Speaking of boats...

In the midst of calling ALL 50 states to talk to their state bar departments, I found this little happiness. Isn't it beautiful?

Beautiful Portland

Seeing the city of Portland from the river is a beautiful site. Boating has become one of my favorite things to do. No matter what my day has been like. On the river, in a boat, I'm happy.

A Day Like Today

On a day like today where everything was new and different and unfamiliar, this picture made me really happy.

The Way You Make Me Feel

Have you ever had those days when the radio plays all your favorite songs? That was my day, and it was great!! They even played my all time favorite song "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson.

I hope this song brings you as much happiness as it brings me! If you get the urge to dance when you hear it go with it!

In Good Hands

On top of all the sad emotions that come with moving and leaving behind the people and places I've come to love so much, I've been preparing myself to sell my 1992 Toyota Camry aka Hero. That car really has been a hero. The fact alone that I was its owner, a girl who barely remembers to get oil changed and who considers it a common occurrence to run into garage walls, makes it a hero. In my three and a half years of owning it, the only problem has been a leaky roof and an old alternator. So I was a little sad at the idea of giving it to a car auction, letting strangers stare and poke and judge it with little forgiveness for its minor flaws.

Then came a little miracle for today. My friend, Tyler, said that he would just take it for me and fix it up and then sell it to a nice person. Granted, my car will still be going to a stranger, but it just feels so much more comforting. It's like I've just been told my childhood teddy bear is going to a niece or nephew instead of Good Will. And that is my happiness for today.

And Hero, I hope whatever comes next for you brings you a lot of adventure with lots more oil and lots less garage walls.

Mini Miracles

Sometimes the smallest things are miracles. We can search for huge spectacular moments, but until we can find the beauty and magic in life all around us we will never feel the happiness we are capable of feeling.

Here is a great example of this very thing. Ashley and I took a trip to hike Iron Mountain. We heard stories of how amazing it was, full of flowers, butterflies and breathtaking views. Since Ashley is moving to Washington, DC, we had to try one more adventure before she leaves, and thought, " 2.5 mile hike, no problem."

To start off, we missed our exit and got a little confused about where to go - so the hour and a half car trip turned into a three and a half hour trip. After finally reaching the trail head we were both pretty tired but got ourselves together and started the hike.

Right away we saw flowers and had our cameras out to take a picture of every variety. For me that didn't last longer than five different flowers. The trail was steep and windy. Not being experienced hikers, we were struggling to say the least. On top of being worn out, there were bugs! Lots of flies and spiders. If there is one thing I can't stand it's spiders, and the flies were so persistent. I think they have games with each other of who can make the human go crazy. Ashley was a very good sport listening to my frequent rants about how much I hate flies and spiders. I felt all of the trouble might be worth it if there were just butterflies, but the butterflies were always too far away and wouldn't stay still long enough for pictures.

After two hours of the sweating and panting we made it to the top. Once we were there it was amazing! We could see for miles and miles with four different mountain ranges in our view. While looking over the railing a beautiful little butterfly landed right in front me and stayed long enough for great pictures. Ashley said "that was a little miracle just for you." It really was. We spent the rest of our time taking fun pictures, laughing and really enjoying ourselves. When it was all done we were so glad we went.

As much fun as we had, looking back I can't help but think of how much more enjoyable that hike up Iron Mt. would have been if we had looked for the little miracles all around us. Instead of focusing on the bugs and the heat we could have been reveling in the beauty of the flowers and the spectacular views and the company of a great friend. We always have the choice to make life fun and are given little pick-me-ups as a boost just like that little butterfly.

As each new day comes, or even each new minute, we can look at life with new hopeful happy eyes and find the mini miracles.