Thursday Thirteen

It is just incredibly early, but I suppose I could try to write something here that makes sense. I would hate to forget to do my Thursday Thirteen simply because I hate mornings with a passion....so, in an attempt to get my day off to a POSITIVE start, I think I should call this:

13 Things I LOVE:

1. Spending time with my daughter--any parent knows that it would be impossible to put a price tag on quality time with your kids. My daughter is the only true reason I have for being alive and I try not to take that for granted.

2. Being warm when the weather outside is freaking freezing--the weather has started getting colder, especially early in the morning, and I despise cold weather, so I can appreciate the feeling of being inside a warm house, under a warm blanket (or my beloved Snuggie), drinking some hot chocolate, knowing that, if I were outside, I could be frostbitten.

3. Shopping--this is particularly true when I have money in my pocket, or my purse, if you will. I went last night to get a few more school clothes for Alyssa and I just love the feeling of walking around the mall, carrying bags, and looking at things I can actually own!! Retail therapy is awesome!

4. Getting surprise gifts for no reason--this need not be an extravagant gift. I just enjoy being thought of from time to time. It really makes no difference what the gift is...or whether or not it would even be called a gift. I am generally perfectly happy when someone brings me a Mountain Dew Voltage from the store, simply because that means that, for the brief moment that they were standing in the store in front of the cooler, I was on their mind. Starved for affection, much??

5. Sleeping through the night--I have a child and I have insomnia, so getting to sleep for 6-8 hours, uninterrupted, is something that seldom happens. There even comes a point when my beloved Tylenol PMs are useless. It sucks, too, because sleeping as always been one of my favorite things to do!

6. Diving into a project--Earlier this week, my project was birthday party invitations and, although I will sometimes shout expletives when things go all chaotic, the truth is, it makes me feel good to know that I have something to do with my time.

7. a day without acid reflux--anyone plagued with acid reflux will understand how awesome it is to go through a day without that kind of pain. And, believe it or not, I actually DO get days when I can eat semi-normally without regretting anything other than the potential weight gain!

8. Xanax--and that would be all I intend to say about that!

9. Christmas--an expensive holiday, but still my favorite. I mainly love the decorations that come along with Christmas. I love to put my tree up and always look forward to adding ornaments every year. It tends to be a bittersweet holiday, because I always wish my parents were around to spend it with us, but I can look at Alyssa and see how much SHE enjoys it and that makes it okay.

10. Entertainment countdowns--I think I have an addiction to those shows on E! and VH1 where they count down the 20 Most Horrific Plastic Surgeries and stuff like that.

11. The last day of the school year--again, my daughter is my best friend and, even at the age of 31, I get excited when I realize that school is out and she will have three months to spend at home with me! :)

12. Wearing new clothes--this is especially true when the clothes are a smaller size than the last new clothes I wore...not that that ever happens, but I sure would love it!

13. The fact that I was able to come up with 13 things to love--it was tough, because my life pretty much blows chunks, but I did it and now I LOVE that this is over!! :)