Random Happiness

There are days that I say to DJ (when I'm really struggling with depression which has been an ongoing battle on and off for over 27 years), "I just need a happy."  Sometimes I think because of my physically unfit body, my lack of sleep, my repeated habit of overextending myself, my need for perfection and order and (as Sarah would say) for CONTROL (and never a having any of it), my children's free agency, my husband's free agency, and a host of other things, I can get really down.  Most of the time I can struggle through it to get the job done, the lesson taught, the assignment carried out, the need met...but probably not done right, with the spirit, with all that could have been there, or with a totally loving heart.  I've been able to paste on my happy face or at least a semi-interested face and talk myself into joining the living.  Most of the time that gets me through the day or the week... sometimes just a couple of hours.  Once in awhile there have been a few people that can see through my facade and really know how I struggle.  Others don't have a clue---but maybe most of you think I'm a sad, mopey basket case, and I just don't know it.  Anyway, when I just don't think I can deal with it any more, I feel like I need a happy!

"Happies" or would it be "happys" come in all forms, sizes, and colors.  Some happies are really more like joys---long-lasting meaningful happies.  Some happies are only temporary.  Sometimes other people provide a happy.  Sometimes I have to find or create one on my own.  Sometimes happies are bits of good news, sometimes an accomplishment of a loved one, sometimes a reassurance that I'm worth my space on earth. Often a happy is when something falls into place unexpectedly, something that is serendipitous. Sometimes happies occur after a lot of hard work. Sometimes happies come in the form of nature---a flower, the sound of gentle rain against my windows, the newly formed buds on a tree, a bird singing (and can I tell you that I cry when I think of coming back to Texas and not being able to hear the birds like I hear them here---I guess it's because we have to keep the windows closed), or a cool breeze (I cry about this one, too).  Sometimes happies are "things"...an unexpected gift or note, a fluffy pillow, flowers in the house, a newly framed picture of a loved one, just something that makes me smile.

Just wanted to share a few Happies from the last few months:



Going visiting teaching twice to find that Heidi (in March and in the pink) and Gabby (in April, and in the lavender) had croissants and other tasties ready for us (my companion, Denise in the black) on a beautifully-set table---totally unexpected.  What a treat!  Besides, they're such fun ladies to get to know.

Discovering that the picture frame on the right that used to be in my kitchen in Spring looks so awesome with the new bedding that we brought to Switzerland.

Stripes and florals and the crazy mix in both the bedding and the frame--I love it.  Love the people in those frames even more.



And...let there be light! Remember how last fall I wrote that when you move into an apartment in Switzerland, you had to buy your own light fixtures. We spent time on and off for two months looking for light fixtures---not wanting to spend exorbitant amounts, but wanting some things that we could stand to live with.  It took way too long!!  Well, we finally got all those put up last month:



Something a little unexpected in the breakfast nook!



A sassy little IKEA number for the bedroom!

Something that would go with my French Country-looking table and chairs.



And some contemporary pizazz in the office.

 They are definitely "Happies"!  All of them are a lot better than what we had been looking at for months:



Yes,  it's true.  This is what has added to the "prison look" so aptly pointed out by my sister!!

Another longer-lasting Happy is when I take the time to go here:



The Swiss Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


Or see that my daughter and her husband have taken their kids here:



The Daileys attending the Atlanta Georgia Temple Open House after it was remodeled and re-furbished.  The general public was allowed to walk through the temple before it was re-dedicated.

And while we're on the subject of temples, can I tell you what a giant Happy it was to get this off the floor and onto the wall (the wall is concrete, so we've been waiting for the handy man to do that, too):



It's much easier to mop the floors when this isn't sitting around, and it helps fill some of the vast whiteness on our walls.

Though the picture is not hanging over the fireplace like it did in Spring, it still brings some sense of being home.  It's a constant reminder of that beautiful place and the day in 1974 that I knelt across the altar with the greatest guy on the planet and was married (sealed) for time and all eternity---a wonderful HAPPY! 

 
 And somedays a Happy is just getting a picture of one of the grandkids via the internet (email, Facebook, blogs, or family website):


Who wouldn't love to get a picture of this cute guy---Dave and Marinda's Conner!

 

Or this cutie, Mike and Toni's Ariana.  Love this girl!

 



And what's not to love or to make you happy when you see these five????



I definitely smiled when I saw my favorite cowboy (Matt and Falicia's Cade)---another awesome happy!



And look who's now brave enough to brush the goats at the zoo---Iz and Sarah's Katelyn (soooo many happies)!  And there's four more equally as cute that give me happies (I just need more recent pictures of them)!

And when I don't have a recent picture to see on the computer, I now have our 2010 memories up in my kitchen here in Basel----A GIGANITIC HAPPY that sometimes makes me cry:



Baby blessings, Christmas fun, Disneyworld with Carm and AJ, Mike's military ceremonies, new babies, holidays, school dress-up days, bluebonnets, trips to the park, family pictures, a museum, Chuck E. Cheese, a musical, the rodeo, Cub Scouts, ice skating, birthdays, and Easter an egg hunt----so many good memories.

And right down at the other end of this kitchen wall, a picture of DJ and I with the grandchildren:

And when that's not enough, I can look here in one of our front hallways:



This is still a work in progress because I need to put up pictures of Abby and Steven and Mike and Toni, but the frames we ordered were the wrong size.  I love to look here and remember that we are striving to be "a forever family"---that's a HUGE HAPPY!

 And if I still need a happy fix, I can go in the office (you've seen the pictures when we'd been here for two weeks).  The office is now filled with our latest family pictures...



We need a picture of Mike's family...in the meantime, his AF picture will have to do!

And here's the Perrys and the Arciniegas:



Love my family soooooooooooo much.  They are my major HAPPY!

...and it's filled with pictures of fun places that we'd been before we got here---lots of HAPPIES in the form a happy memories:

Decided to do "the lean thing" with the pictures so we didn't have to drill more holes into concrete!



We even have pictures of some of our friends on the bulletin board---another HAPPY!




Another HAPPY is in the form of the guest bedroom.  Not because it's gorgeous, or large, or wonderfully put together but because it is all ready for people to come visit, and the Arciniegas will be here in 18 days!  That's an extremely exciting HAPPY!



A comfy bed and lots of pillows (in case we ever have soooo many people that they have to sleep in the office or on the couch)  And...another HAPPY is that the quilt on the end of this bed, can be used to cuddle under in the living room and it totally goes with the color scheme---bonus HAPPY!  The Morgan Hotel has been up and running since September---we just need more people to book reservations!

 Additional HAPPIES in that room:



A reminder of my roots----a really incredible HAPPY!



Lots to read and things to do.

There's a picture of my favorite Army guy---a reminder that I'm an American, a HAPPY for which I am so grateful!

Oh, and this is one of my latest projects:

Creating a toy basket for Baby Kate to use when she comes to visit!  I will have so many happies while she is here!

Every once in a while in our travels, we have purchased something that has become a happy, not only because of its usefulness, but it reminds us of wonderful times had here in Europe:


One of those is this pillow covered by a tapestry we purchased in Brugge, Belgium.  It was a perfect match for our color scheme, but brings back such happy memories of when we were there in March.



Another happy in the form of a purchase was this painted metal rooster found in Titisee, Germany.  We had been picking up a few roosters for the ledge on the top of the cupboards in the kitchen, and this one (totally the right colors) was a keeper!

 

 You've already seen in my post about working in Denise's garden that I love flowers.   Though I love them outside, I love to have some inside.  My frugal side decided that my happy in the flower department for now would take the form of these beautiful yellow tulips (yes, they're silk; but very realistic and look so welcoming on our dining room table):

And my last happy for this post is my love affair with Skype and all the opportunities for multiple happies that it affords.  Just last night, Mark had the boys tell me good night before he put them to bed (Liz was at work).  Another day I got to watch Hunter play Wii.  I've read stories to Colee and had her read to me (she's 3 and amazing).  I've sung songs and done finger plays with Katelyn, waved bye-bye to Conner and Isaac after they've talked "baby talk" to me for a while, and I even helped edit Anna's prize-winning story for a contest.  (Still don't have skype for four of the grandchildren---Mike and Matt need to get busy and get it hooked up---hint, hint!).  One of my happies, as of late, was a live concert from these three:

Anna on the violin (sorry this is so grainy).



Becca on the cello



Morgan on the harp

So as you can tell, I've had lots of happies in the last few months---must be part of the reason that I think I have finally turned the corner in my quest to adjust to the aloneness here.  I have so much to be happy about that I just don't stay down too much.  Yes, I have my moments here and there, but I just try to focus on my happies or on creating a happy.  So here's to happies----hope you have a few today!