If you don't have something nice to say...

...then don't say anything at all.

So I haven't been saying much on this blog, because let's face it...reading about my pitiful struggles and first world problems is kind of a downer. But I'm not gonna lie; this past month has been rough. So I took a short leave of absence from life these past few weeks and I have only recently started to take baby steps in a positive direction. A wise man once told me this:

"Attitude. It will make ya or break ya."

In other words, I am determined to concentrate on the sunny side of life. It's worth a try anyway. I've got to do something to pull myself out of this hole I am digging before it gets too deep.

Here is my list of ten happy thoughts:

1.  Shawn got a new job working as a jail nurse for Salt Lake county. He still works a few days a month in the ER, so between the two jobs he comes home with some pretty interesting stories. I won't share them today, since most of them really don't fit the happy thought description. But the job pays really well and the benefits are awesome, so it totally counts as happy.

2.  Alex graduated from high school and got a job. Need I say more?

3.  Nate had to take a summer school class to make up for some, ahem, less than desirable grades. But he worked hard and finished in just a few weeks. That means no more doom and gloom letters from his school counselor. See? Happy!

4.  Seth turned 13 and grew like a foot taller. He also grew a mustache. I'm not sure exactly when that happened. It just appeared one day along with a voice that sounds a lot like he has a perpetual respiratory infection. Ahhh...the awkward stage begins. I'm not sure why I listed this as a happy thought because it actually scares me to death to watch my kids become teenagers. I guess there is a bright side to this though--he still hugs me and isn't embarrassed to be seen with me in public.

5.  Abby is full of life as always. She keeps my days from getting dull and gets me nice and tired so when I go to bed, I fall asleep quickly. Plus she sometimes crawls into my bed in the middle of the night when Shawn is working and keeps me from getting the heeby jeebies.

6.  My miracle van that I have been driving for ten years literally fell apart a few weeks ago, so I got a new car! IT'S AWESOME! I find that if I ignore the fact that I have a ridiculously high car payment, I still feel happy!

7.  Shawn and I celebrated our 20th anniversary on June 6th. It feels very weird, but a happy sort of weird. I can't help but wonder when I will stop feeling like a kid playing a very long game of house.

8.  I turned 40. Hmmmm. Finding the happy thought there is going to be a little difficult. I'm happy I'm still alive? That'll work.

9. Summer is here, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and I'm not cold! Woo hoo!

10. Okay, one more happy thought. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of this summer with my family. We have two camping trips planned, which I hope will give us some relief from the craziness of life.

Yep. It's official. I'm a happy girl. :)