10 Things That Make Me Happy

My good friend, and fellow author Joyce DiPastena, who is so gracious and kind, gave me this fun new award. Isn’t it cute? To earn the privilege of displaying this button on my blog, I have to first list ten things that make me happy, and then pass the award on to ten bloggy friends. Yay! I love thinking about things that make me happy. So, here goes, in no particular order:

1. Spending time with my family—even if we’re all just sitting around doing nothing more than being home together.

2.Music.

3.Great books that leave me thinking about the characters for weeks after I’ve finished reading them.

4.Making someone else smile.

5.SUNSHINE!

6.The ocean.

7.Watching my children excel at something they love, like playing guitar, piano, basketball, or soccer.

8.Traveling.

9.My husband.

10.Writing a great scene or book—and typing the final words on the final page.

Wow, I could keep going with that. What fun. Thanks again, Joyce! And now, I shall pass this happy-making award on to ten bloggy friends. (I’m going to try to think of people I haven’t nominated in a while for this one.)

1. Carolyn Vawdrey, who is always smiling, every time I see her, without fail. She’s like bottled sunshine.

2. Elana Johnson who recently blogged about the importance of recognizing the small successes in life, and made me really evaluate happiness on a daily, hourly level.

3. Karen Hoover, who I don’t see nearly enough of, but who has found a way to combine so many things, and use them in her writing. For instance, she plays the flute beautifully. Go figure.

4. Elizabeth Mueller, who never fails to say uplifting, happy things on Facebook and Twitter, even when it’s snowing.

5. Suzette Saxton who has come to almost as many of my book-signings as my parents, and whose blonde, curly haired daughters remind me of someone who made me happy when I was young.

6. David J. West, who has a book coming out next week, Heroes of the Fallen, which I am very excited to read. (Congratulations, David.)

7. Frank Cole, who’s Hashbrown Winters books make my youngest son and I laugh like loons. Plus, he’s just an all around nice guy. And his blog is fun to read, too.

8. Heather Justesen who writes deep, thoughtful romance, but always manages to make me laugh through my tears in just the right places.

9. Russ Beck, who is such a great husband to my friend and co-author Cindy, and who comes to every, single signing ready to carry boxes, pass out bookmarks, and play the part of cabana boy every time we need something.

10. Kimberly Job, who had a different last name when I met her, but who is now far more happy than I’ve ever seen her thanks to the new one she now bears.

Okay, that’s ten. There are lots of other people I could mention, but I’ll catch you all the next time around. =) Have a good weekend everyone. And don’t forget to come back here and tell me when you post the ten things that make you happy that go along with this award.

Until next week, write on.