100 Happy Days: Day 10

Cupcakes always make a Friday 100% better no matter what's going on! Bonus, I got to try the bakery that is within walking distance of my house. It's usually closed when I get off work. It was worth the wait because the cupcake was delicious!

100 Happy Days: Day 9

Guys! Meet Gammasphere! This is one of the instruments I'm using to do my PhD dissertation research. I think he's beautiful! Complicated but pretty. I really enjoy working with Gammasphere every day. Now, if we could get his kid sister, GRETINA, to cooperate we'd be set.

100 Happy Days: Day 8

Every three months, I order healthy snacks from nuts.com. They sell chocolate covered toffee pretzels which are the best thing ever! Okay, the pretzels aren't as healthy as they could be but they're delicious! I also ordered some of their dried fruit. The dried strawberries are like candy but healthy! They are so good! It's always a good day when I get my quarterly box!

100 Happy Days: Day 7

Tuesday is when all of the new book releases come out. This week the last book in the Paradox Trilogy came out! I'm so excited for this book! I read the first book, Fortune's Pawn, over Christmas break and I loves it! It reminded me of why I fell in love with science fiction novels in my teen years. I plan on starting this on my night shift tonight. I can't wait to see how Rachel Bach wraps this trilogy up!

100 Happy Days: Day 6

Nothing makes me happier than Mexican food! I love trying new salsas and recipes! Today was a test run of a new recipe for pico de gallo and it may be my new favorite thing! I couldn't quit eating it plain with just a spoon. Although I'm pretty sure I'm pre-disposed to love any combination of cilantro, lime juice, tomato, and jalepeno. Too bad my tacos had to wait to be eaten because I got called back into work for a few hours. Totally worth the wait though!

100 Happy Days: Day 5

Happy Easter!!! One of my favorite things about Easter outside thinking of Christ and his resurrection is the food! In my opinion, it's not Easter dinner until someone brings the deviled eggs out. Mine are not as pretty as Grandma Nola's but they taste delicious! Yes. There is an odd number because I ate one before taking the picture. I couldn't resist the tastiness!

100 Happy Days: Day 4

The awesome Brittany from Book Addict's Guide held a giveaway for her two year blog anniversary. And I was the winner! Thanks for the books, Brittany! Aren't they lovely?

100 Happy Days: Day Three

I love my comic book bag! It makes me super happy every time I use it! 

100 Happy Days: Day Two

Today's happy is my new favorite bookmark. The Big Bang Theory quote is so spot on.

100 Happy Days: Day One

It's been a little crazy and scary for my family and I the last few days. If you ever want to feel completely useless, try being over a thousand miles from home when there is a serious family emergency.

This last Saturday, Dad had a stroke. He's currently in the ICU and being treated for a number of things. Thankfully, the doctors say he should have a full recovery and things are looking better each day. 

That being said, I've been on a roller coaster of emotions the last couple of days. I've never been so scared in my life and I've never felt so guilty not being there with Mom and Britt. I know that there isn't really anything I could do if I was there, but it still seems wrong not being there. 

I've felt a lot of negative emotions since Saturday, but I've also felt a lot of positive ones as well. Like relief in finding out it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I've felt lots of gratitude for the family and friends who rallied around to help and offer support. I'm especially grateful for Brittany. She's the rock that's held us together the last few days. Pretty much, I've felt all of the emotions since Saturday.

I've seen a gratitude challenge going around Facebook and Twitter called 100 Happy Days. Basically, you showcase in pictures something that made you happy that day. And right now with everything going on, I need the reminder that there are lots of small things that make me happy every day and I want to be grateful for them. So I'm going to do this challenge and I'm going to post the picture every day to my Instagram and to this blog. I don't want to forget to be happy even though it's been a really depressing few days.

Today, homemade carne asada tacos with fresh avocado made me incredibly happy. Thank heavens for Tex Mex!

Here's to 99 more happy days!