Smiles :)

I love it when someone gives me a smile.  I feel like I am included and acknowledged.  I especially love getting smiles from reserved people.  I know that they don't smile much, and so to receive a smile from them means so much more.  :)

Step It Up!

I love step aerobics classes.  I love how they feel almost like dancing.  There is enough challenge in a step aerobics class to keep me challenged and interested.  I usually like the music they play too.  I like how I sweat a lot in a step aerobics class--it makes me feel like I have really gotten a great workout.  It is a nice change from running as well.  When I first started step aerobics classes, I was so lost, but as I have gone along, I have gotten better.  I can now do the harder variations of different steps, and that is really exciting.

Curly Hair

I love my curly hair.  I love how I can throw some product in it, let it air-dry, and it looks halfway decent.  I also love that I can straighten it when I feel like it (which is not very often).  I love that not brushing my hair actually makes my hair look better because the curl pattern is not destroyed by the brush.  How cool is that?  By being as low-maintenance as I can, my hair looks its best.  Now that's what I call lucky!!

Down by the Lake

I love running on the trail that surrounds the lake by my university.  Yesterday I woke up early and went for a long run -- 11 miles!  That's the farthest that I've ever run.  Today I'm feeling sore, but only when I move (especially after I've been sitting for a while, like in class) or when I climb stairs (they're doing me in!).  But it is a good kind of sore, so it is okay.  I really enjoyed my run yesterday.  At 9 a.m. only the really hardcore people are out running.  What's funny about that is that I would have never described myself as a hardcore runner!  I also tried out my new running belt and I really liked it.  I liked how I felt strong as I ran.  I thought the first 8 miles or so of my run went pretty well.  I was able to pick up speed when I felt myself sagging.  The last three miles were tougher, partly due to the fact that I had stopped to get some water and then started up again.  I love running around the lake.  It is nice to run through the woods to get to the lake.  It feels like I am leaving the city I live in for a while and I can pretend like I am somewhere else.  I feel so fortunate to have discovered this trail system and this great lake right (practically) in my backyard!

Please excuse the not-so-great quality of these pictures as they were taken with my cell phone. 

Both of these pictures were taken this past fall.

Turn to Stone

Turn to Stone by Ingrid Michaelson is this week's Saturday's Song.  I listened to it at least ten times last night!  I bought her new album on iTunes last night, and I'm really looking forward to listening to it!  (The previews of the songs were fantastic.)  I love this song. I love how it starts out with the nice piano part, and keeps it going through the whole song.  Even though it is a sad song, I think it speaks to a spot in your heart, and that is what makes it a favorite of mine.

Shake It Out

I love the song "Shake It Out" by Florence and the Machine.  The song just makes me want to dance! It's also fun to sing along to.  I love songs that just take your heart and make it soar.  I was thinking of posting songs on Saturdays (because of the alliteration -- another thing I love!), but this one is just too good to pass up tonight.  I know I can't help but be happy when I dance.  Dance and enjoy! :)   (Just a warning, the video is a tad bit bizarre.)  

The Sound of Music

I love The Sound of Music.  I saw it at the theatre with my brother last night and it was fabulous!  I love how each of the songs sounds so familiar, but yet last night enchanted me none the less.  The story affects me differently each time I see it, and I get something new out of it.

Yoga Pants

I love my yoga pants.  They're not truly yoga pants.  I think they're more of an all-purpose workout pant than a yoga pant, but I love them anyways.  I was even able to fool my friends into thinking that they were dress pants.  Score!  It is so nice to come home after a long run (9 miles today! Yahoo!) and put on my nice, comfortable pants.  They are nice and stretchy and they do not have an annoying waistband that digs into you when you decide to curl up on the couch and read like jeans do.  These pants feel so comfortable that they get out of your way and let you conquer the world.  Now that's a lot of power for one pair of pants to have!

Flowers

I love using the macro setting on my camera to take pictures of flowers.  I love how you can capture the exquisite detail of the flowers and preserve it forever on film.  The flowers will fade, but with the camera, you have preserved them forever.  I also love it when I am surprised by my photos later on and find that little critters have snuck into my pictures.

Taken right in my front yard

Lewes, DE

Portland, ME

Greenville, ME.  I didn't see this guy until I looked over my pictures later!

Greenville, ME

Sleeping In

I love sleeping in.  Sleeping in is one of the greatest luxuries in life.  It is just the nicest feeling when you realize that it is Saturday and that you can roll over and go back to sleep.  It is nice to be able to stop, relax, and let myself catch up on sleep.

The Library

I love the library.  I love to read.  When I was little, we would go to the library and leave with our arms full of books.  It was always so much fun to go to the library.  This summer I was checking books out of the library, and the librarian told me that he had read some books by the author of the book I was checking out.  I ended up loving the book and am working on reading other books by the same author.  I also love that now digital titles are available to check out through the library, so I can read them on my kindle.  How cool is that?  I just finished an historical fiction book about Madame Tussaud (of the wax museums).  It was just fascinating!  I love that just by browsing around in the library you can find stories that entertain, enlighten, and challenge the way you see the world.

I love that this blog challenges me to come up with one thing I love every day, even when I am not in the most grateful mood.

Running with Good Music

I love it when a really good song comes on my iPod while I'm running.  If I'm by myself, sometimes I like to sing along to the song and really get into it.  I was running on a new trail that was built near my house today, and a song came on my iPod that I really like.  I decided that I was going to have fun and really get into the song and sing along, especially because I didn't see anyone else on the trail.  All of a sudden, this girl came up behind me and took me by surprise.  I felt really silly, but she was listening to music too.

Jokes

I love jokes.  The sillier, the better!  This one was told at the dinner table the other night, and it cracked me up:

“You can pick your friends.  You can pick your nose.  But you can’t pick your friend’s nose!” 

Another one of my favorites is this one: 

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller.  He can see from her nameplate that the teller's name is Patricia  Whack.  So he says, "Ms. Whack, I'd like to get a loan to buy a boat and go on a long vacation."  Patti looks at the frog in disbelief and asks how much he wants to borrow.  The frog says $30,000.  The teller asks his name and the frog says that his name is Kermit Jagger and that it's OK, he knows the bank manager.  Patti explains that $30,000 is a substantial amount of money and that he will need to secure some collateral against the loan.  She asks if he has anything he can use as collateral.  The frog says, "Sure. I have this," and produces a tiny pink porcelain elephant, about half an inch tall.  Bright pink and perfectly formed.  Very confused, Patti explains that she'll have to consult with the manager and disappears into a back office.  She finds the manager and says:  "There's a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000.  And he wants to use this as collateral."  She holds up the tiny pink elephant.  "I mean, what the heck is this?"

So the bank manager looks back at her and says:  "It's a knick knack, Patti Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man's a Rolling Stone."

(Copied from http://ljhs.sandi.net/faculty/mteachworth/strange-n-mundane/strange%20additions/frog_loan.htm.  Many slight variations of this joke abound.) 

Clouds

I love clouds.  The first time I flew on an airplane (that I remember), I was fourteen years old and I was going to a conference in St. Louis (without my parents!).  My mom gave me two disposable cameras to take with me to document my trip.  I used about 80% of the film to capture the clouds I saw while I was flying.  I was just fascinated by them! (I still am.)  We flew very close to a thunderstorm on our way back home too, which was very exciting.  Beautiful clouds turn into a gorgeous sunset.  I love the way clouds can tell you how the sky is feeling.  I'm not big on finding shapes in the clouds, but I love to revel in their majesty.

Beautiful clouds turn into a beautiful sunset!

Moosehead Lake, ME, Summer 2008

Moosehead Lake has the best clouds because the weather changes so frequently

Hydrangeas

I love hydrangeas.  I like the blue ones best.  I love how there is so much detail in hydrangeas.  Hydrangeas  and Sunflowers are my favorite flowers.  I took these photos in Rehoboth Beach, DE this past summer.  The hydrangeas were in peak bloom while I was on vacation.  Simply stunning!  

Not only was this house right on the beach, but it had beautiful hydrangeas!

I love the macro setting on my camera!  I love how it captures the detail on these flowers!

Running Through the Snow

I love running through the snow.  I went for a run yesterday while it flurried.  It was so much fun!  I pretended I was a "Winter Weather Warrior."  I also listened to some great music as I ran, which helped make it more fun.  The first part of my run was tough because I was running straight into the wind, but the second part was great because the wind was at my back.  It was definitely a challenge!

Positivity and Perseverance

Welcome to Positivity and Perseverance!

The idea for this blog began a few years ago, when my roommate and I decided to write a book (which never materialized).  Every day, my roommate wrote about one thing that drove her crazy, while I wrote about one thing that I loved.  As the new year begins, I want to make this a real project: to write about one thing each day that I love.  Hence the title of this blog: Positivity and Perseverance.