I love... summer sunshine

Everyone loves the summer time don't they? The sunshine, the bright mornings that make the getting out of bed easier, the flowers, the smell of freshly cut grass, the long days, the ice cream that you can enjoy outside... Ah, it makes me want to just sit outside and watch the world go by.

Unfortunately though, I don't have a garden or balcony which allows me to just sit and watch the world go by and I've simply not had the time to just sit around, although I wish I did.

Fortunately for me, as you all know, I love to go for walks, so although I can't just open the door and sit in the sun, I have been taking full advantage of the sun to go on some lovely warm walks (usually not leisurely walks but walks from one place to another). But on these walks I almost always try to find a spot where I can have a short 5 minute watch of the world going by.

What things do you like to do outside in the summer?

I'm back... for good

Hey Guys!

Firstly, I would like to apologise for my absence over the last few months. Life has been a little crazy and time has seemed to fade away almost instantly - I swear days are getting shorter. Unfortunately, this lack of time has meant there's not even been a spare second for "Things I Love".

Secondly, I promise never to be away for this long again (without warning anyway). I've missed sharing all the things that make me smile from day to day.  Writing about the things that makes me smile just makes me smile again and again and again, making it a viciously happy circle. In my absence, however,  there have been lots of things that have made me smile and simply enjoy life and I look forward to sharing these with you so that they can make me smile again and again and again.

And thirdly, It's good to be back!

Before I go for now, I will leave you with one of my favourite pictures of lately...

I love... baths

Ah, baths!

Being at the lower end of the 20 something scale, you may be surprised to know that there's not much else I'd rather do on a Friday night than lie in a roasty, toasty, lightly bubbled bubble bath; especially in the winter months.

After a long week at work, who wants to go out, roaming the streets for an available taxi, jumping from bar to bar, and eventually, bar to nightclub, in the plummeting temperatures, when you can quite relaxingly lie in a nice hot bath for hours, turning slowly into an oversized wrinkled prune? Not me! I would choose a bath every time! I know this may make me sound old, but I don't care. I like my baths and I would have one every night if I could.

Although, my thoughts change as we come into the warmer months (which is now!). I hate (and I mean HATE) sitting indoors when the sun is shining. Still not sure I would swap my baths for a nightclub, however, but a nice little drink in a bar with outside decking... now my arm may have been twisted!

More on this topic later. For now enjoy your baths!
  

I love...hot chocolate

Yesterday turned out to be a rather grey day here in Scotland making everything seem a little dull. It was quite a dramatic difference from the record breaking weather we had over the weekend. However, every cloud has a silver lining and yesterday my silver lining came in the form of a lovely cup of hot chocolate.

As you will see from the picture, my hot chocolate was no ordinary, plain or basic hot chocolate made with instant chocolate power. No. It was one made from real chocolate drops, melted with hot milk and topped with cream and marshmallows. It warmed me up nicely!

So, just remember; the bigger the giant grey cloud, the bigger and brighter the silver lining!
 

I love... the wind

Sorry that I have been rather absent for the last few week, with only a few posts here and there, but a lot of things have been going on recently. Nothing major, just things such as being busy at work, helping out stressed family members, and just things not going to plan. But yesterday that all changed.

Yesterday started a very dull day with heavy rain showers, and although the rain can make me smile it wasn't the rain that made me smile yesterday, but the wind.

At lunch time, the rain had stopped and the sun's rays were trying their best to squeeze through the clouds. The wind had also picked up and as I stepped outside I could feel it blowing through my hair. My hair was blowing in every direction possible, and as it did I almost instantly felt a little weight lift of my shoulders. I don't know why or how but all of a sudden I felt as though I had solved all my problems, or at least, I felt I could now sort them out.

By the afternoon I felt like a new person. I decided that stressed family members weren't something I could sort instantly, but that just being there for them would help them along the way to recovery. I decided not to  let the busy world of work get me down, I would just need to work around it. I have plenty of time outside of work to do the things that make me happy and in this time I can sort out my plans for the future.

People say that life is too short, but I say that as longs as you live each day and smile while you're doing it, the journey to where you want to be can take as long as you want becasuse even if you don't make it, at least you've had fun along the way.

I love... Glee

Yes, that's right, I am a Gleek! Well sort of. I enjoy the show and occasionally relive the songs on You Tube! Well maybe more than "occasionally", maybe closers to after every show! I actually almost saw the cast while on holiday in NYC last year. I saw fellow Gleeks waiting (not so patiently) at the back door of a theatre where the Glee cast had been performing a live show, waiting on the cast coming out. I didn't see them, however, as my friends (not being Glee fans) where not willing to wait with me, and I didn't really fancy waiting around in a back alley in New York by myself. Oh well... maybe some other time.

What I love about the show, that no other show does quite as well,  is that every episode is always fun, but at the same time has an underlying message that makes us all think. I suppose it teaches us (or reminds us) about the moral lessons we learnt at school, such as; that friends and family are important, that lying is wrong, that cheating doesn't get us anywhere, and that we are all unique in our own individual way and we should be proud of that.

I love almost every song they sing, but one of my favourite songs/performances of the 2 seasons so far (remembering that I live in the UK so I am a bit behind those of you in America) was when Kurt sang the Beatles song "I wanna hold your hand". This song had me in tears.

Another of my favourite performances was from season 1, when the whole football team sang Beyonce's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)". This song had me in tears as well, but unlike the last video, I was in tears due to laughing to much. This performance was genius!

What do you think of the show? I would love to hear what your favourite songs are so that I could relive the moments... again!
 

I love... gymnastics

Last week my gymnastics club held their annual gymnastics competition. For some gymnasts entering it was their first competition, for others in was not, but no matter how many competitions a gymnast has taken part in the same feelings come rushing back the second they step into the competition hall.

Being an ex-gymnast myself I knew exactly how all the gymnasts were feeling. Some words to describe their emotions would go along the lines of; nervous, scared, worried, but also; happy, excited and determined. Being entered into a competition is definitely something for a gymnast to be proud of as well (although this is probably the last emotion they are thinking about) because it shows your couch thinks you have the ability to compete in a gymnastics competition, not simply learn gymnastics skills.

Now being a coach, similar emotions still run through my head. I get nervous for the gymnasts. I know they are all capable (or else they would not have been entered into the competition), but can they pull off their best routines in front of a eagerly watching audience? The thought of "of course they can" helps to ease my nervousness slightly, though. And what eases the feeling even more is that they prove me right every single time.

From personal experience, yes having the pressure of a eagle-eyed audience watching you makes you nervous, but somehow it also makes your more determined to get it right, and more often than not you perform better than you ever have before. I think it's because deep down everyone likes to show off, even if it's just a little bit.

So moving away from the emotion of nervousness, I will move on the the feeling of being excited and proud. I am extremely proud of every single gymnasts. Yes they misbehave at training, don't listen to what I say, but all in all they do work hard and a competition is an excellent opportunity to show off what they have been learning and hopefully be rewarded for it. Well done to all the gymnasts!

Beth Tweddle

Do any of you enjoy gymnastics? Or any sport for that matter. I used to be very active and sporty when I was younger but I just don't seem to have the time to fit it into my schedule these day, which is a shame.

I love... Mr Honkus (and Comic Relief)

Mr "Honkus" was my true companion yesterday. He stuck close by me for the majority of the day and, although he made it difficult to breathe, he created laughter, which in turn creates happiness, which is ultimately what this blog is all about.

Ok, so Mr "Honkus" is not really my new best friend or my new side kick or my new boy friend, but yesterday he was my.... Red Nose!! Yes, yesterday the whole country got together and raised money for Comic Relief, or Red Nose Day (hence Mr "Honkus"). Comic Relief is a major charity in the UK and the wearing of a red nose shows your support.

Each year Comic Relief bring out a new style of red nose and this year the style was monsters. There was three to choose from; Honkus, Captain Conk and Chucklechomp, and they only cost £1.

From the title of this post, you may have guessed that my favourite is Honkus!

Comic Relief is all about doing something funny (hence the "Comic" Relief) to raise money for the much less fortunate. A television programme is streamed live onto our T.V. sets showing a great array of comedy spectaculars, with most of them including famous people making themselves look rather ridiculous. But, we forgive our famous idols because they are helping not only to raise money for the less fortunate, but also to bring awareness to the fact that there is always something worse happening to someone else.

Watching the numerous hours of comedy sketches, and the horrific scenes filmed in places such as poverty stricken Africa, really drums in that us "Westerners" really do have it easy. Yes, we feel our lives are difficult sometimes, we worry about minor issues such as traffic jams and the rain, but at least we have clean running water, we have enough food and we have enough money to ensure fatal, but easy to treat, diseases do not exist in our countries. We have clean hospitals to ensure that new babies are born safely and diseases and illnesses are treated efficiently. We take all these "luxuries" for granted, when really we should feel extremely lucky, because some people have nothing, and when I say nothing, I mean nothing: no water, no food.

I apologise that this may not be one of my happiest of posts, but, although the images shown on Comic Relief are terribly distressing, they also make me aware that I am one of the lucky ones. It makes me realise that there are people much worse off than me, and in reality, I have nothing to complain about. I think it's important that when we feel down or upset about things, that we take just a minute or two to think about people in this world who have nothing. This simple thought is enough to make you realise that, yes, life is hard sometimes, but it could most certainly be a whole lot worse.

So to keep up all smiling I will leave you with a few pictures of what Honkus got up to yesterday...

  

Did you get up to anything funny for money yesterday? I would love to hear all the funny stories.

I love... the snow

Today, in the month of March, I woke up to see the ground covered in a light covering of… snow! Yes you read correctly, I woke up to the snow in March. I was a little confused; thought I had maybe went back in time a few months, or overslept for around 9 months and woke up in December. Obviously I had done neither and it was simply a snowy March morning.

For as long as I can remember, I recall having snow in the winter, even if it only lasted an hour or a day, it never failed to arrive for a brief visit. However, until the winter that we have only recently came out of, I have never seen so much snow at one time and in one place, in my entire life.

News readers and reporters (and people who don’t appreciate the snow very much) described it as “the worst winter ever”. I, on the other hand, thought it was one of the best. Yes, the snow caused disruptions, and yes, you couldn't drive your car, and if you were lucky enough to manage to, it took you 3 times as long to get from place to place, but what’s the rush?

I love how the snow brings with it a new pace to life. Everyone forgets about rushing here, there and everywhere, and everything just slows down. Yes, everyday life changes, you can’t get everywhere in 5 minutes, but this change isn't bad, it’s just different, and by the sound of it I think we might all need to get used to it.

Another thing I love about the snow is the way it makes the land look so perfect. It hides the dirt and the rubbish left around and cover it all in a blanket.

Regrettably, since I woke up, went to work and then finally got around to writing this blog post, the snow has now disappeared and it now looks (doesn't feel) like a summers day. I doubt I will be seeing the snow around for a little while now, so I will leave you with some of the lovely snowy pictures taken during, for me, the best winter ever. I must note that these pictures do not show how deep the snow really was, but they do look pretty.

Enjoy!

Scotland

Edinburgh Castle (from BBC News Website)
   

I love... train travel

Yesterday I travelled from London by train. It was a long 4.5 hour journey, which gave me the perfect opportunity for some "thinking time", where I realised just how much I love travelling by train.

I realised that train travel has many advantages over other public transport, and to me, the main advantage is certainly the convenience. Being able to travel from the centre of one city directly to the centre of another city saves the hassle of extra travel from, say, airports into the centre. These extra costs can add up quite quickly without you realising.

Another thing I realised I appreciate about trains is their warmth. Unlike some buses I have travelled on, trains tend to be perfectly heated; not too hot, not too cold.

Trains are also efficient. They travel at high speeds and get you from one city to the next in, what feels like, no time at all. And although they may cost a little bit more than buses, I believe the extra cost is worth it for the time you save. Time is precious to most people and no one what to spend more time travelling than is necessary.

During my thinking time, I realised what I like most about train travel (well, maybe second after the convenience factor) is the observation opportunities. Being lucky enough to sit by the window, in a fairly busy train, I got to see parts of the country I would not normally see. I mean, where else am I going to see a house made from an unused train carriage? Probably nowhere. I also love to see the countryside; the unknown parts of the country. I love to be able to view whole cities and towns in one glance, the sheep roaming the fields and the secret rivers that wave through the land.

Other than the unusual things you see and the beautiful nature that many people are oblivious to, I love to see people being reconnected. Sitting in a train station, waiting on the train to start moving again, I saw two people running towards each other, arms out wide. The feeling that ran through me is hard to describe, but it was simply lovely. It looked like something from a movie.

Let me know what you like about travelling by train. Is it the scenery? The convenience? Or simply the thinking time you have while on long journeys?

I love... Frank Turner

Today is an exciting day. Frank Turner has announced his new tour dates.

I hear you all asking "who is Frank Turner?" So let me introduce him. Frank Turner, to me, is one of the hardest working musicians I know of. He is a lyrical genius and what I find extraordinary is his passion for music. He is a punk/folk/rock artist who seems to spend every second of his life either on the road touring, writing music or recording albums. I'm not sure he ever has a proper day off.

I fell in love with Frank Turner in August 2009 when I went to one of his gigs during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This was a very intimate gig, which made me appreciate (even more than I think I would have, had it been a big open gig) his talent and passion for his music. Attending this gig with one of the most organised people to walk this planet, we were one of the first people through the doors, giving us prime position right in front of the stage. Not knowing much about Frank Turner at this point, I felt quite out of place at the front, I felt as though I was hogging someone's space, but now I'm glad I did.

Since that night, I have seen Frank Turner live on two more occasions; once again in Edinburgh and, much to my surprise, also in London at Wembley Stadium, where he supported Green Day. And every day I look forward to my next Frank Turner gig (which will hopefully be this year at some point!)

I have loved listening to Frank Turner's music ever since I was introduced to it. I listen to it whenever I can. He is a lyrical genius and, in some songs, I find it hard to get my head around how he fits all the words in, in one breath.

I will leave you today with a video of my favourite Frank Turner song, "Long Live The Queen". This song is written as a tribute to one of his friends, Lexi, who died of cancer. The song is, however, not a sad one, but an upbeat one about how Lexi lived her life to the full, right to the very last moment.

Actually, after listening to it, yet again, I'm going to go as far to say that it is one of my all time favourite songs.

I love... homemade soup

Homemade soup is one of my favourite lunches. I always look forward to lunchtime if I know a bowl of homemade soup is waiting on me. So, today I decided to venture into the depths of my kitchen cupboard to find my soup pot and make a big pot of homemade lentil soup - my favourite!

Like most daughters, it was my mum who taught me to cook. She taught me many weird & wonderful dishes, but her soup recipe is the easiest by far. I obviously can't make soup like she can (mum's soup is always the best!), but I give it a good go.

Some of you may think making homemade soup is difficult, I used to think so. But, in fact, I think it's one of the easiest lunches you can make (after a simple sandwich obviously), and one of the most delicious. My mum uses a simple method of chop - mix - boil. It really is that simple. You're unlikely to find it that easy in a recipe books but it works, and it is delicious, so here it is...

Ingredients:

Lentils

1 or 2 stock cube(s) - any flavour

Carrots

Parsnips

Turnip

Leeks

Onions

Potatoes

*all vegetables are optional but I would recommend using at least 3 different vegetables.

Method:

1. Add lentils, stock cube(s) & water to a pot

2. Turn on the heat

3. While lentil are beginning to boil, chop or grate all vegetables

4. Add vegetables to the pot

5. Mix & bring to the boil

6. Turn down the heat, cover, & cook for 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.

7. And finally sit down and enjoy a bowl of soup with a nice warm crusty roll!

Although this is the recipe for my favourite soup, I love (almost equally) vegetable soup, spicy parsnip soup, leek & potato soup, chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, mushroom soup, butter nut squash soup, tomato & spaghetti soup... the list goes on.

What are your favourite soups? Feel free to comment and share your favourite flavours or recipes as I would love to try some new flavours.

Happy soup making :)

I love... blogs (...Love Maegan)

My love for ...love Maegan

As you know, the reason I started this blog was to share with you the things I love, the things that make me smile and the simple things in life that cheer me up when I am feeling blue. However, the idea of sharing these things with you came from my love of reading blogs (yet another simple thing that makes me smile).

One of my favourite blogs is ...love Maegan. I found this blog while searching for DIY projects, which Maegan blogs about regularly. However, the DIY projects, which are always very detailed with pictures and step-by-step guides, are not all that I love about this blog. I love the fashion posts, the photos, the videos, the passion, the look, the layout, the colours, the feeling that she is talking to every single reader independently... the list goes on. Basically I just love everything about it.

I am not a huge fashion lover, but it inspires me the way Maegan always manages to put an outfit together so perfectly. I love how she tells her readers where to find the garments just in case they too wish to buy them too. So, although I am not a person to spend hundreds of pounds on designer garments, I always find myself looking forward to her "what I'm wearing" posts, simply for the inspiration.

Other the other hand, what I am a huger lover of is photos. I love how Maegan uses a photo in nearly every single post. Actually I think it is every single post. I can't remember reading a post without a picture. The pictures are always so well taken and just seem to make the post much more appealing (something I should probably start doing). I also have a strong belief that you can NEVER take too many photos.

So, if anyone is interested in fashion, DIY, or would just like a nice read about a person, who to me has a perfect life in the sun, head over to ...love Maegan.

What blogs do you like? I find reading blogs very interesting so please feel free to comment with some links and I will happily check them out.

  

My new "Things I'd Love To Do" page

Have you ever had a great idea about something you would like to do one day but then a few days later you have forgotten all about it? This happens to me all the time and it is extremely annoying. The most annoying part is that I have done the hard part (coming up with the idea) but don’t ever get the chance to complete the fun part (the “putting it into action” part) because it slips my mind. Thankfully, I have now come up with a solution – make a To Do List.

Yesterday, I shared with you my love for everyday To Do Lists. Today, I thought, why not make a long term To Do List? A list to remind me of all the things I would like to do/try/achieve at some point in the future so that I don’t forget about them (again). So I did, and have now published my list on my new blog page "Things I'd Love To Do". This list will continue to grow, as get new ideas, and shrink, as I take great pleasure from marking off the things I manage to achieve.

It is important to note that my “Things I’d Love To Do” list is not the same as an everyday To Do List. It is not a list of things that need to be done written in order of priority, it is simply a reminder of the things I would like to do, the things I would like to try, and the things I would like to achieve at some point during my life.

So why not give it a go? Write down a list of all the things that, one day, you would like to do and keep it somewhere so that you can add to it any time an idea suddenly emerges from your thoughts. And remember, it doesn’t matter how crazy your ideas are because a long term To Do List is not a list of things that necessarily need to be done; not everything has to be achievable at this very point in time, and it doesn't need to be written in any particular order. It is simply a reminder of the things that once made you say “I would like to do that one day”!

To visit my new "Things I'd Love To Do" page simple click here or click on the tab at the top of my blog.
  

I love... To Do Lists

During my 4 years at university there was many times when I felt so snowed under with revision, writing reports, writing essays, and preparing for presentations, that I thought I would never get things finished. But somehow, I always managed to get it done.

What helped me through this was... my To Do Lists. Once I discovered the brilliance of these, there was not a day went by without me checking (and sticking to) these trusty lists, usually written on brightly coloured post-it notes bought especially for this purpose. Making a list of all the things I needed to do, and more importantly when I needed things to be done by, helped me to organise the priority of things.

Now that I have finished university, I still have lots of things to do and still continue to use my trusty colourful post-it notes to make daily or weekly To Do Lists. The most important rule I learnt for making To Do Lists, after ordering things in date order, is to NEVER make lists that you know are unachievable. This will only make things worse. Make achievable list for each day and make sure you stick to them. What I love most about a To Do List is that when the tasks are complete you can relax. It's a little incentive to get things done knowing that you can relax afterwards.

Making a To Do List

1. Make a list of all the “things” that you need to do
2. Order these “things” in order of when they have to be done by
3. Make a To Do List for each day, until everything is complete
4. And remember – make sure each list is achievable!

Happy To Do List making!

  

I love... the rain

Today the rain made me smile.

Today, while making lunch, I was alerted by the sound of rain battering against the livingroom window. I looked outside and the grit on the pavements, from the previous week of frost and ice, was smudged into a giant wet brown puddle, making the street look rather awful. However, the sight and sound of rain today made me smile because I had already done my morning shift at work and so I was now home, with no reason to go back outside. Actually, it was the rain that gave me the perfect excuse to stay indoors for the remainder of the day.

A rainy day makes it a perfect day to stay in your pyjamas (and as you already know pyjamas make me smile). No need to squeeze into those tight, and very uncomfortable, jeans or make myself look presentable by applying a thick layer of makeup and spending an hour drying my hair. It gives me the perfect opportunity to tidy the house (which I usually run out of time to do), drink lots of cups of tea, cook something really nice for dinner (again something I always run out of time to do), and most of all, to stay indoors where the rain can’t soak me, while listening to it trying.

Of course, it’s not always my afternoon off when it rains. However, if I do need to venture out into the rain it gives me the opportunity to put on my pair of brightly coloured wellies, I get to use my umbrella, and one day, when I get around to it, I will buy a bright colourful raincoat, which will make me smile with just the bright colours.

So, although the rain can be a pest, add a little stress to any outside journey that has to be made, think positively. When else do you have the excuse to stay indoors in your pyjamas all day? When else do you get to fashion your brightly coloured wellies, which you bought purposely for this weather? And when else do you get to blame something else for your bad hair day?

I love... going for walks

On Friday at work I went for a walk. The objective of this walk was not only to get some much needed physical activity, but as it was Burns Day on Tuesday, it was to find out a little bit more about the history of the famous poet, Robert Burns. We went for a walk to find the well and house that Robert Burns’ mother once used and lived in.

Until today, I haven’t been for a proper walk for a while, but today reminded me of what I’m missing. I love going for a walk for many reasons. I love going for a walk when it’s sunny outside, when the ground is covered in fluffy, crunch snow or even when the autumn leaves are falling off the trees. I love going for a walk on my own, with a close friend or even when I fancy a little light exercise. More specifically, I love going for a walk when I need time to think about something or when I’m feeling a little blue.

Going for a walk on my own gives me time to think about what’s making me down, and what I can do to cheer myself up again. It gives me some much needed fresh air to start thinking positively again. Much needed thinking time to remember all the good things in my life.

Going for a walk with somebody else is a different story. Instead of using all your walking time to think, it gives you time to have a proper chit chat whilst getting some fresh air. Much better for you than sitting in a stuffy restaurant or coffee house eating and drinking your money away. It gives you all the time in the world to help solve each others’ problems.

Above all, my favourite kind of walk is with my fiancé. Both being busy people, going for a walk gives us time to chat about the future. We chat about our wedding plans, when we’re going to start looking to buy a house and just life in general. We usually end up walking for miles, and because we’re too busy talking about other things, we don’t realise how far we’ve walked.

It’s good to make time to go for a walk; if not with somebody, on your own. It give you time to have a proper conversation with somebody without the distractions of everyday life. And above all, it gives you that freedom to think and that much needed fresh air that we do not get enough off. Everybody needs time and space to just... think.

I love... pyjamas

If there was one thing I could think of that I could never have too much off, it would be pyjamas. Pyjamas, to me, are not just bedtime clothing, they are heaven, and should be allowed to be worn whenever and wherever.

I already own a vast range of pyjamas – some fleecy, some checked, some stripy, some spotty, some brightly coloured, some short, some long, some to sleep in, some to lounge in – and if I could I would have some for shopping in, some for working in, and some for going to the gym in too. To put it more simply, I would wear pyjamas all day, every day if I could.

Once of the main reasons I love pyjamas is that they are comfy. Who would choose to squeeze into that pair of tight jeans, or that awkward fitting blouse, or those uncomfortable tailored trousers you need to wear to work? Those items of clothing just remind me that I can never find jeans to fit me, or of the hard day’s work that I’ve just had. Pyjamas on the other hand, remind me of the simple comforts of my own home. They remind me of the feeling I get when I eventually get in from work and I know I can eventually get out of that uncomfortable blouse.

There are lots of things in life that upset us, stress us and tire us out, but for me, simply putting on a pair of cosy pyjamas makes everything better again.

Welcome

Welcome to "Things I Love".

Today is known as "Blue Monday". Blue Monday is supposedly the most depressing day of the year.This, however, gave me the perfect opportunity to launch "Things I Love".

It took me many years to learn that things are sent to test us, there are many things that upset us, and there are some things that just never seem to go our way. But I have also learnt that these "things" are usually sent for a reason, and more often than not things turn out for the better.

This blog is going to be dedicated to the things in life that I love, the simple things that make me happy - listening to my favourite song up loud on the radio, a cup of sweet tea or the smell of freshly clean washing.

So, instead of letting the things that are sent to test us, the things that upset us and the things that don't go our way, ruin our day, remember the things that you love and live for the things that make you smile.