you looking forward to today:
taking tomorrow off
driving home with all my windows rolled down & the wind blowing in my face

2 long term things you looking forward to:
going kayaking (you made me think of it, chris)
our trip to yellowstone

1 person you are going to appreciate:
my co-worker, cherie

snorts & sausages

3 things that make you happy:

spicy sausage
women who snort as they laugh
bridges, bridge books, building bridges

2 things you looking forward to today:

dot-to-dots
super low tide

2 long term things you looking forward to:

wading in the beckler river
Kitty Lloyd Webster in winter

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Robert Cortright

3 things that make you happy:
puppies
cool morning of a hot summer day
dusk

2 things you looking forward to today:
taking coal for a walk
dinner with katie

2 long term things you looking forward to:
having energy again
skiing again

1 person you are going to appreciate:
pierre

3 things that make you happy:
weddings (my good friends are getting married this weekend)
free veggies in the kitchenette at work
snuggling with my husband

2 things you looking forward to today:
happy hour with friends after work
watering my plants when i get home

2 long term things you looking forward to:
seeing my new cousin soon!
owning a house with a big yard

1 person you are going to appreciate:
jen

Copy & Flee

3 things that make you happy:

Blocks (my Mula blocks came today)
Frogs (how many?)
Books (I went to the U Bookstore this morning)

2 things you looking forward to today:

Looking at the books I picked up at the library on my way home.
Building something with Kapla and Mula to see how they mix.

2 long term things you looking forward to:

Seeing my new niece (less than a day old as I write), watching her grow.
Watching this blog grow.

1 person you are going to appreciate:

My father (I set up his new copier for him this morning, he was very good about the manifestations of my mental disability and my need to flee afterwards).

Today

3 things that make you happy:
sunshine
riding my new road bike
fun buttons that i find at work

2 things you looking forward to today:
visiting with my alan
hearing good news about my newest cousin

2 long term things you looking forward to:
having a big garden
bike riding in the san juans

1 person you are going to appreciate:
my alan

3 things that make you happy:
ravens
katie
rivers

2 things you looking forward to today:
(this was hard today)
my mocha
vegging in the hamock tonight

2 long term things you looking forward to:
visiting nae in california
kayaking again

1 person you are going to appreciate:
katie

3 things that make you happy:

Standing on a hillside looking at a river
Standing on a hillside watching a train go by in the valley
Standing on a hillside with the sun and the wind, birds and friends

2 things you looking forward to today:

Quiet time
Eliza's visit

2 long term things you looking forward to:

Family
Friends

1 person you are going to appreciate:

Eliza

Format testing

3 things that make you happy

Doing something special for someone I care about
Exploring a special interest in depth
Having someone special enjoy one of my interests

2 things you looking forward to today

Getting this blog format worked out
Being with Webster

2 long term things you looking forward to

Seeing if this blog will grow and be useful
New projects, new pleasures

1 person you are going to appreciate

Katie

3 things that make you happy

being with a friend or a family member
building with block sets
webster

2 things you looking forward to today

jo coming home from work
the mail

2 long term things you looking forward to

webster
grandchildren

1 person you are going to appreciate

jo