Here's the thing.

This is my new goal, thanks to a little help from Marc Johns. Check him out.

I'm realizing it's easier just to try and be happy, even when you're not.

It's all in what you focus on.

and guesswhatsurprise!

Trying to be happy, makes you happy.

So here for you, my four faithful blog readers (all within my family, I'm guessing)

is yet another of my happy lists:

1. Oh my gosh the weather. I know, I know. Every girl, and every girl who blogs is talking about how amazingly wonderful this weather is and thescarvesandbootsandsweaters. yes. I feel the same way. But oh, the chilliness, the rain, THE THUNDER AND LIGHTENING! I've been waiting for 2 years for a good thunderstorm in Utah, and finally got one yesterday. It was wondrous. It makes me put on my "autumn" playlist on my ipod, and float away to the strains of the Amelie, The Village and Little Women soundtracks, Iron and Wine, Nickel Creek, Joni Mitchell, Josh Ritter, the Weepies and more lovelies. This makes me happy. It's Cozy weather. Capital C-Cozy.

2. How happy I am with my living situation. I thought it was a miracle when I got housing at all, and in the complex of my dreams. I went in with one roommate that I knew, and two strangers. I was nervous. And I LOVE THEM. It's wonderful. I'm incredibly happy with my roommates, my house, my ward and the environment I now find myself in. I've never been super involved in my student ward or apartment complex, and have mostly created my social circle outside of those parameters. However, this year, I am making an effort to be more involved. Play rehearsals make this difficult, but I am trying. But all, in all, my new living situation is highly pleasing. Highly.

3. I can again feel inspired, fashion-wise. I lost my fashion bravery for a while. It's back now. And right in time for Autumn. Today I am wearing Navy blue and black together. Which, in my mind takes the kind of attitude and posture which indicates that this wasn't a mistake, but a purposeful decisions. Do I think too much about clothes? Yes.

4. My hair is growing!!!

5. Coooooooking. I love cooking. I don't know why. It's all I want to do. I want to drop out of school and be a cook. What I love the most is inventing things with the items I have in my kitchen. Which generally means it will have either cilantro, or curry in it...or both. On Wednesday, I was having an absolutely terrible day. A Jonah day. Just the worst. Then I came home, and realized I had some leftover canned pumpkin in my fridge, and I whipped some pumpkin-curry chicken. It turned out pretty good, a little too salty, but pretty dang good. There's something incredibly calming about cooking, and I've realized that almost nothing makes me simultaneously happier or more stressed out than cooking for others.

I'm not a perfectionist in any area of my life, but when it comes to baking, I freak a little bit. Over Conference weekend, my roommates and some friends and I created a little cozy nest in our living room, piling cushions, blankets and each other all over our floor and carpets. I baked pumpkin bread saturday morning, and coffee cake on Sunday morning. Saturday night, I baked a couple of strawberry rhubarb pies for my friends Bethany and Graham. Almost all of these baking episodes had a serious incident that affected the product for the worse. The crust decided to be made of crumbly sand, and hate me. By the time I had figured out how to work with it, one of the pies was...special. The other one wasn't too bad though. All of this baking made me sososo happy. Again, can Julie and Julia be my life?

6. Stage Door. Seriously this play is going to be gooooood. Come buy your tickets! It starts the 27th of October and runs through November 13th.

7. I have some of the best people around me that ever were. Seriously. My family is the best. My friends, I've really discovered this year, are invaluable to my life. I can't thank them enough for listening to me whine dramatically, or cry dramatically, or giving me support exactly when I need them the most. Miracles. I have angels in my life.