Money can't Buy Happiness. But it can Buy Coffee, which is Kind of the Same Thing--Day 14

So. Ten things that make me happy.
Can I really limit this to ten things? I am a multi-enthusiast. 'Cause you know what the best medicine is?

Advil. But also, happiness. I'd say bliss, but I don't want to sound too "ooohooooh" quite yet.

1) Coffee.
Bet you couldn't figure that out from my blog name, huh?
When I wake up in the morning, my first thought is literally "coffee!" I actually ran out of meal points last semester because I insisted on buying a large iced coffee every morning there wasn't snow on the ground, and hot coffee for the rest. Every time I pass a Starbucks, or Webster's, or my parents' houses, I must caffeinate. There's just this "ahhh" moment when it slides down your throat.
Plus, it gets you through finals week.

10:00 and the night just begins

2) Animal hats.
I don't know why this makes me so ecstatic. Maybe it's because I was a serious stuffed cat collector in my youth? Whatever, the case, every time I see a fuzzy animal hat, I must add it to my collection. I think it started when Maitreya (a staff member at Shoshoni) said I looked like a koala. Obviously I had to take that to the next step.

3) My mom.
Hopefully everybody's parents make them happy, but not every parent creates an entire basement play area where her kids can draw on the floor with crayon. My mom is basically me (though a much thinner version of me...hehehdininghallmistakes). She is a fellow Gilmore Girls enthusiast. She almost loves coffee as much as I do. She sings joyously around the house, even when she's doing the most mundane of chores. She is seriously the best listener you will ever find.
Also, she put swings in my childhood basement. That's the sign of one cool mom.

So hey, guess who's coming after my mom? Predictions? Anyone?

4) Ernest the pillow pet.
Ernest is cool enough to earn his own post, but I wanted to re-iterate how much I adore this thing. The only times I haven't slept on him (okay, that sounds weird), is 1) when I dyed my hair and 2) at Shoshoni, because as okay as I am with my eccentricities, dragging a giant pillow pet onto a plane may be going too far. Having a pillow pet is similar to petting a puppy. It alleviates all stress. You just look into those fake, plastic eyes and think "awww." Also, "you need to get washed."

5) My dad
So, in order to make this not sound like a kindergarten "why I love my parents" thing, I present to you why my father is on my happiness list in Haiku form. Now, technically the 5-7-5 format is wrong, but I know nothing about Japanese syllables, so Dad, you're just gonna have to cringe for a bit.

A dad never fails
in creating a bad pun
The soft eye roll, love

The Sunday pancakes
Shapes and stories on the grill
The joy for syrup

He sings "Girl Power"
The daughter enthusiast
Never losing hope

The early bird's worm
is passion and puns and beer
The last Suduko

6) Hot pink & sparkly things
I know it sounds horrifyingly girly, but you're talking to the girl who has an entire counter of hair/makeup products.
And here I am, wearing hiking boots and going a month without makeup. Guys, I'm dying.
Anyway.
There's something about glitter that just can't keep you in a bad mad--unless you are an elementary school teacher, and there's glitter all over the floor. Permission for anger then.
My cousin got me this bag for Christmas, which is pretty much the epitome of me:

7) This.

8) My little cousin, Liam
This little guy is the biggest truck enthusiast I have ever seen. He gets grownups to get on their hands and knees and start pushing firetrucks and police cars all over the house. He's got the most adorable laugh and gives kick-ass hugs.

Oh, and he's also pro at Easter egg hunting

9) YouTube.
This has quickly gone from a means of happiness to an obsession. I follow so many vloggers, it takes me about an hour to get through each of their new vlogs. It all started with Nerimon's "Alex Reads Twilight" and spiraled to the rest of Nerdfighteria, plus Jenna Marbles.
Jenna Marbles gets her own category. Her Wednesdays are just that sexual.

10) Shoshoni.
The happiness you gain from Shoshoni kind of creeps up on you. When you scrub toilets and vacuum floors for three hours, it doesn't feel like all kittens and rainbows. At first. I probably won't ever go "wheee, chores!" but there's a kind of stillness in the Shoshoni lifestyle that makes contentment clearer. It's hard, when you're feeling like your throat is on fire and you can barely sit still for ten minutes--especially when the end goal is something as vague as enlightenment. But simply observing everyone here is a different kind of happiness. I've learned about vintage DJ-ing, rock climbing, and Colorado cleanses all in the past week.
And there's a giant Ganesha statue in the temple! And that's just epic.

Namaste.