3 Simple Steps to a Happier Life

My younger sister, Ali, posted her three steps to a happier life. I have decided to join her. Here a three things I do to get a little more joy out of my days...

1. Snap a picture. I tend to go through life forgetting to smell the roses. But every-so-often, I see something so beautiful that I know I have to stop and take it in. And to do so, I snap a photo. I started a photo-a-day project to help me smell the roses a little more. You can see the pictures here.

2. Eat vegetables and fruits. Practically nothing makes me feel better than good, healthy, real food. A bag of carrots, a bunch of grapes, an avocado, asparagus with lemon, some heirloom tomatoes... makes a girl feel fresh.

3. Flip through pictures of loved ones. When I can't sleep, I grab my iPad and look at photos of Sean, my siblings, or Daphne. It just makes me feel like all is well in the world.

So... what are your three?

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Yesterday, Sean and I celebrated our first Valentine's Day with a big feast! We had exchanged gifts early, he gave me a beautiful necklace and a very sweet, handmade card. I made him a couple homemade gifts along with a Slinky and "fancy" calculator watch. We ooze love!

Instead of going out, we decided to stay in getting cozy with some delicious food. We had stuffed mushrooms, Caesar salads, fondue, and red velvet cupcakes. All of it was divine! It was my first time making/eating cheese fondue, and I was surprised how easy it is to make (once all the cheese is grated!) and how it sneakily fills you up. We were stuffed!

We're saving the creme brulee for another day and the red velvet cupcakes were simply amazing. Sean says they were the best cupcakes he's ever had! He was afraid they weren't really gluten-free because they were spongy and delicious, so he told me not to eat them. That's the best review for gluten-free food imaginable! I did eat them... three so far. Divine.

Hope you all had a great Valentine's day! Next up... St. Patrick's Day!

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Disneyland! And Valentine's!

Hello, Dear Blogosphere!

The time has come for a Disneyland report. I had a long to-do list, and Sean and I got most of it accomplished! Here's what we did...

Space Mountain (Our longest wait - 50 minutes)

Mad Tea Party (Sean's first time! He spun like crazy)

Mouse Ear Hats! (Our souvenir of the trip)
Mr Toad's Wild Ride (Sean's first time!)
Village Haus for dinner (We were starving - we had pastrami burgers, and mine was on a gluten-free bun!)
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Jungle Cruise (Sean's first time, and he couldn't hear the puns! We'll return...)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Mint Julep and Beignets (One of my favorite Disney treats! I made Sean enjoy beignets for me)
Haunted Mansion
Splash Mountain
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (We got on the ride in about 5 minutes!)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Autopia
Shopping at Small World (Got a few things for Daphne's first birthday)
Pineapple whip float! (Delicious)
Star Tours (AWESOME)

Sorry for the lack of photos! It got dark pretty early plus when you only have 8 hours in the Happiest Place on Earth, there's no time to stop for photos! Anyway, I am very impressed with what we did in the time allotted. Next time, we'll definitely have to ride Matterhorn and Small World (both closed this time) and eat turkey legs (the stands closed too early). I must also note that it was actually hot in Anaheim. Low 80's!

On our way home we stopped at Cafe Rio in Tustin. The most delicious food AND Disneyland in the same twenty-four hours?! With my amazing boyfriend! A girl doesn't get any happier.

...or does she? Yesterday evening, Sean played a series of tricks on me which ended with him handing me a little blue box. :-) We are just terrible at waiting for actual holidays to exchange gifts...

L-O-V-E. Pretty much stunning. I love how modern and simple it is, while still being completely romantic. Perfect.

Happy Valentine's Day to me! And to you! Valentine's isn't just for lovers, but for friends and family too. Here's a joke for you...

What did one pickle say to the other pickle?

"You mean a great dill to me!"

It's true! Happy Valentine's Day, friends!

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