Congrats Elana! And the Five Happy Things Challenge

This happened three weeks ago, but I'm slow! CONGRATULATIONS Elana Johnson! Elana is now an agent-represented author! If you don't follow Elana, you should. She is incredible and knowledgeable, and she has an ebook called From the Query to the Call and also hosts a blog called Query Ninja. Now she is represented by Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates!! Here is her big announcement. Woo woo!!

Now, back to today's blog post...

Today is my anti-rant. It's the day I look at the bright side of the past week. So here is my idea for this week: list five things that make me happy... and hopefully hear yours too.

Five Things That Make Me Happy

(Not including money. Or other baseline happiness factors like my kids, my husband, and my writing. See? That's three right there! Too easy).

(And not things that would make me happy, like... world peace or an end to all human suffering.)

Okay then...

Five Specific Things That Make Me Happy

1.   A Roy Rogers. Not the cowboy, the Coke with maraschino cherries and grenadine. And extra cherries, please! (I know, it sounds like a Cherry Coke, but it's so much sweeter. Bring on a small scoop of vanilla ice cream and you're my new BFF). Actually a lot of sweetened beverages make me happy. A nonfat white chocolate mocha with a pump of pumpkin spice is heaven (heavennnn!). Also a mug of hot cocoa with mini chocolate chips swirled in and topped with huge dollop of marshmallow fluff, yummmmers!

2.   Being around people who "get" books. This is why I love blogging . And I love bookstores. And I love my friend who reads. And I really love writer conferences. There is something heady about being around so many people who live their lives around the same passion. Hearing people talk about authors and plot and character, and especially hearing agents and editors talk about these things in panel discussions. I love the enthusiasm for the industry. I love not being alone.

3.   An airplane vacation. Ooooh, it's pure happiness when I get on an airplane. I disconnect from L.A. and leave the worries of everyday life behind. And no matter how tight our budget or how small the hotel room, I have a blasty-blast. It's a vacation! My senses are sharpened; everything smells better and tastes more delicious... I'm more awake and alive, and when I look back at a given year, the first thing I remember is where we went on vacation.

4.   Desserts. I was going to say pie, which is almost always my favorite, (I did say this was a specific list, after all), but really, any dessert makes me happy. There are these amazing chocolate chip cookie cherry pie cheesecake cups I make... okay, I made them once. I don't "make" things all that often (sorry kids, I'm not that kind of mom). But I made them once and oh man, they were what happiness tastes like.

5.   A really good massage. My awesome husband once bought me an official full body massage from a ritzy salon-- uber ritzy-- as in, they wrapped me in a warmed robe and gave me a glass of pineapple-mango fruit drink with a splash of coconut milk to enjoy while I waited. And the massage... with scented candles and heated oils and soft music playing alongside the sound of water trickling from a mini-fountain in the corner. Joy! Bliss! I finally understood the happiness that is the spa. I haven't had a second helping of that brand of pampering (pricey, folks) but the knowledge that something like that exists in the world makes me happy.

Did anyone else notice that forty percent of my list is food? Maybe forty-five, if the pineapple-mango juice counts. That's ridiculous!

Anyway, let's hear yours. Are there five things in the world that make you happy? Three, maybe? Ten! What are they? Blog or post a comment. :)