Happiness

Scientist have researched and concluded that happiness spreads to the people we are around.
We've known that all along.
A SMILE IS CONTAGIOUS!!
It makes me laugh that scientist are doing research on it. It's like they think that something can't be true unless they can prove it scientifically....then it's a fact.

Don't get me wrong I think science and research is a VERY important part of our lives. Why waste your time researching something that the world already knows!!

If you would like to read through the article....

Analysis suggests happiness may be contagious among friends, neighbors.

The Washington Post (12/5, A8, Stein) reports, "Happiness is contagious, spreading among friends, neighbors, siblings, and spouses like the flu," according to a study published online in the BMJ.

Nicholas Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard University, and James Fowler, Ph.D., of the University of California-San Diego, "analyzed information on the happiness of 4,739 participants and their connections with several thousand others...from 1983 to 2003," the New York Times (12/5, A12, Belluck) adds. They found, for instance, that "a next-door neighbor's joy increased one's chance of being happy by 34 percent, but a neighbor down the block had no effect." Meanwhile, "a friend living half a mile away was good for a 42 percent bounce, but the effect was almost half that for a friend two miles away."

The Los Angeles Times (12/5, Kaplan) reports, "The research is part of a growing trend to measure well-being as a crucial component of public health. Scientists have documented that people who describe themselves as happy are likely to live longer, even if they have a chronic illness."

The researchers based this study on data "from the Framingham Heart Study, which has been running since 1948 in Framingham, Massachusetts," Bloomberg News (12/5, Kresge) notes. The authors "defined happiness as a perfect score on the questions 'I felt hopeful about the future,' 'I was happy,' 'I enjoyed life,' and 'I felt that I was just as good as other people.'" According to Dr. Christakis, "The Framingham data had been used before to assess depression as a risk factor for heart disease, but this was the first time researchers looked at happiness across a broad network."

That darn cat!!

So I spent all this time making this pretty backyard growbox for Natalie's Valentine's day present, and we went outside yesterday to water the flowers... and we found a very unpleasant surprise.

The neighborhood strays have decided that my growbox works better as a litter box! There were piles of cat scat all over our patio! My next day off work might have to be spent on a stake out of our patio with a pellet gun and pepper spray. I have no other ideas on how to keep the cats out of our backyard, other than to put the pidgeon strips (spikes to keep birds off ledges of buildings) all over the top of the fence in our backyard, but that seems like a lot of work to keep our private property from being the feline dumping grounds.

Any suggestions?

I'M OFF..........

I'm off to study for finals....

Wish me luck!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

Announcement Announcement!!
Dallas has officially really surprised me for the first time!!!



He put up the block wall, filled it with dirt and made me a little garden.

I love it!!

*!*!*! Tickle Fight *!*!*

My favorite study break this week included a full blown tickle fight!!
Our tickle fights aren't the kind where someone tickles (he he) and then pulls away. It isn't the kind where one person tortures the other one while sitting above them tickling mercilessly.

Our tickle fights look a little bit more like this.....





I usually come away with a couple bruises, nothing big. Just a few to show how tough and relentless I can be:)

Who do you think wins these tickle wars???
Dallas with his giant man muscles or Relentless Natalie??


*******************Natalie******************


Not because I'm relentless but because Dallas is extremely ticklish!
At least I can win at something:)

Some good things in life.

1. Snuggling

It is so Comforting.
Some of the most comforting times is when we're snuggling with someone. The perfect example is when a child needs to snuggle with their mommy and Daddy.
When I'm sad I just want to snuggle with my hubby.

2. Comfort Food

Eating is a very important part of life.
In fact one might say that you have to eat to live. So what's all the big fuss? Oh yeah it's the whole love handle, tire roll and I want to be beautiful, thing.
(And I've recently heard from a certain PA school that problems related to eating too much is the leading cause of death...)
At the end of the day...when I need something to make me feel better and I'm all alone, its gonna be food.

My current favorite is Carmel Popcorn!!
I never do this recipe thing but I love my Mom's Carmel Popcorn!
1/4 c. Butter (1/2 a cube)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey (or corn syrup)
Melt the butter in a pan, then add the brown sugar and honey.
Boil it for 1 min.
Pour over freshly popped popcorn.

Enjoy!

3. Singing in the Rain

Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain.
People who live in rainy places don't know what they're missing.
I love feeling like a kid again splashing in puddles.
Luckily I'm currently in the nursery so I get away with splashing in the puddles with the little ones on our "nature walk"

4. Family

So maybe this one should be at the top!
I love my family...
nothing is better than knowing you have a Mom, Dad, 5 sisters, and 2 brothers that will be there for you if you ever need them.
It's even better when you get married!
I love my in-laws, they are all so wonderful!

5. The Gospel

Perfection.
I love knowing the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love the wonderful people it brings me close to. I love the beautiful spirits I get to teach every Sunday about the basic principles of a testimony.
Nursery is as basic as it gets. Jesus Christ, Family, Prayer, Temples, The Creation....

6. Education

Learning is exploring.
I love learning. I always have.
Anyone can learn anything if they have the motivation and resources. The church teaches that we need to get all the education that we can. 1- Every Sunday we have Sunday School to learn and grow in the Gospel.
2 - Every other day when we are kids we go to school to learn the basics of surviving in the world. (Reading and Arithmetics) 3 - Hopefully we then go to College to learn how to support a family. (At this point we get to start exploring and expanding our talents.)
These are all basic stepping stones in our learning progression. We keep learning and growing our entire lives...until at some point
we are considered old and wise. Hopefully at this point we have put our talents to good use; helping others, raising a family, teaching our children, and being the best we can be!