Things that are making me happy today.

School has started and I'm having stress dreams on the regular (case in point: last night I dreamed I was the only one at a beach house during a hurricane and I had to save all the pets...the water was rising and I had to decide which ones to save), so I decided it's a good time to post a happy list before I have to go face reality. So here you go!

1. Waking up to a thunderstorm. It's such a cozy, snuggly morning! I'm thankful that I have a shelter to live in which allows me to enjoy the thunderstorm, rather than fear it.

2. Speaking of shelters to live in...my room in my new apartment! I love it so much. I've been adding little pieces bit by bit over the last few weeks to make it a peaceful, restful, beautiful place. It's not complete yet, but here are some of my favorite parts so far:

I got this print and another in my room from Heng Swee Lim on Etsy...I could probably buy like ten more but I have to pace myself.

The happy wall above my desk: a photo, another print, and a flower holder from my grandparents' house.

And my sweet little wooden elephant from Ghana!

My grandmother's hand-embroidered pillow and the pretty frame Christian found for me at a yard sale, which I promptly turned into an earring holder.

My bedside table and lamp, which were both thrift store finds. That should be another one on my list of happy things--thrift shopping. My new favorite activity.

And finally, possibly my favorite thrift store find of all: the curtains in my absolute FAVORITE shade of yellow, which I found for maybe a buck a piece.

3. This book on marriage which I've been reading with a friend. It's rare to find a marriage book that is super helpful for both single people and married people, but this one does a really good job of speaking to both of us (she's married, I'm not). I think my favorite thing about it so far has been the honesty--it does not just present some rosy, romantic picture of marriage, but talks about the difficulty and the sacrifice of it all.

4. This wedding which shall be hitting my blog soon!