100 Happy Days - Week One

Day Two: A Cat and Her Bowl.  At some point, we started feeding our cats the leftover milk in our cereal bowls. I guess we started this when they were still kittens, so they have had plenty of time to learn, like Pavlov's Dog. 

Now, every time a spoon clinks against something, the kitties come running, and they stare. I think it's cute. A little irksome at times, but it makes me happy. The cats come up and stare at you until you give in, lower your bowl, and let them sniff whatever you've been eating.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, they look at you with unrivaled disgust, like How dare you presume I'll eat that?, flick their tails, and saunter away.

I love cats.

 Day Three: Fireworks. Every third of July, we go to my parents' friend's house to watch the fireworks that the City of Chelsea puts on - The Big Kaboom. The Kaegals do a cookout (hot dogs and hamburgers), and everyone else brings a side dish and dessert to share. The little kids swim in the pool, and the adults socialize. My sister and I usually end up walking around the big green where vendors are set up and see what kind of free stuff we can get. (I like free popcorn.)

Then we settle down in camping chairs in the Kaegals' front lawn to watch the fireworks. Their house has the perfect view of the show. We've gone for four years, and I don't think we'll be stopping any time soon. 

Fireworks make me happy.

 Day Four: Libba Bray. I love this author, and not just because she's replied to me on Twitter before. She really captures what it's like to be a teenager.

I've read two of her series: the Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and That Sweet Far Thing) and the first book of the Diviners trilogy (The Diviners). She's a brilliant writer, and her female characters are strong and, well, different. They're not constantly pining over what man they should date. They're not worried about fitting into society. They're different. They're strong. They're amazing. 

In short, if you'd like a beautiful Victorian series to try, pick up A Great and Terrible Beauty. If you're in the mood for something more flapper-ish, The Diviners will do that for you.

Day Five: Papa John's. Ah, pizza. I love pizza. And Papa John's is my favorite. It's always been my favorite, I guess because they use the right amount of sauce, they don't do funky things to their crust, and their garlic butter sauce is absolute divine. 

I've never really liked other pizzas: Domino's does weird things to their crust. Little Caesar's tastes like cardboard. Pizza Hut is tough. Papa John's is the best delivery.

Now, the best restaurant pizza is a tie between the little café in the Wiesbaden, Germany commissary and Nick & Al's Pizzeria in Meridian, Mississippi. (If you're ever in either place, CHECK THEM OUT!!!)







So there you have it! My first week of the Happy Days challenge is complete! Are you going to do it? What made you happy this week? Sound off below! I'll see you next week for the Week Two wrap-up, and hopefully I'll have other blog posts before then!