Cupcakes, Sprinkles, and Other Happy Things...

Picking a title for this blog was hard. If I name it something too deep, I am setting you up for failure, because though I try, I am neither deep nor brilliant. If the title sounds too light or girly, I will scare off all the men who might possibly read this, besides my dad. Too smart, I scare off people who just want leisure reading and funny stories. Too easy, I scare off the people who assume this will be a silly blog with nothing challenging or eternally important. If I give it a quirky, artistic name meant to elicit mystery and odd reverence than I am just straight up lying…I am the least mysterious and artsy person I know.

So, I stuck with Cupcakes, Sprinkles, and other Happy Things. One day I want to have two little dogs that don’t lick, with baby blue collars (and that’s it, I am highly opposed to animals wearing people clothes) and I will name the two male dogs, Cupcake and Sprinkle. Every year for my birthday I opt out of cake and chose instead cupcakes with sprinkles, or my mom's banana pudding. And if I ever get to bake for something like a party or church potluck, take a wild guess, it’s cupcakes topped off with glittery sprinkles.

Cupcakes and sprinkles make me happy. And I am a sucker for happy. The eternal optimist. The glass half full girl, the anything is possible, go for your dreams, Horatio Alger, holiday lovin’, happy-a-holic person. The kind of Girl that watches Dan in Real Life and leaves relishing the smile and giddy feeling in her heart.

The way I see it…life is short. Be happy.

Life is not always easy, it is often hard, complicated, painful, and sometimes it seems never ending. I have known way too many people in my life who have lavishly wasted away in their own misery, self pity, intolerance, and just plain bitterness at the world in the midst of what can sometimes be a pretty freaking hard life. But what a waste.

Life is hard, agreed. Call me old fashioned and too simple, accuse me of lacking depth and a grasp on reality; but I still choose to love life. Bubble baths and alone time, chocolate, Sunday afternoon football, old men at church who hand out candy, a good plate of Mexican food, hanging out with friends, setting up the Christmas tree, singing at the top of my lungs to the Beatles, driving with the windows down, meeting strangers, watching kids blow bubbles, eating my dads hamburgers, being with my sisters, listening to my mom try to sing, laughing, reading, making new friends, snuggling on the couch with Ryan and not moving all day, coloring, being outside at the park…there are just too many good things in this world for me not to be happy.

…like Cupcakes and Sprinkles.