I have been Tagged

So, Mandy tagged me in her latest "Ten things that make me happy" post. It is fun to be tagged, but seriously couldnt you have limited it to FIVE things that make me happy?? I have been thinking about happy things all day, and FIVE is a much easier number. Not that I CAN'T find ten things to be happy about...i mean, i CAN...(just you watch)...but I am afraid I might end up being thankful for something trivial like toilet paper or breath mints (both of which I am thankful for in the appropriate moments).
Alas, I will get on with the gratefulness, and step away from the complaining.


TEN THINGS THAT MAKE KATHLEEN HAPPY
1.ERIC
I mean, let's be honest here folks...he is the MAN! He makes me ridiculously happy. Like, STUPID happy. He is funny, but knows when to be serious. He is SO dedicated and hard working, but still knows when to relax and have a good time. He is goofy and handsome and fun and a great cook and he spoils me and he puts up with me and he appreciates me and he enjoys family and everything family-related, he will make a great daddy to a little boy or a little girl, and he is simply the best man I know. I could go on and on and on....so I will. :) Eric is not perfect. Neither am I. (shocking, i know.) And our imperfections make us perfect for one another. We just fit together like pieces of a puzzle (little did I know that Mandy tagging me was gonna make me so cliche!...ya like that, right?). But seriously..we DO fit toghether like pieces of a puzzle, which is ironic since we both LOVE to do puzzles. We can be nerds together and try our best to look hot together, all in the same weekend. We work well together and honestly, in my humble opinion, have the best marriage I can imagine. Once again...it's not perfect...and that is what makes it perfect.
2. REALITY TV
(yes, really) Kind of a big leap from the "depth" of my number 1, huh? As shallow and cheesy at it may be, I am addicted to all things reality tv. Big Brother. Survivor. American Idol. The Hills. Snapped. Run's House. Tori and Dean. Wipeout. Deadliest Catch. Jon and Kat Plus 8. Biggest Loser. (no i dont have those memorized...i had to run through the list on our DVR to make sure I got them all.) I love them all. Sitcoms dont do it for me (although that sitcom with Neil Patrick Harris is pretty funny). There are probably only 2 or 3 shows I watch that are NOT reality (those would be 90210 (both new and old versions) and Desperate Hosuewives). I am not proud of my tv-watching habits, but I this is MY blog and I can share anything I want. So there. Now you know not to call me, text me, or have any dire emergencies in which my presence is needed this Thursday at 8pm....the new Survivor is on...duh!)
3. PROACTIVE
Once again, the depths of Kathleen are not exactly rivaling the Grand Canyon, are they? Yes, when I say "Proactive", I am in fact referring to the face cleanser that is sold on late night tv (i told you I was addicted) and in the pages of magazines. My Sister in Laws talked me into biting the bullet and purchasing this miracle product. After years of fertility drugs, my skin is finally getting back to "normal". Chocolate, sweat, soda, greasy foods...none of those things actually CAUSE acne. HORMONES cause acne. And guess what happens when you super-charge your hormones? You get acne. (er, well...*I* do). So for now, after three weeks of use and a few ups and downs and breakouts, it finally looks like my skin is clearing up and ready to behave like a 30 year old skin should, rather than maintaining the 13 year old skin effect I was so embarassed by.
4. OUR CHURCH
Eric grew up in our church. We have considered going to a church that is right around the corner from our home, but we just cant drag ourselves away from DAC. If you get a chance, listen to some of Pastor Brad's sermons on the website. He is so empowering and makes me feel like I should just go out and talk to everyone I meet about Christ and all the wonderful blessings we have received. He makes Christianity "real" for me. I was raised Catholic, and even attended Catholic elementary school, yet I never felt the passion for Christ that I feel at this point in our lives. We are so blessed, and it is so nice to have a place to share that faith and comfort with others.
(Sad that I can write so much more about a face cleanser than about my own church, but I'll work on that....) In all honesty, the comfort that I feel when we are sitting in "our" pew at church each Sunday, with family in front of us and friends all around, people who genuinely care about us and our lives, it's unbeatable.
5. Baileydog
Quite simply, Bailey is the best dog on the planet. He sheds. A LOT. I am fairly certain that our Baby Bass will require hairball remover and a monogrammed lint brush, but that's cool. We got used to it. And the kid will, too. The hairball treatment really doesnt taste as bad as you'd think. (kidding. kidding. relax.) Bailey is a part of our family. In fact, he seems to think he is a human. He sits on the couch with us, rides in the car with us, eats breakfast and dinner with us (well, at the same time...not the same foods...much to his dismay). Bailey sleeps in bed with us and is included in as many family activities as possible. I have been known to disown friends (okay, he was ERIC's "friend", but still) who say things like "he is JUST a dog..." Really, dude? JUST a dog? That's like aying Katrina was just a storm. Or the Queen Elizabeth II is just a boat. Or the Bible is just a book. Or the Mona Lisa is just a painting. He is NOT just a dog. He is a member of our family. He gets Christmas presents, and next month is his birthday. I just might get the mutt a cake to celebrate his 6th birthday.
6. OUR FAMILY (well, most of em)
As those close to me know, my parents leave much to be desired. So we wont discuss them in this happiness blog. The rest of our family makes up for my parents' lack of....well,...I guess my mom taught me one thing, and if I cant say anything nice, i better not say anything at all. Snarky comments aside, our family is wonderful. Eric's parents go above and beyond. Our baby's room is quickly accumulating fun stuff thanks to Debbie and Butch. Eric's brothers and sister...all 92 of them...are the best. We are very close with Eric's brother, Eric, and his wife Melissa, and Eric's brother Daniel and his wife Crystal. DOnt get me wrong, all the bros and sisters are great people. There is just something about spending time with those 4 people that makes us feel comfortable and happy. Along with Eric's side of the fam, my aunts and cousins are fan-freakin-tastic. They can make me laugh, then cry, then laugh and cry at the same time. I know my cousin Jill and her mom, my Aunt Jane are RIDICULOUSLY excited about our Baby Bass, and if nothing good can come of my relationship with my parents, at least it has brought me closer to Jill and Jane. We may only talk every now and then, but I think about them all the time and know they are praying for us, and that is what family should be about.
7. (ok, let's see here...lucky #7...i dont think its time to whip out the "toilet paper and breath mints" yet,..but its gettin' there) how about... OUR HOUSE AND OUR BEST FRIENDS
Of COURSE Summer and Mike and Belle and Gus rank above the Charmin!! DUH! Eric and I were very excited when we purchased our home. We love our neighborhood and the family atmosphere, and we love the floorplan and the location cant be beat. BUt little did we know, when we purchased this home, that we would be moving in next door to two people who would quickly become our very best and closest friends. Yes, they are "close" physically, in that we can literally have conversations with one another while standing in our own kitchen windows. But they are close in the friendly, glad you are around sense, too. We have many great memories with Summer and Mike, and we know that many more await. We love hanging out in our pools, sharing our other "non-neighborhood" friends, telling dramatic, swear-laden stories of our escapades, walking our dogs together, watching 90210 together (well, at least Summer and I enjoy this aspect of our relationship! Eric's not such a fan...), working out and attempting to motivate one another....the list goes on. I can count on Summer to listen to me rant and rave for 25 minutes, saying the SAME THINGS over and over, and then saying to me "it will all work out...it always does". And she is right, every time. I love hearing Mike's work stories (he is a defense attorney and reminds me of Law and Order with a little comedy for effect). I love sitting outside on our patios, watching the sun set behind our houses, drinking several glasses(bottles? who's counting?) of wine, and saying (EVERY TIME) "i cant believe we live here...we are so blessed...how did we get so lucky?" God knew what He was doing when He made us neighbors. For realz.
8. okay, remember when I said that 5 things was a good number? Would you settle for 7 things?? I am fairly certain I have covered my Top 7 things that make me happy. Without delving into the obscene number of foods that I enjoy, I dont know if I can make it to TEN items here. I mean, do you really want me to list 3 FOODS that make me happy, just to satisfy Mandy's insistance that I be happy for TEN things? ugh. I am reaching here....how about...........
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
I LOVE watching college football. Of course I prefer my Clemson Tigers and our UCF Knights, but I am happy to watch any really GOOD game, regardless of who is playing. I loved being a Clemson student, going to games, tailgating, dressing up in our Orange and Purple best (you'd be surprised how many "cute" outfits you can create with orange and purple...two pretty ugly colors prior to my Clemson days). I loved watching the Tigers run down the hill, feeling the stands shake with excitement, and hearing the roar of the crowd. I love the atmosphere, the people watching, and the smells and sounds of a college football game. I like that the kids playing are going to classes Monday through Friday, and they arent playing for huge paychecks. They are in it for pride (well, and the chance to be drafted, but let's not dwell on the sticky side of things, kay?) The college football games I have been to can bring together the jocks, the nerds, the professors, the Greek, the quiet girl down the hall, and the 6th generation season-ticket-holders. Its just a cool thing...and it makes me happy.
9. Eric? check. Bailey? check. Family? check. God? check. House? check. Friends? check. I mean, really folks. What else IS there? OK, I suppose I am happy for something that hasnt quite happened yet, or something that is in the process of happening. OUR BABY BASS
I know, I know...s/he is not here yet. May not even be conceived yet.(that stinks to think about). I may have used this blog and your ears to complain over the last three years trying to get our Baby Bass, but looking back, I really am happy that we have had to go through all the drama. I know we would have been good parents if Baby decided to show up the first month we tried. We will be GREAT parents now. We feel like we have worked for it. We have learned so much from every high and every low, and I know that we are better and stronger. Our faith in the Lord, our faith in each other, and our faith in our marriage is exponentially stronger than it was 3 years ago. We work as a team now, better than ever. We will not take one smile, one hiccup, one moment for granted. I dont think I will take my eyes off our child for weeks, months...years. I am not saying we will be perfect parents. We will make mistakes. And now we know how to learn from those mistakes and move on. Some things work, some things dont. We'll figure it out. The best part is, we will have the patience to figure it out together.

and last, but not least...drumroll please..................
10........wait for it....wait for it......(i warned you)
10 TOILET PAPER, BREATH MINTS, HAND SANITIZER, BOTTLED WATER, ZIPLOC BAGGIES, and last but not least, PINOT GRIGIO.....because, let's face facts here, there are certain, specific occasions and circumstances that would be forever different, forever changed for the worse, if these items didnt exist. think about it. nuff said.

OK, i tried my best. I suppose I could say my #11 would be anyone who made it this far reading this post. You know who you are, and you can just count yourself as #11, kay? Congrats on that. really. It's an honor, no? If you are so honored, I think YOU should try coming up with 10 things that make YOU happy...and ya better not steal any of mine. It took me HOURS to type this.....seriously. Would I make that up?

OK, I am tagging:
1. Stephanie's Mommy (www.thewidnerfamily.blogspot.com) because its been almost a YEAR since you blogged, slacker.
2. Mandie
3. Heather
Get to it girls! Good luck! :)