It's a great day to be alive.

1. I'm jammin' out to "Crazy for this Girl"

2. And smiling

3. Got $15 back from TJMaxx

4. Robbie picked me up and drove me there

5. He got me to work on time yesterday

6. We went for an awesome run yesterday

7. It was a nice change of scenery as well

8. Jumped in Lake Mendota afterwards

9. The water felt amazing

10. Found my house key when we went back to the dock

11. Robbie owes me ice cream :)

12. Forever Yogurt just opened up on State Street

13. $1 PBRs and Coors Lights on Tuesdays at Wando's

14. Awesome girls I danced with there

15. Hypnotiq dance team

16. Breakdancers

17. America's Best Dance Crew

18. Seeing a few crews dance live in Milwaukee

19. Guys who dance in public

20. Silk

21. Having lots of different colors on nail polish

22. I support gay marriage

23. Michael's sister is getting married this weekend

24. He is in Wisconsin

25. I got done with nannying early today

26. And I'm off all next week from nannying

27. Free food from Ashly's work

28. I'm not a college dropout

29. I shouldn't have to worry as much about money this year as I have in the past

30. Laughing at other people's immaturity rather than getting mad about it

31. My hair feels so much healthier after my haircut

32. Aveda's services are reasonably priced

33. Dancing by myself in public

34. Texts that make me smile :)

35. Nicky is going home this weekend

36. Chai tea

37. Comfortable chairs

38. Chairs that have a back on them

39. When Drew cracks my back for me

40. Cracking my sister's back

41. Love laughing with my sister

42. Getting the urge to dance when music comes on

43. I have that urge right now as I'm typing this and listening to rap

44. Sleeping without a bra on

45. I went to school with people who were on America's Got Talent

46. Designated drivers

47. Being able to apply what I've learned in child psychology to nannying

48. Learning useful/applicable things in classes

49. I never had to take chemistry or physics in college

50. Walking around in just bra and underwear around your roommates

Despite some negative things...

1. I can still find a million reasons to smile

2. My grandpa's 80th birthday party was actually a surprise party

3. And boy, was he surprised!

4. I really cherish my grandparents

5. I realize that getting old is just a part of life and it shouldn't be viewed as a negative/scary thing

6. My grandma took a quick glance at my sister and called her "Jessica", too funny

7. I got lots of pictures with family members this weekend

8. Greta has her license now

9. She came to pick me up from my apartment in Madison, so I could go to my grandpa's party

10. I told my grandparents how much I loved them

11. There were tears in our eyes, but good ones :)

12. Seeing a lot of family that I haven't seen in a while

13. Free Miller Lite at the party

14. Lori and Tom stayed with us this weekend

15. Tom made me laugh so hard when I was taking pictures

16. My family mentioning how typical it is for me to laugh all the time/at nothing

17. My sister is spending a week at her best friend's house in Milwaukee

18. The heroic police officer who killed the gunman in Oak Creek

19. Reminiscing with my cousins about the days when we were little

20. And about my younger sister when she was little

21. My sister was the cutest little girl in the entire world

22. I don't care if I've already posted that as one of my positive things because it's so true

23. Went paddleboating today with Sophia

24. Lake Wingra has boat/kayak/canoe/paddleboat rentals

25. She brought a swimsuit, so she could go in the water to cool off

26. She impressively changed into her swimsuit while we were on the paddleboat

27. Arby's curly fries
28. Lettuce
30. Spinach
31. Snickerdoodle cookies
32. The awesome chicken that Ashly brought home yesterday
33. I've been having some fantastic night runs lately
34. When you feel like you could run forever
35. When other passing runners smile at you
36. Friends who listen to problems that I'm going through
37. It's amazing how much better I feel after just talking to someone
38. Cries can actually be good
39. Sometimes all I need is just a good cry
40. It's also amazing how much better I feel after an hour long run
41. Chocolate milk after a workout
42. Focusing on stretching well after working out
43. New wedges I bought
44. My dad did all my laundry when I came home
45. How clean and soft my bedding feels now
46. Nicky reminding me of how much I like Britt Nicole
47. Discovering other songs by her
48. Waterslides
49. Lazy rivers are the best
50. There's a YES+ workshop near the end of August before school starts

**I'm sticking to 50 now :)

Let's go.

1. Listening to 'Let's Go' right now
2. Makes me want to dance
3. Love songs that make me want to get up and dance
4. Currently drinking vino
5. Thanks Sixel for leaving your alcohol behind!
6. Colleen Schultz being a great second mom to my sister
7. Dropbox
8. Needed it for work, but already had it thanks to Drew
9. Furnished apartments
10. Jellystone campgrounds
11. The memories they bring back for me
12. Meg gave me her Spanish dictionary
13. Kids who are polite
14. Met two kids from Italy today
15. Mini golfing
16. Cool artifacts at the UW Geology Museum
17. Badger bibs
18. Badger snuggies
19. When I have headaches, Ibuprofen heals them within 15 minutes
20. I rarely get headaches
21. Dove chocolates
22. Valentine's Day
23. Having good feelings about this Timeflies concert
24. As in Nicky and I will hopefully meet them
25. Messages on Dove chocolate wrappers
26. Recycling plastic bags
27. Discovering today that there is something called 'Laughter Yoga' 
28. Sounds like my kind of thing!
29. Stand-up comedy
30. Little kid's shoes
31. Anything mini is so cute!
32. Changing my views on marijuana
33. Learning today that the Madison capitol building is the only capitol built on an isthmus
34. Knowing the difference between capital and capitol
35. I graduated high school
36. In the top ten 
37. Got a scholarship for that
38. Dry erase boards
39. Soft toilet paper
40. Eskimo kisses
41. Guys who know how to be gentlemen
42. Cool shaped vases
43. Drew is liking learning Swahili this week
44. He invited me to the celebratory dinner this Friday
45. I'm making $$$$$ this summer
46. More than I have made in past summers
47. I'm pretty athletic
48. Saving coupons
49. Drew cracking my back
50. Cracking my back in general
51. Lots of my friends are traveling to cool places
52. Being in debt because of student loans will all be worth it someday
53. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than UW for my undergrad
54. Dancing with black people
55. loveLife is a successful AIDS prevention program in South Africa
56. Having yet another danceoff at the Nitty
57. Nitty is a great place to celebrate your birthday!
58. Free drinks on your birthday
59. Amber celebrating her 21st multiple times this past school year
60. Isthmus newspaper
61. Setting text reminders
62. Some days the snooze button is totally necessary
63. Waking up 8 minutes before the bus came and making it on time!
64. How quickly you can get ready when you wake up really late
65. Being on time
66. The feeling of clean teeth right after you brush them
67. Free tickets to Mallards games
68. The guy who says "beeeeeeeef sticks" when selling food at the Mallards game
69. The fact that there's a shoutout about him 
70. When others believe in you
71. Skyping with Nicky at least once a week
72. Moments that make me think "My life is not real."
73. My brother texting me last night that he's excited to see me this weekend
74. Getting to reunite with some awesome people this weekend
75. Found a ride home
76. With my cousin, Greta, who got her license not too long ago!
77. Getting your restrictions off
78. How easy it was to get an A in AP Psych
79. Taking responsibility for your actions, even when you don't want to
80. Genuine apologies
81. Michael Phelps now has 19 Olympic medals
82. Mohammed from UW is running in the Olympics
83. We have two parking spots at our new place that we can either keep or sell
84. Downloading music for free
85. Getting discounts on lots of things by being a member of NSCS
86. Getting off work early
87. Taking multivitamins almost daily
88. Crop tops
89. Sparkly TOMS
90. Positively influencing others
91. Skinny jeans
92. Jeggings
93. The ridiculousness of pajama jeans
94. Being barefoot
95. I don't think I've ever gotten an F on anything
96. One love handshake
97. Clif bars
98. Student loans
99. Random people who say hi when walking past them on the street
100. Smooth skin

Back at it!

1. I'm doing a list of 100 positive things today :)

2. I love cute little kids 

3. A little girl sat next to me on the bus today

4. We shared my headphones and listened to music together

5. Her counselor thought she was bugging me, but I love being around little kids

6. Children's curiosity

7. Swimming at the pool today

8. Jumping into cold water after being sweaty

9. Having more than one swimsuit

10. I now own a jirt

11. Bought tickets to the Timeflies concert in Chicago on October 13th!

12. Downloaded a lot of new music on my iPod

13. Went for a run yesterday

14. My stress fracture is basically healed

15. I've been doing ab workouts almost everyday

16. Going for a run with Drewski tomorrow!

17. Maxwell Street Days

18. Nicky visited this weekend :)

19. Dancing on stage

20. I've been hanging out Hallie quite a bit this summer :)

21. Drew let me sleep in his air conditioned apartment last week

22. << My favorite number

23. Went to Devil's Lake for the first time this weekend!

24. It is SO beautiful!

25. Listened to NOW CD's in the car on the way there and back

26. Getting paid extra last week

27. I can wear my bangs down now

28. The song 'All You' by The Cataracs

29. Qdoba late at night

30. Got belly button rings for $2 each at Maxwell Street Days

31. Comfy sweats

32. Fuzzy socks

33. The book I'm reading right now, "Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World"

34. Sitting out on a dock, enjoying the view

35. 90's music

36. Stopped at Hooty's after Devil's Lake

37. Ordered a Sconnie burger that has cheese curds on it

38. Darties

39. Turquoise jewelry

40. Art Fair on the Square

41. One of my favorite artists was a Peruvian who did awesome detailed 3D Peruvian scenes

42. There was seriously so much cool art

43. People's artistic talents amaze me

44. I went with Drew who loves art

45. Walking in sand

46. Beer pong tables dug into the sand

47. Spring break vacations

48. The drink "Love Potion"

49. Nicky is continuing to excel at her job

50. Skyping with her to catch up on our lives

51. Getting a drink with Matt and Ryan last night

52. Outdoor seating at Vintage

53. Staying connected with people from freshman year

54. Anthology has so many cool crafts 

55. Nicky's idea of a scrapbook/journal

56. Pictures that capture people laughing

57. Big Ten mascots doing a 'Call Me Maybe' music video

58. Bucky is the best :)

59. Piggy back rides

60. Nate's dance moves

61. Had a really great time with my family when they visited a few weeks ago

62. Thanks to my brother, I now have really nice salt and pepper shakers

63. He got me a jersey tank from Daytona Beach

64. Attractive dads

65. Playing in the water fountains with Amber!

66. Cool eye colors

67. Compliments on my natural hair color

68. Drew is learning Swahili this week and getting paid for it!

69. My cousin Katie had a baby not too long ago

70. Her wedding was so much fun!

71. Lemonade in the summer

72. 3 of my grandparents are still alive

73. Both of my parents are alive

74. Free yoga in Vilas Park on Saturdays

75. Center for Investigating Healthy Minds

76. Glowsticks

77. Awesome pictures of my friends doing the Color Run

78. Down comforters

79. Living close to State Street

80. Having thumbs

81. Shopped at TJMaxx for the first time and I love it!

82. An older couple watched me from outside dancing like crazy in our living room

83. Learning how to set my computer screen back to normal after I accidentally tilted it sideways by pressing random keys

84. Haven't seen a centipede in over a week

85. There is always something to be thankful for

86. Clean linen scent

87. Drying clothes out on the clothesline

88. My cousin Anne is getting married next month

89. My grandpa is no longer suffering

90. Funny pranks

91. Magicians

92. Full length mirrors

93. Rarely feeling awkward even in situations where I should

94. Laughing with my dad when the family visited

95. Hotdogs with tortillas

96. Edgar's hilarious Facebook statuses

97. Sheer tops

98. Saving paper by asking my boss to email me my task lists instead of printing them off

99. Wall stickers

100. SO many more positives than negatives in my life

Travis' amazing story.

I have had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful person, Travis Leanna, through YES+ workshops (Yoga, Empowerment, Service, PLUS much more). Here is his moving story, dealing with PTSD after fighting for our country in Iraq to becoming a Art of Living teacher and working with veterans. So proud of you, Travis!

Smile.

I enjoy smiling at strangers when I'm out and about. Maybe some people think it's weird, some smile back, some say "hello", and some start a conversation. I feel happier when I do it especially when I get positive feedback. I also feel more connected.

When I was walking down State Street after work today, I walked past a man who said nodded and said, "Have a nice night". I said, "Thank you, you too!" and smiled. He replied, "Thank you for smiling. Smiles can really make someone's day". I turned around and couldn't help but smile again at him. This was a simple reminder for me to continue to smile at people because you never know if you could make someone's day by doing so.

Since I'm talking about smiles, I might as well throw this quote out there that my wonderful friend, Nicky, shared with me: "Smile. It increases your face value."

:) :) :)  

Happy 4OJ

1. Yesterday was the Fourth of July
2. Happy birthday America!
3. Red, White, and Bull Riding night at Whiskey on Tuesday night
4. $1 red and blue jello shots
5. Beach with Nicky
6. The water was the perfect temperature to swim in
7. We shared our life stories :)
8. And gave each other a big hug afterwards
9. Cute lifeguards
10. Cheese curds
11. Nicky had Ian's for the first time
12. We had a sleepover
13. Her place has AC
14. Went out on Luke's boat for 4OJ
15. Amber's acronym for Fourth of July=4OJ
16. Had so much fun in the sun yesterday
17. Hanging out with a ton of people at the sandbar
18. Dayton is visiting Amber!
19. Went to the Comedy Club with them and Ashly & Breall
20. Breall and Dayton got to experience the Comedy Club for the first time
21. Great laughs are guaranteed there
22. Their slogan: "Take a break from life and laugh" :)
23. My phone is now working after it got wet
24. Ashly let me borrow her headband for 4OJ
25. Finally met up with Mike Stone!
26. He's 21 now!
27. Had a bomb time with Drew and Eric last night
28. Drew bought me Potbelly's (Thank you!)
29. Potbelly's subs are SO freaking good
30. So are Silver Mine Subs'
31. We could see three different fireworks shows from across the lake
32. Michael has been doing great so far on his tests
33. They put the AC on where I nanny
34. My fam is coming to visit on Saturday
35. I have lots of news to share with them!
36. Workout videos 
37. Spearmint flavor
38. Polar Ice Extra gum
39. Meaningful wedding rings
40. Marriages that last forever
41. Making paper chains when you were little
42. Amber made some for our Flag Day party :)
43. Monkey bread
44. I've never had a broken bone
45. Or had any serious surgeries
46. Mushrooms are delicious
47. Eating raw potatoes with salt on them
48. Eating weird things like that because my mom taught me them
49. My mom is an amazing cook and baker
50. This is because my grandma is as well 
51. My mom always spent time in the kitchen with her, learning her ways
52. When I was little, I would wait at the bottom of the stairs for my grandparents to wake up and I'd have breakfast with them
53. Potpourri 
54. Bubblegum
55. Blowing big bubbles
56. The Nitty Gritty happy birthday song
57. Cancun with my mom at the end of my senior year
58. Timeflies tickets are only 27 dollars in Chicago
59. Chicago is a really cool city
60. Making friendship bracelets
61. We have some new inventory of jewelry from the women in Ecuador
62. It is all beautiful handmade jewelry
63. We'll be having multiple sales throughout the school year
64. We're hoping to expand our student organization this year
65. Salsa and chips
66. Poop jokes
67. Amber made din din tonight
68. Mac and Cheese and pigs in a blanket
69. Good swimmers
70. Looking up the hourly weather report
71. Technology that allows us to predict the weather
72. Dotting my I's with a heart
73. Chicago style pizza
74. Lucky Charms marshmallows
75. Mouthwash
76. Camp Randall
77. Velveeta
78. "Good Life" by OneRepublic
79. Peanut butter on bread with sugar and cinnamon
80. Sudoku
81. Talking with accents
82. Dimples
83. Wooden decks
84. Binoculars
85. First Aid kits
86. People that donate bone marrow
87. Jump drives
88. String cheese
89. Late night snacks
90. Slinkys
91. Sour candy
92. Hardwood floors
93. Candy necklaces
94. Sex
95. Buttered popcorn
96. Typing without looking at the keys
97. Steve Jobs
98. Group-X classes
99. Cute proposals
100. Flashmobs