Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- R

With being a writer, the letter R will be pretty obvious.

READING

I love me some books. Falling into a maze of fiction lightens any day and brings a smile glittering across my face. Well, sometimes books make me cry, too. Examples: "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak and "These is My Words" by Nancy E. Turner.

I have read a ton of books and plan on reading a hefty load more--they are heavy, I assure you. With having moved 3 times in the last year and a half, I would know. And I'm moving again in just over a week from now.

So you know how yesterday I wrote about quirks? Here is another one about me... I am an extremely active reader. While being captivated by a story, I will talk, scream, growl, and giggle at the book. That's just how much I become twisted within the web of a book's story. It is as if I am really there, experiencing everything that the characters feel, touch, smell, taste, and see. I become the character and it is everything I can do to put the book down to go to sleep.

Reading is priceless, precious to me.

What is your favorite book? What kind of a reader are you? Do you have a favorite genre? Do you talk to a book while you read it? Please tell me I'm not alone. haha

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- Q

Today's letter is brought to you by the letter Q. It stands for...

QUIRKS

I dated a guy last year that had the most endearing quirks known to man. Here are a few:

• He kissed my hand at the doorstep and then bowed before leaving, totally Jane Austen style
• He drove a baby blue Vespa and adored it
• We went on a date to drive a Zamboni. Kickin' awesome
• His nick name was definitely quirky but it suited him well (I'm not going to tell you what it was, but it could sure scare you silly) Haha

Quirks make me smile because they aren't the norm; they are unique beyond measure. For instance, occasionally when I laugh, I snort. Yes, snort but not little snorts, it's like a pig ran into the room squealing type of snorts. This odd sound makes others laugh and me all the more.

Quirks make life funner (is that even a word) and livens up the moment.

What are some of your favorite quirks? Do you have a quirk that you'd like to share? Do you know anyone that has endearing quirks that you can't get enough of? Starting with the letter Q, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- P

Today's smiles are brought to you by the letter P; it stands for...

PUPPIES

I'm a dog ... er ... rather a person born in the year of the dog. Therefore, it's pretty much not a coincidence that I am madly in love with dogs. I smile sooooo big every time I see man's best friend. There's no form of language that can express how smitten I am with these furry, four-legged animals.

Growing up, my family had 4 dogs over the space of many years.

Dog #1: Sandy (don't remember the breed)--we got her from the neighbors' newborn puppy litter.

Dog #2: Sandy must have had a male dog friend visit her, because one day she had some pups. I was there for the birth, pretty crazy. We kept one of them--Cocoa (don't remember the breed). He disappeared, still have no idea what became of him.

Dog #3: Raggles (Poodle, Coker Spaniel, Springer Spaniel mix)--My brother picked him up from a family giving away puppies at a grocery store. If I remember correctly, he didn't ask my parents for permission. Oops. Raggles spent about 12 years with us before we had to put him down due to declining health.

Dog #4: Teddy (Maltese Toy Poodle) My mom brought him home after falling in love with him at the pet shop. Raggles and him got along well--best friends. I had many names for Teddy: Tedders, Theodore Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Spud (he put on some weight once and looked like a potato), and Spudders. The cute guy responded and came to all the names. He was with us for maybe 8 years but he fell prey to kidney failure. So sad.

Teddy and Raggles came running if they heard us grab frozen ice, frozen peas and carrots, and noodles. Still to this day when I'm at my parents' house and drop some ice on the floor, I expect to hear them scamper up the stairs to the kitchen to fight for the cubes.

One day, I will have a female Miniature Beagle named Elliot. Yes, I already have her name picked out. I just need my own house with a fenced in backyard and a doggy door and I'm set.

Are you a dog person? Cat person? Gerbil person? Tell me about your favorite pet? What Chinese zodiac animal are you (if you want to find out click here)? And starting with the letter P, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- O

Today's smiles are brought to you by something that truly brightens my spirits. The letter O stands for...

OUTDOORS

I was raised by a dad that enjoyed the outdoors more than anything. We went hiking and biking a bunch during the summer as well as road trips to see the beauties of Western United States. He taught me the importance of enjoying my surroundings to the full. It was not that difficult to do that since I grew up a mile away from the opening of a gorgeous canyon in Utah. His favorite mountain range, Mt. Timpanogos, just a 20 minute drive away from us. The Dadio is a photographer, too so nature is his canvas. He loves snapping photos of all things beautiful!

I've been backpacking many times. It's not easy and ya get rather stinky, but it's well worth the amazing scenery and calm from the sounds of rushing rivers, birds chirping, and each crunch of footsteps in the dirt. I've backpacked Zions National Park, Grand Canyon, and the Tetons, Yet, I've been able to do countless day hikes in Utah's mountains.

Here are some pics from my outdoor adventures:

Cinque Terre - Italy day hike

Grand Canyon

Great Wall of China - I'm in the pink shirt

 Dirty Dash - I can't say I smiled a lot cuz it was way cold.

I got really sweaty on my hike out of Zions. Odd that being sweaty makes me smile.

Zions East Rim

 Snowshoeing - Utah

Do you enjoy the outdoors? Have you been backpacking or hiking or snowshoeing? If so, where? Or are you more of a road trip kind of person to see the beauties of the world? Last but not least, starting with the letter O, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!



Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- N

Today's letter is N. I smile when I think about or rather eat...

NUTELLA

Mmmmmmm. *salivating*

Need I say more? Nope!

Do you like Nutella? I can finish a bottle off in, say, a week. Honest. I typically dip Nilla Waffers into the jar and munch, munch, munch until I finally realize I've eaten way too much, much, much. So, starting with the letter N, what makes you smile?

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!

Smiling all the Way From A to Z -- M

I don't smile about the following narrative, however I will get to what I do smile about in a paragraph, so hold tight. When I was 19 I had an accident that resulted in neck problems (totally freak bear mauling--note sarcasm). I moved to London a week later without the ability to seek out medical care. At age 22, as I stopped because of standstill traffic on the freeway, the "smart" guy behind me (probably was texting or some stupid thing like that) rear ended me going 75 mph. My car (well, dad's car--bless his heart), did a few 360's, hitting all the cars around me then stopped facing oncoming traffic. Talk about frightening. Needless to say, that exacerbated the pain a ton. When I was 27, another "intelligent" person rear ended me. I want to slap rear enders. Oh, that had double meaning there, you know what I meant though. haha

 

I suffer from neck all the way down my spine problems now. Super grrrr!

 

So, to the point: I smile big when I get a...

 

MASSAGE

 

You've heard of the five love languages, right? Well, my dominant love language is touch. I spoke this language before the said accidents, but it has intensified triple-fold. If someone even taps me on the shoulder, for the briefest of moments, I feel relief from pain. Let's put this in the context of getting a massage, just think of the euphoria I experience. A-freaking-mazing!

 

Although, I had one massage that made me literally whimper and moisture developed in my eyes. It hurt that bad and resulted in a nasty week long flu. But the knots dotting my neck down my back had to be worked out, even if it was like medieval torture. I'm serious! I'd have taken the box with spikes over that... Well, not really! Spooky!

 

For the most part, massages are heavenly for me. Sigh

 

I don't write all this to pull out the I-want-your-sympathy card; it just explains why massages make me smile. But I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that can empathize with me, unfortunately so. I feel your pain, friends. Let's start a club!

 

Anyway, do you like massages? Have you ever had a massage that made you cry? And starting with the letter M, what makes you smile?

 

Writing Jewels

PS: Refer to the blurb on the very top of my blogs sidebar to know why I am posting about what makes me smile. Go forward and smile!