23 May 2011

To One Hundred One and Beyond

I've been thinking on this blog for a long time. This is my 100th 101st official posted blog. Nice, round number.I started out with no readers, as we all do. For the first few months, my only readers came from a few small corners of the internet, where I would directly post a link to someone telling them about my blog. I first followed Hyperbole and a Half (Allie Brosh). My first follower came from another website that I regularly visit. I didn't post a whole lot, and when I did, it wasn't that interesting.

I started, in March, trying to post every day (or at least almost every day. If there was a longer break, I'd try to make it more interesting, or explain why in advance. This time, it's because I wanted #100 #101 to be a little different). I started posting my link in other places. I started joining other blogging websites, like 20SB (a website for bloggers between the ages of 20 and 29 to connect to other bloggers), and I started reading other blogs. I've found some funny blogs, some profound, some interesting, and some that are just fun to read. Over time, I've started following other blogs, and in return, they follow me.

In the past 2 months:

  • I've had almost 600 views
  • I've gained 17 out of my 19 followers
  • I've written 41 42 of my 100 101 posts
  • I've joined several other websites
  • I've gone from following 1 to 37 other blogs
  • I've started using twitter again (following other bloggers; if I haven't followed you, it's because I couldn't find you!)
  • No comments to 69 comments on my blog
  • Don't even dare ask how many blogs I have commented on (because I have no earthly clue >_<
Now, for my 100th 101stpost special, the idea that I've been mulling over for quite some time now, asking for ideas and whatnot....

I've had to compile a list. This list has taken some time. A lot of work. Suggestions from friends. Some googling for ideas. Stumbling upon a GREAT blog that gave me a bunch of ideas (although I went through about 70 of them without help, I'm proud of that part!!). I tried to continually edit the list and pull out the duplicates, and I had a hard time making it easier to navigate the list, so it's simply 1-100 101, although I would have rather grouped them in groups of 10. I'll see if, in time, I can think of a way to do that.

For this post, the list will be this:
There are sooo many things to be happy about in life. There are so many things to just feel great about, not even necessarily happy about, just having an excellent feeling. All of these are things I've actually experienced myself, so there might be some things you can add (I'm sure some of you with boyfriends or girlfriends might have something to add), but, for me, these are the things that have made me just feel utterly wonderful. (ohmigosh, I'm coming up with 100 101 of these? No wonder it's taking so long...).

Trust me, this is harder than it looks


1. Being able to spend a few extra minutes under the covers in the morning because you put everything together before bed the night before
2. Going with your gut feeling, even though you have doubts, then finding out you were right
3. Getting something new that you weren't expecting to get for a while
4. Finding out that you overpaid for something, and getting a check back in the mail
5. The feeling of a full embrace when you're really hurting and need a shoulder to cry on
6. Seeing snow fall from the sky on Christmas Eve, and knowing that since you live in Texas, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and being able to catch it on camera
7. Sheets just out of the dryer
8. Cruising down an open road with the radio blasting, not caring who stares at you (I call this "Car-aoke" lol)
9. Being able to walk out of the office after a session with a person, knowing that something you said has struck a chord; same applies if you have been speaking with a group and they take something from what you said
10. Watching the rain roll down the window, curled up in a blanket, listening to the TV or radio.

11. Hearing a child laugh or seeing a child smile
12. Blowing bubbles
13. Walking in the rain, and not caring about whether you have an umbrella or not
14. Going to a playground and swinging on a swing
15. Overhearing someone say something nice about you
16. A compliment when you have (or especially when you haven't!) taken the time to dress up/look nice
17. Finding money in your jacket or pants pockets that you had forgotten about
18. Hearing a song you've had stuck in your head all day long, and it just randomly comes on the radio when you get in the car
19. When the song you are listening to ends right as you're pulling into the driveway...it's kismet! lol
20. Going over the top of the hill on a roller coaster- or the takeoff on a really fast roller coaster

21. Random acts of kindness from a stranger
22. Singing in harmony with someone else (I was a choir member...it's a wonderful feeling, all the voices in harmony, and one of them being yours)
23. When the front parking spot at [any place] opens up just as you are pulling up
24. Reading an old journal and remembering some of the good things that happened in the past (not the bad, not the bad...)
25. Crossing things off the "to do" list...then writing a big, fat DONE beside each task, to remind myself that I DID IT!!
26. Watching old Disney (or other old favourite) movies that you watched as a child (on a VCR, even better!!!)
27. A cold drink on a hot summer day (can I get a heyyy from the Aussies and Texans and Arizonians (is that what they're called?) and well, all us southerners in the US, heyyyy!!)
28. Finding a hilarious new blog and laughing your ass off, and wondering why you didn't find it sooner
29. Getting an upgrade on something that you took in for repair, thinking it was ruined (my recent iPod incident...I might blog about that soon...so much to blog about, but I've been holding back for this one!!)
30. The feeling you get when you're swimming through water that is the perfect temperature under the summer heat, the warmth of the sun beating down on the surface, the cool water flowing over your back....the pool opens this weekend....I'm aching for it, even though I'm deathly out of shape....

31. Finding something you're good at that you never knew you were good at until you tried it
32. Lying on your back and watching the stars in the sky, in the silence of suburbia, not worrying about anything else at the time
33. Discovering a new quiet, comfortable new place (nook, corner, closet, bench, couch, anywhere) where you can get away and relax
3
4. Finding out that people still care, even if you're away for a few days (I know, it's been a while, and people are still reading...thanks guys!)
35. Being able to do a little dancing around in your room without feeling self-conscious (like doing a celebration dance)
36. Counting down the days to an exciting event
37. Learning something new, something you've been wanting to learn for a while
38. Reading a book, being unable to put it down because of suspense the whole way through, then being unable to put it down until you've finished it
39. One of your favourite bloggers following you....Hi all of you!!! (this includes twitter and becoming your fans on facebook)
40. Having a really good laugh about something, then forgetting what it's about, but not being able to stop
laughing.

41. Coming up with a defense that nobody can refute
42. New clothes that flatter your figure....damn, that dress made me look HOT!! (not plausible, I don't wear dresses, but you get the premise, right?)
43. Having enough money to buy a little extra somethin somethin for yourself
44. Finding a poem/quote/song/etc. that really hits close to home, it can even make you cry if you want
45. A really nice, hot shower, one that isn't rushed like you're in a hurry to get somewhere
46. My hair cooperating with me when I need it to
47. Pictures that are taken at the perfect time, that capture the moment so that you are able to look back years later and remember everything about that time
48. Being able to connect with people outside the state and outside the country, whom I may have never known without the beauty of the internet
49. DVR....being able to miss your TV shows and come back and watch them later...need I say more???
50. Being able to type with one hand on my iPod

51. The smell of mom cooking dinner when you've had a long day and you're kinda hungry
52. Mom's dinner. Mom cooks well. I burn the macaroni. I'll have to live on Lean Cuisine and frozen Weight Watchers when I move out, otherwise, I might burn a place down.
53. Having experience and being able to share it. Sure, obstacles suck at the time, but being able to share them later, and how I overcame them, that part is awesome. Almost makes me feel like a star, to show
what can happen with perseverance. :)
54. Having someone brush through my hair...it's kind of relaxing. I don't know why, it just is.
55. Being as observational as I am. I (usually) notice the little things, and address them. It's really helpful, usually.
56. Remembering something you never thought you'd remember, because you usually forget similar things.
57. My sock monkey. I love my sock monkey. Of all the things I have, sock monkey is one of my favourites.
58. Seeing someone you knew an extremely long time ago, and feeling like it had only been a day since you had seen them
59. Finding a pair of pants that hasn't fit you in a long time, and being able to fit into them again (this hasn't happened yet, but I hope it will soon)
60. Being able to look back at a situation and laugh at yourself, even though you thought that wouldn't be the case

61. Absolutely. NO. traffic. On the way home. Or to work, or anywhere else
62. Walking into your house after being away a while, and noticing the familiar smells you don't usually smell day-to-day....and being able to lie in your own bed after time away
63. Being in a place so familiar that you don't even have to turn the lights on to get around...give or take the randomly placed dog lying in the middle of the floor sleeping
64. Other people enjoying something that you just do for fun, which makes you just want to do more of it!!
65. Having a medal board to look at and admire the things that you achieved in the past (although this can be counteractive- and make you remember how far you've fallen
66. When a person you've never met checks up on you (shout out to SawHole From WoogsWorld) even though others fail to notice things that are going on, and knowing there is someone out there listening, to reach out to, even if you can't physically give them a hug.
67. The rush you get from an adrenaline/dopamine high (even though the crash is the pits)
68. The scent of Vick's Puffs
69. The feeling I'll get in the morning Sunday when I wake up and the apocalypse hasn't happened (just like Y2K and the other previous claims of the end of the world (6/6/06 anyone?)
70. A weekend with no obligations after a long, busy week

71. Everything about the beach! (yes, I have been to a real one, not just the Gulf- FL to be exact- and I spent 6 years living in Florida and Hawaii, although I don't remember those much, but I have been to a real beach since then)
72. Waking up without an alarm clock blasting music (or worse, an annoying beeping sound) in your ear, and
on your own time
73. Knowing that you're close to finishing something (college, this blog) after you've worked a long time on it, and put a lot of effort into it trying to make it the best it could be
74. Realizing that all the time when you thought you had nothing to write about, you really did have something to talk about, but you didn't know it
75. Being able to close your eyes and just listen to the hum of the fans (or some other sound you like)
76. An unexpected phone call from a friend
77. Starbucks- because it's expensive and you can rarely afford it, so you enjoy the occasional Starbucks drink even more than you'd think
78. Cooling down after exercising- (for me anyway- it's hard to make it through the exercising part without
giving up- cooling down means I made it all the way through)
79. Being able to treat yourself for a job well done
80. Being able to look around, ask for opinions, and appreciate the small things

81. Finding the perfect matching outfit, especially when you weren't looking for it (but needed it)
82. Finding a song that you absolutely love, with lyrics that reach out to you, and falling asleep to the sound of that song
83. Being able to relieve stress at the end of a semester and sell your books back to the school, and get money back :)
84. Waitresses and/or waiters who refill your drink before you ask
85. Finding someone who doesn't mind killing (or at least shooing) spiders for you, so that you don't have to
86. Being the first person to get to the movie theatre, so you can choose the best seats in the house ;)
87. Using Rock-Paper-Scissors to settle agreements
88. Sneezing several times in a row (it ends the I-need-to-sneeze feeling, and people bless you left and right)
89. Using Q-tips the proper way- because you know the label says not to, but you're doing it anyway! And it feels pretty darn good, too, to get all that gunk out of there...the excess gunk anyway. Just don't be a moron and stab your eardrum.
90. When the speeding trap warns you that it exists (sign in Crowley, TX- Warning: Speed Zone Ahead- thank you Crowley PD!!)

91
. Going all the way through town without hitting a red light (if you live in any suburb around Ft. Worth, and are able to achieve this, you are amazing. Go you. Especially now that they have those damn red light cameras....)
92. Arriving with time to kill (and something to do during that time- I play games on my iPod touch- in case you haven't heard, I got it replaced- by an upgrade to the new one with the camera :) I'm happy with it)
93. When a vending machine gives you two of something instead of one
94. When you're filling a soda, and the bubbles go right to the top- but don't overflow!
95. Two words. Bubble. Wrap
96. Being able to procrastinate and still do a good job (I'm particularly good at that ;) but you never heard that from me!!)
97. That extra hour of sleep you get when you roll the clock an hour back in the autumn :)
98. Knowing which buttons to press in an automated phone system without having to sit and wait and listen
to the entire menu
99. Eating cookie dough and brownie batter, even though the packaging says not to, because it just tastes so damn good.
100. Figuring out that the last of the item that you're looking for in stock just happens to be your size (omg!)
101. (finally) FINISHING A LIST AND PRESSING THE PUBLISH BUTTON (yes, I wrote the end of the blog about 75% of the way through the list, and finished the list last.

So, now that I've written this list, I encourage you to think about some of the things that make you happy. Some credits go to Mrs. Woog at WoogsWorld, Sarah from Ah, the Possibilities, my mom, my cousin Kandice, my friend Marla, my friends Alyisa, Carolin, and Theresa from school, and I think that's it! Also, thanks to my readers (for being so excellent!). I've had an increase (since I started the post) to almost 1,500 hits, and this is, yet again, a record month, approaching 400 reads just in the month of May :) and that is so exciting for me! I never thought it would be this big, yanno?

And if you say anything about the 1 editing glitch I wasn't able to fix, I will be very, very unhappy. VERY UNHAPPY!! Now, to finish this, I will say I LOVE ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME SO HAPPY :) :) :)

Oh, and the other thing I was gonna do. The other idea I had was to post about 100 things I could find that cost less than $100 (I was hoping individually, because otherwise, they'd have to be less than $1 each, and I'm not that frugal!!). So, I've created an extra page, which you can find at the top of the blog, and I will devote a portion of my posts on Fridays to "Frugal Fridays"- that is, being the person that I am, loving to go shop and stuff, I'll show you the stuff that I love, things that can be found for less than $100. Usually, I try to find pretty good deals because I'm on a tight budget, and sometimes, I'll post things that I don't buy, but wish I could (hint, hint, mom- I know you won't admit to creeping and stalking my blogs, but I know you do, and if you say you don't, I'll know you read this, so don't deny it, it'll just prove my point, haha! Anyway, this might give you some ideas, hence the hint, hint). Maybe you'll find something you've been looking for. Maybe you'll find out where to look for that item, or a better price than what you've got (sorry international readers and readers in expensive places like California...)...so tune in, sometimes, it might just be Frugal Friday, or I might tag it on the end of the post (such as [TITLE]+Frugal Friday). That's my plan. Hope it didn't disappoint!

4 comments:

Cake Betch said...

It's a very nice list :-) Congrats on 101 posts!

Texchanchan said...

I thought the mimosa flowering was over, but when I look out the window I see more feathery pink flowers.

♥α§ђ£ε¥™♥ said...

@Cake Betch Thanks :-)

@ CC (you ok if I call you that? much shorter to type) - I have no idea what a mimosa is, I'm flower ignorant, so I'll have to google and see what it is and what it looks like...and knowing me, I'll probably look up flowering seasons, similar flowers, and get sent off somewhere completely random on the web. But I digress....flowering plants are a good thing. Too bad we didn't get many bluebonnets this year :( Probably because of that one late freeze we had, plus the excessive freezing in February. *sigh* I love bluebonnets.

Lorraine said...

Hey, I just stumbled onto your blog and it's your 100th post! It took me so much longer to reach 100, and I blog with a partner. :)

We also did a list for our 100th, and it was hard work, even though we split it between the two of us.

I loved some of the things on your list, like no traffic and the beach. I live in south Florida and could not imagine living away from the ocean. :)

Congrats again and hope you make it to 100 more!

Lorraine

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