Just catching up on my Challenge. Some days are easier that others to figure out what makes me happy, but it’s nice to know there’s always something!

Day 7 – I had a hard time trying to figure out what made me happy last Friday, and it didn’t come to me until the end of the day. My gym membership allows me one personal training session each month for a discounted price. I’ve had the same trainer for almost five years and, even though I haven’t had much change in my weight or shape, he never stops encouraging me. This made me realize how I have a great support system, not only in my trainer, but in my friends and family too. That’s what made me happy…knowing I have so many people I can count on. It’s nice to know so many people care.

Day 8 – Cats make me happy. We can’t have one where we live right now, but the Husband promises that he’ll get me one as soon as we move to a place that allows pets. I always imagine that I would have my cat napping beside me while I write. I even have a name picked out: Kindle. One reason I chose this one is because of the word’s relation to books and the other reason is that it also means a group of kittens. I can imagine I would get a cat that would cause as much mischief as several kittens. There’s a coffee shop near the gym that roasts their own coffee beans and they have the sweetest kitty that comes out to greet everyone. The owner of the shop jokes that everyone comes to see his cat and then they remember to buy coffee. Here she is waiting for me to scratch her behind her ears:

Day 9 – Weekend coffee with the Husband makes me happy. We sit and have coffee together on most Saturday and Sunday afternoons. This is the time we spend chatting about whatever comes up. Usually, it’s about his work, my writing, family, or just talking about what’s going on in the world. Usually when we talk, there’s always something else going on at the same time, like the TV going on in the background, my husband on the computer at the same time, or me on my iPad. But coffee time is just me and him and no other distractions. This is one of the main reasons I look forward to the weekends.

We have mismatched mugs because we got them from work for free. But it’s a good way to tell my cup apart from his, since I like sugar in my coffee and he doesn’t.

Day 10 – This is my third mention about something coffee related! Sitting in cafes and coffee shops make me happy. I love being able to take the time to sit and just drink coffee. I also feel like I get more writing done when I’m in a cafe and away from home. I guess because it’s a change of scenery and I feel like if I’m going to take the time to leave the house, then I should make it worthwhile. I also love cafes because it brings back a memory of when the Husband and I went to Paris and there was one morning where we sat at an outdoor cafe for brunch. The weather was perfect which made sitting outside even more enjoyable. I prefer the smaller coffee shops, but Starbucks will do if there are no other options.

Image courtesy of Sura Nualpradid