Things bringing joy...

When life's worries and stresses get you down, it's always good to turn all of your focus to the things that simply bring you joy. So here goes:

1. My new temporary summer home: The beautiful Rockport, Massachusetts. It's closer to my jobs and I get to live with two wonderful women, Joanie & Taylor Wendt, who lovingly took me in. Until I move to the equally stunning Magnolia, MA in five or six weeks, I'll dwell here. Oh, and my best friend and I got to enjoy a gorgeous Sunday afternoon walk and take in a little of this action...

2. When friends seem close even though they're quite far. Like this one. She's such a valuable, talented, hilarious friend and I'm so frequently reminded that we are of one mind. I'm so glad she entered my life almost two years ago :)

3. When friends who actually live extremely far away come to visit. I am ecstatic to be joined by two of my favorite Aussies this Friday! I'm beside myself with all of this excitement. Tyson and Dayna Fischer, I hope Nat and I can show you a good New England time!

4. I get to visit Anya Haig in Connecticut soon! We will celebrate her birthday which is steadily approaching, get drinks, and see a Katie Herzig concert. All will be right with the world.

5. I will soon accompany a Californian to her first Red Sox game. Caitlin, it'll be grand and we should finalize a date soon!

6. My hair will soon be dreaded. Ain't no pahty like a dreadlock pahty! My friends and I will be embarking on this 4-5 hour long (hopefully) adventure in about two weeks. Say what you will, but it's happening and I can't wait. I've done basically everything else a woman can possibly do with her hair, so why not? It'll be fun! So as Kenny Chesney says, "I'll wear a Red Sox cap to hide my baby dreads" and dig my toes deeper into the sand.

7. I will soon be spending some quality John Mayer time. August 6th, he and I have a date. Thousands of other people may or may not be there as well, but we'll do what we can to sneak some alone time. Can't wait, Johnny. It's been a while.

8. Donald Miller's blog. It's always so great, but lately he's given the reigns over to his dog. It's quite funny and I think that man can write whatever he wants. He's brilliant and I aspire to write like him.

And finally,

9. The unknown is still kind of exciting. I tend to hate the unknown. Ask anyone. I'm so planned, so calculated, and spontaneous wouldn't normally be a word to describe me. Blessing or a curse, you decide, but I'm trying to learn to roll with the punches more. I feel as though I'm being punched a lot lately. Well summer "vacation", in your face. You're turning into quite a series of unexpected surprises, but I'll still have joy. And senior year? We'll deal with you in time. You're not off the hook yet - I'm onto you. I'm already being thrown for an interesting loop and you haven't even started yet. We'll see where this takes me because I can now honestly say that I have no idea what's in store. But bring it.

More on that to come. In the meantime, I'll aim to have joy that's deep, unshakable and rooted in the knowledge that in the end, I'll be just fine.