Thursday, December 3, 2009

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. :)

14 comments:

  1. 1) Sitting at the beach with my daughter with the windows rolled down on a 65 degree day in December in Massachusetts!
    2) Our regular Saturday night, steak on the grill, roasted potatoes and red wine supper.
    3) I've never had a full massage, but the shoulder massage you get with a facial is pretty darn good. I've had two of those.
    4) Bread Pudding. Preferably chocolate, but any kind will do.
    3) A text from my daughter thanking me for her white bread sandwich today, instead of the usual multi-grain, flax seed roll-up.

    You've made me smile just thinking of these things.

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  2. Hi Liza, those are great! I've never had a facial, but now it sounds good! And your daughter sounds awesome :)

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  3. writing
    cheese dip
    my kids/hubby
    tv
    rainbows

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  4. Hey, you can never get too many congrats when you land an agent. Congrats to Elana! :D

    My five things:

    The smell of coffee
    Halloween costumes
    My Sharpie pens
    Billy Mays commericals
    The Suwannee River

    Haha, now I'm all smiley. :D

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  5. Movies that inspire me so much I cry.
    A good movie or book in general makes me happy.
    Comments on my blog.
    Riding motorcycles through a beautiful canyon.
    Playing Canasta when I visit my mom.
    Going out to lunch with a friend or friends.
    Being able to make my husband burst out laughing.
    The tingly feeling that comes when I'm feeling close to God.
    The homemade enchiladas, black beans and guacamole I just ate made me very happy.

    It's hard to think of things that don't have to do with family.

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  6. Shelli- TV and cheese dip are on my short list too... at the same time preferably :)

    Jenna- I totally agree with that... congrats again to Elana! And I love your five things, especially Halloween costumes, Sharpie pens and the smell of coffee. Coffee... mmm... white mocha with a pump of pumpkin spice... lol well I'm happy you got all smiley :)

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  7. 1. Having a whole hour to myself to do yoga. If my kids are awake, they think when Mom does yoga, it's human-jungle-gym playtime. Gotta love 'em.
    2. I came home from running errands the other day and my husband had cleaned the kitchen and mopped the floor. Very happy!
    3. I completed my WIP in mid November. Bubbling-over-with-joy-happy!
    4. A quiet house by 8:00 p.m.--Like right now. Sooooo nice.
    5. Getting comments on my blog. I love my blog friends, like you, Diana. You make me happy.

    And Elana getting an agent makes me happy. Her book is AWESOME and she deserves it.

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  8. Hi Mary! I think our comments mussed have passed in crossing :) WOW you ride motorcycles?! I'm such a Nervous Nellie, motorcycles scare me lol! I really like your happy things, almost all those things make me happy too :)

    Thank you Bethany, that was really sweet :) Congrats on completing your wip, that would definitely make me happy! And it sounds like you have an awesome husband too :)

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  9. Thank you for following me. I'm so happy that you're a freak too. ;)

    Five things:
    1.Blank paper: ready and waiting to be inked!
    2.Fat, slide-y pens
    3.Coffee (pumpkin spice latte)
    4.Cold days with a scrumptious book
    5.Babies - Of course I still consider my older children my babies; but I mean those little newborns and toddlers - I could snuggle them all day! My friends are gracious to let me borrow theirs.

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  10. Welcome, Catherine :) I see we both have a taste for coffe. And babies...huge sigh! I LOVE snuggly litle babies, especially when they're too small to push away all my baby-love. My two-year old has to be in the right mood to let me cuddle with him, but when he does it's heaven.

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  11. I really need to make this list today.

    1. Moonlight on the mountains
    2. The smell of my first real Christmas tree in 14 years
    3. Listening to my two year old learn new words
    4. Butterfinger Jingles
    5. Singing

    Yeah, all those things make me happy. Thanks for giving me the reminder!

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  12. Hee hee! You saw mine. But I'll add one that I don't have here that you would totally get. I love Honor books:) Honor and Reeve, and mostly, Wendy, make me happy, too.

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  13. Hi Angie! I love your list. Did you notice that there's sight, smell, sound, and taste in your five things? Great sensory imagery! I'm glad the reminders made you happy :)

    Tina Lynn!!! Hi Tina! I've read your comments on Wendy's blog since forever! Okay, enough with the exclamation points :) YES, Honor makes me happy, and especially Reeve, but most especially of all, Wendy. She's something special, I'm sure you'd agree. :)

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  14. Hey, thanks, Diana! You are so awesome!

    And things that make me happy?

    1. Ginger ale. There's nothing like it to get me through a round of revisions or a night of editing.

    2. Finishing a good book.

    3. Eating a meal someone else cooked.

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