Girlfriends

A bunch of my local gal pals and I are planning to gather with an out-of-town girlfriend this weekend. It will be the first time we've all been together in quite awhile.

Dinner and dancing are on the itinerary... along with lots of laughter, reminiscing and catching up. When I spoke to our long distance friend on the phone today, she was so excited, and so are we.

My joy moment today was getting plans together for our girl's night out and hearing our long distance friend's excitement over her pending welcoming party.  Girlfriend time = Fun time!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

New Friends

Attended an event tonight where I didn't know a soul... and it was pretty cool. Both the event and the attendees. Glad I went.

Sometimes people are friendlier than you think they are. Never judge a book by its cover, as the say. Glad I didn't. They were a great bunch. A few of us swapped numbers and will hopefully, see each other again soon.

Making interesting new friends was my joy moment for today.  We can never have too many. :-)

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl 

I'm Baaaackkkk!

Hey Friends! It's been a bit, I've missed you guys! My break was longer than anticipated due to a slight med scare for my gran and a few other issues. Very happy to report, she's doing fine, thankfully!

And I'm finally home! Back in La La Land. Where it's sunny and warm. Not that I didn't enjoy all the snow and chilly weather, always nice to mix things up, LOL. And of course, I'm grateful that I was able to spend quality time with the fam.

But I have to admit hearing the weather man announce the temperature in Los Angeles will be in the 80's this week did warm my heart, literally! LOL.

Now that I'm back, the pressure is on... lots to do. My luggage remains unpacked and the towering bags seem to be taunting me, I have several pending things to get in order and my to-do list is two pages long. Just means it's time to get my plans for the new year underway... and fast.

My joy moment today was settling in at home, preparing my goals for the week and getting back to you, my blogging friends!

Hope you've had a pleasant and productive January, so far.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Happy Thoughts

I love good quotes.  Came across a few good ones today pertaining to happiness...


"Jumping for joy is good exercise."  ~Author Unknown


"Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit."  ~Hosea Ballou


"Some pursue happiness, others create it."  ~Author Unknown

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  ~Marcel Proust


"The best way for a person to have happy thoughts is to count his blessings and not his cash."  ~Author Unknown


Happy Quotes. Happy thoughts.  Finding these wonderful gems was my joy moment for today.


Have a happy one, friends!


Stay tuned :-)


Ms. Girl 

Wow! Joy Journey Marks 1 Year!

Ta-Daa!  One year ago today I started my joy journey!  I did it.  I can't believe it.

Seeking the joy in every single day for a year has been fun, crazy, wild, trying, unexpected, surprising, educational, fulfilling, sobering, and amazing. Who knew?! I sure didn't. All I knew when I started was that I wanted to wake up and take notice of each day.

Before beginning my joy journey, I'd been on cruise control. Boring, uneventful, unappreciative cruise control. I wanted (and needed) to wake up and start living and appreciating the gift of each day... No matter what kind of day it was! And you know what? Surprisingly, I always found it. Whether it was just a few hours or a few moments. Seek and ye shall find!

Big joys like, interesting new TV gigs, reunions with dear old friends, meeting wonderful new ones, (including my blog buddies!) getting to see a few of my fav celebs and attending lively events. Smaller joys like, checking out new sights, music, sweets, baked goods and fun brunches. Everyday joys, like waking up to a new day, getting inspired, chatting with family, hanging with friends, and enjoying sunny days.

I found unexpected joy in simple things and learned valuable lessons in trying times... both leading to big breakthroughs and deep gratitude.

Believe me, some days I had to look pretty hard for my joy moment. But it was ALWAYS there. Every single day. Even on the bad days, my joy hunt helped me to discover the good, the positive, the blessing, or the purpose, every time. It's been a wild and amazing ride!

Thank you my blogger friends for joining me on my roller-coaster journey. I hope you were entertained, inspired or at the very least, amused by this lively L.A. chick seeking her yellow brick road.

Wake up and Live will continue for year two. You can't get rid of me that easy, LOL!  My entries will now just be a few times a week, although I will continue to seek the joy in each day on a personal level. I hope you will, as well.

May you discover joy and happiness today and every day!

Wake up and Live!  ... And Stay Tuned, dear friends!

xoxo

Ms. Girl :-)

Road Trip

Spent part of the day on the road with my mom and gran headed to an appointment that was quite a distance away in my grandmother's old hometown. It was a pretty interesting ride and turned into a blast from the past. As we drove through the small town where she grew up, my grandmother pointed out places she remembered fondly from her childhood.

I saw where she used to go to school, the places her and friends would hangout, restaurants she would frequent, homes of other relatives and several other locations that brought back great memories for her. It was a real treat to see the town where she grew up, hear lively old stories and learn new things about her.
 

Our little road trip became a fun trip down memory lane for my grandma...  and for my mom and I, as well.

Learning more about my gran and spending great quality time with her on the road was my moment for today.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Happy Trails

I'm always on the happy hunt... which you may have noticed from the title of my blog link, www.huntforhappy@blogspot.com. LOL.

Found an article today with a few tips on how to get happy. 20 of them! Can't beat that.

Have a look... "Reader's Digest - 20 simple ways to get happy!"

Getting new ideas for my happy hunt was my joy moment for today.

Hope you enjoy them, as well.  Happy Trails to us all!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Cool Views

Isn’t that a cool shot?  Came across a bunch of interesting pictures like this today on YahooNews.com. 

                                                                                           

The first three pics are from the Associated Press, the last two are from Reuters. I love to look at fun and unique photos. These talented photographers had to capture these moments at just the right time to get these cool shots.

Sometimes it’s being at the right place at the right time, other times it's patience. Sometimes it's a bit of orchestrating and most times, it's having a great eye. It’s definitely an art!

Click on the Yahoo News link below to see all the pictures from this sassy slide show... Courtesy of Associated Press, Reuters and AFP News Agency.

"Yahoo News!" 

Checking out these cool views was my joy moment for today.

Kudos to all the great photographers!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Cozy Times

Cold day outside. Weather man predicts snow is on the way.

Spent a low-key day inside, enjoying family convo and bowls of Mom's homemade soup.

It was my cozy, joy moment for today.  I always say it's the simple things. :-)

Hope you had a great one, friends!

Stay tuned :-) 

Ms. Girl  

Cool Outlet

Checked out a brand new outlet mall today.  It was very cool... literally and figuratively.

It was a beautiful (and huge) outdoor mall with an array of popular stores... and post-holiday discounts galore. Come to Mama!

The place was packed. Even the chilly temperatures (about 17 degrees!) didn't keep retail happy customers away. Hoards of bundled-up shoppers migrated from store to store, relishing the warm indoors and the hot sales. It's amazing what people will do for a 70 percent discount, LOL. I managed to make it halfway through the mall before finally calling it a day to save my fingers and tootsies from frostbite. I had to be sensible... I'll need them when I go back for part two!

My joy moment today was my shopping jaunt at a "cool" new spot.

Retail therapy really is therapeutic!  LOL.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Here Comes the Weekend!

Hello Weekend!  We love you!

Quiet Friday off, spent it out and about with mom. We had a good day and it was my joy moment for today.

Have a pleasant weekend, friends!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

A Weigh We Go!

One of my "resolutions" (I call them "fresh starts") is the ever popular weight-loss goal. Somehow that little darling always ends up in the top five of new year's lists.

This year, I decided to take it slow and begin by getting a bit more exercise... since the short walk from my car to the house doesn't seem to be a big calorie burner.

So there I was today at the gym. By the way, why is it so bright in there?!  I think a little mood lighting could go a long way, LOL. Just saying! But I digress. The good news... I did a whole 35 minutes on the treadmill devil!  (That's my pet name for that evil, mean machine. Kidding!  A little.)

I have to say, I was pretty proud of myself! I know thirty-five minutes may not seem like much, but it's pretty good considering I almost hopped off after minute "two." But I stayed the course. Ms. Girl is trying! Bring it on, treadmill devil!

Completing 35 minutes of grueling, heart-pounding exercise (yes, I'm hyping it up a bit. The feigning of sympathy is appreciated, LOL) was my joy moment for today. This time, I'm serious. :-)

Guess chocolate cake for dessert is a no-no, right? Kidding! A little :-)

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Baby Steps

Busy day, a lot of running around. Seems like the days are already zooming by, the first week of the new year is almost over. I'm trying be more productive and have started working on a few new goals. Spent a good amount of time this evening researching new ideas and brainstorming different avenues. Hopefully, it all leads to something interesting. We'll see.

In the meantime, my joy moment today was exploring new paths and later, it was finally giving my brain a break. Reminding myself once again, to take baby steps and enjoy the journey. 'Cause that's what it's all about, right?

Onward and upward!

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Mega Dreams

Mega Millions, the big multi-state lottery, has reached an incredible amount. Today's jackpot is the second biggest of all time... 355 million dollars.

Now, I'm not a regular lottery player but when it gets to the triple digits, I'm inclined to buy a ticket or two... or three. :-) Judging from the crazy lines at the convenience stores, I'm not the only one.

Yes, Ms. Girl has a bit of lotto fever. Sure, it's a billion, gajillion-to-one odds that I would hit, but a girl can Mega dream, can't she?! LOL.

My fam and I couldn't help fantasizing about it and sharing wild "what if" stories about hitting "the big one." Those fun, crazy and amazing Mega dreams were my joy moments for today.

And the winning numbers are...

Stay tuned!  :-)

Ms. Girl

My Golden Girls

Out and about with the gals (mom and gran) today.

Set my grandmother up with exercise and computer classes. My 84-year-old golden girl likes to stay active. LOL. Love that about her. My mom got in on the action, too, not wanting to be outdone by her senior mother, go mom!

We ran errands, caught a movie, then went to din din together. It was a fun and productive day with my golden girls. Keeping them happy and entertained is my self-appointed job while I'm visiting.

Seeing them laughing and enjoying themselves was definitely my joy moment today.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

Simple Days

Slumming, lounging kind of day today.  Rainy and cold outside. Perfect day for it.

Enjoyed a good movie and some quality time with the fam.

Quiet, simple Sundays. Gotta love them. I sure do and it was my joy moment for today.

Hope you had a happy one!

Stay Tuned :-)

Ms. Girl

New Year, New Start

 

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First day of the New Year.  Time for a Fresh start? New beginning? Different path? Needed change?

That's the great thing about the beginning of a new year, it's a good time for one or all of the above, if we want. At the very least, it's a great time to start making plans or contemplating putting new things into motion.

Something about a new year gets us energized, and if we're lucky, that enthusiasm lasts for more than just the first few weeks January. You've seen the phrase... "New Year, New You."  Well, why not?  It's as good a time as any to get started, to give it a try, to make things happen.

Perhaps instead of looking at our plans as "resolutions" (I don't know about you, but those don't usually pan out for me) maybe we can look at them as fresh starts.  Instead of overloading ourselves with a long list, perhaps we just pick 1-3 top things we'd like to accomplish. Keeping it simple will keep us sane... and on track!  It's our fresh start, we can begin any way we like, right?!  The most important thing, taking it one day at a time and actually getting started. 

My joy moment today was my optimism and enthusiasm about the start of a new year and thinking about a few things I'd like to achieve.  

So let's get things revving, in 2011!  Like that one?!  Ms. Girl made it up all by herself, LOL.  

Cheers to the New Year and New beginnings! 

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl