aw, shucks!

time to acknowledge some bloggy love!

i was so excited to see that i won a sweet little giveaway from sweet new blogger same sweet girl.  i got a purse-size bottle of bath and body works' orange sapphire lotion {a new scent to me and it is HEAVENLY!} and the cutest little nail file.  both are now happily residing in my office desk drawer o' goodies, making sure that my hands are looking their best from 9 to 5.

molly lou gifts and smart and sassy with sprinkles bestowed the happy 101 award {gee, thanks! the feeling is mutual}so now i have to list 10 things that i make me happy:

1. the puppy boy.  this little dude is the light of my life.  he is so laid back and sweet and always up for snuggling and sunbathing and long, sunny walks by the creek.  when i was crying over the new boy, he literally hopped on the bed and licked away my tears.  which of course made me cry even harder.  he just knows when his mommy needs him :)

2. hot dogs.  spare me the lectures on how they are basically mystery meat and how terrible they are for you, because i do not care.  to me, they are the world's most perfect food. as a true connoisseur, i can tell you that 7 eleven has the best.  although any hot dog eaten at a sporting event is hard to beat.  major, major yum.

3. shoes.  you should see my closet.  i have to keep out-of-season shoes in storage because there is just no room.  there's hardly enough room for the in-season shoes.  i can't help myself.  a beautiful shoe is like a work of art to me, and i feel it's my duty to be a patron of the arts.  i may not be able to afford a lovely cy twombly for my home, but i can  make sure that my tootsies are always aesthetically-pleasing!

4. nature.  in any form.  i just love to be outdoors.  so much of my childhood was spent camping or playing tennis or running around my grandmother's beach house or through my grandfather's garden or practically living poolside in the summer and that love has carried over into adulthood.  if i see a particularly inviting patch of grass, i HAVE to take my shoes off to walk barefoot.  if i see a crunchy-looking leaf, i will go out of my way to step on it.  if the sun is out, i get major ants in my pants to figure out a way to be in it all day.  hiking, fishing, running, swimming, or just sitting and soaking it in, i heart the great outdoors.

5. my family.  i am obscenely close to my parents and my little sister.  i talk to my mom and/or dad on the phone at least once a day and my thumb is permanently BBMing the sis.  their advice and opinions are the most important to me in the world and i would do absolutely anything for them.  they are my best friends and my support system.  my mom still does my laundry {i know...pitiful} and my dad still puts together all of my ikea purchases.  my sister and i are as different as night and day in so many regards, but it doesn't matter.  we have the exact same worldview and sense of humor and it's hard to stop us when we're together.  love them.

6. my friends.  they are freaking awesome.  seriously, i sit around at our monday night girls' nights and i am completely in awe of the amazing women in my life.  they are smart and beautiful and funny and unique and supportive and caring.  i have struggled with female relationships my entire life because i spent my formative years as a catty, backstabbing cheerleader and my only girlfriends were the same way as me.  not really the building blocks for healthy friendships. but i am finally in a place where i have amazing friends, both male and female, and i am beyond blessed.

7. sparkling wine.  champagne, cava, prosecco, whatever.  i will order it.  i actually prefer prosecco above all others and i don't do sweet wines, but there are few things i enjoy more than a glass of bubbles.  i get weird looks when i order it at bars, although my friends are used to it now.  it's delicious, it's different, it doesn't cost more {and often costs less!} than a cocktail {and BONUS has less calories}, and it makes an ordinary night feel a little bit special.

8. cheese.  oh man, i really heart cheese.  i can't say enough about it.  tillamook cheddar, brunet, brie, chevre, blues {i'm a gorgonzola girl}, a perfect parmesan....and all of the lesser known cheese as well.  i don't discriminate.  i am more of a soft cheese than a hard cheese kinda gal, but that's never stopped me before.  mmmm....now i'm hungry!

9. nesting.  decorating my house, cleaning {i can't be the only weirdo who enjoys this...right?!}, cooking, just laying on the couch catching up on my DVR, organizing my home office...wow, ok i'm starting to sounds like a 1950's housewife!  but i truly enjoy these things.  i love being at home, i love making my home a beautiful and comfortable place, and i love opening up my home to other people.  even in high school, i wasn't the girl to go out to parties.  i was the girl who was inviting everyone over for cook-outs and backyard croquet tournaments.  i am 24 going on 65.  and i am totally ok with it!

10. blogging.  when i started this blog in january 2009, i had no clue what i was getting into.  i didn't think anyone would want to read about my little life and now i'm at almost 200 followers.  insane.  i've made some wonderful real-life friends through blogging and countless other bloggy friends who i hope will one-day be real-life friends!  it's also been therapeutic for me in so many ways...to look back over the last year of my life and have this active journal is amazing and such a learning experience.  i am so glad to be a part of this wonderful community!

i'm supposed to pass this on to 10 bloggers, but i've pretty much seen it on everyone's blog, so if you haven't done it yet, here's your chance because i love ALL of your blogs!  also, apologies if i'm forgetting to acknowledge any awards.  i am SO bad at these things, but i do appreciate it :)

and last, but not least, i have to thank my darling blog swap partner, black labs and lilly, for my ADORABLE spring package! it was patiently awaiting my return from cali, and it was worth the wait.  i got the sweetest lilly travel mug {perfect for making my jasmine green tea addicition portable}, lilly notepad, and the lilly animal crackers {which you can bet your bottom dollar are nowhere to be found here in small town, va}. i also got two teeny little plant kits {zinnia and sunflower...loves it!} that i can't wait to put out on my stoop {i hate that word...stoop...it sounds weird} and cute little post-its.  thank you SO much! i just love it all. i hope you liked the items you've received so far, and the rest of your package is on its way :)