Happy Monday, dear strangers. Last week I posted The Worst Things Ever list for 2013. And I decided that maybe this year I would start an annual Best Things Ever list so you will all stop imagining me as an old crabby man yelling at the neighborhood kids to get off his lawn.
Guys, I don't even have a lawn. I live in an apartment in Palau.
And before you start typing up another scathing email to me about TMZ, let me tell you: I have every intention of explaining myself this week. Wednesday, probably. Maybe Thursday. But it's coming. I swear on The First Eye. Double scout's honor. Try not to get your expectations too high in the meantime because, hello, what if it turns out to not even be funny?
But since we're all friends now, I know that even if it does turn out to be kind of lame, you'll all fake laugh super hard so that everyone else thinks it's funny. Because that's what friends do. Every time you leave a comment that is supposed to be funny, I always laugh way harder than I should and yell at the computer "That's SO true!!! That's SO SO true!!!" I do that so that everyone else who reads the blog will think that you are way more funny than you are.
You're welcome. All I ask is that you do the same in return.
And now, for the list. PLEASE leave your additions in the comments.
The Best Things Ever, 2013:
1. Cold feet in warm socks that come straight from the drier
2. When you're eating cookies & cream ice cream and you discover an entire Oreo in the middle of it
3. When someone speeds past you aggressively and then gets pulled over
4. Snuggies
5. Cartoons from the '80s and early '90s
6. Waking up and finding out your alarm doesn't go off for 3 more hours
7. Paul Simon
8. Getting a hand-written letter in the mail
9. Falling asleep at the beginning of a flight and waking up when you land
10. Nieces and nephews
11. Going to dinner with a friend where neither of you touch your phones for the whole evening
12. Inside jokes
13. Finishing something that was really difficult to do
14. Finding out that there are 8 seasons of a really great tv show that you just discovered
15. The feeling after a long and hard workout
16. When an animal takes a liking to you even when you pretend not to like animals
17. When you overhear somebody saying something nice about you
18. Walking into your house after forgetting that you very thoroughly cleaned it earlier that day
19. Living in an era where Trixy Meowman can have an email account
20. The feeling of accomplishment from taking a multi-vitamin
21. When someone else posts a picture of you on Facebook that you know you look good in
22. Crying because you're happy
23. Getting a new haircut that you really like
24. Running into someone you really like at the grocery store
25. Finding out someone you care about is making good choices
26. When people I've never met read this blog
~It Just Gets Stranger
27. Blogs by funny people, who are not old crabby men.
ReplyDelete28. Being the first to comment on your favorite blog..... maybe.
29. Laughing so hard it hurts.
Danielle
Eating dessert first.
ReplyDeleteThose times when you simply cannot stop laughing, well, eventually you do.
I love how it feels once you do stop laughing - like you just finished the best workout ever.
Delete32. cheese doritos
ReplyDelete33. You
ReplyDeleteYes! Eli is a source of light and hope, brightening my day and helping me sort out life issues. It also helps to see someone twice my age struggling with the same questions I am. It helps take the pressure off to figure everything out by tomorrow. And he's even Mormon! I plan on converting as soon as I'm responsible for my faith. Only 2-4 years left, depending on whether or not my parents will let me when I'm able to drive. I've wanted to be LDS since sixth grade, and finding this example of Mormon awesomeness has only strengthened my resolve.
DeleteWhen you stretch after waking up in the morning and every bone in your body cracks (mmmm utter bliss)
ReplyDeleteThe smell of a freshly bathed baby.
ReplyDeleteThe first person to open a book you have been waiting for.
Jumping up and down with a crowd at a music concert wherein everyone is behaving absolutely amazing
Pulling the sanitary strip off of bikini bottoms once you get home
ReplyDeletehaha this is awesome.
DeleteRemembering that this is the year you decide to breathe, so you close your eyes and take a long breath, and when you open them--nothing horrid happened just because you decided to breathe this year. :)
ReplyDeleteThat cozy, cuddly feeling when you're settled in bed right before you fall asleep.
ReplyDeleteLegally changing my name to "Anonymous" and going Blog-Viral.
ReplyDeleteI entirely disagree with number 6 and number 15. Waking up 3 hours before my alarm clock probably just means I was kicked in the gut by a territorial toddler, OR elbowed in the face by my husband... AGAIN. And the feeling I get after a hard workout is far from praised. I feel clammy and nauseous... Maybe I'm out of shape.
ReplyDeleteYou should know I enjoyed reading this.
DeleteI entirely agree with number 6 and number 15.
Deletereally good intimate relations with the person you are going to spend the rest of your life with is my number one, and chocolate mmmmmm chocolate anything is awesome
ReplyDeleteIn reference to #3- unfortunately, there isn't always a cop there to teach them a lesson, so my brother has the most fantastic way to deal with bad drivers EVER.
ReplyDeleteHe will wait a few minutes and catch up to the driver who cut him off or whatever, then he puts on his brave "hero" face, pulls up next to them, gets their attention and manages to hold a straight face and look very concerned for their well-being while he points to their tire. It works EVERY time and it's so satisfying when you pass them as they are pulling over to check for a flat that isn't there.
THIS. IS. AWESOME.
DeleteHillarious! I want to try that so badly right now!!
DeleteThis is great! We usually pull up next to the person and the kids shake their finger at them with a stern look on their face...because who wants to be chastised by little kids? Of course, I have to sit in the front seat with no idea as to what my children are doing because if I did anything else it would involve pointing and laughing at their shame.
Delete42. Taking a shower then going to bed on just-washed sheets. Bonus for the ladies: freshly shaved legs.
ReplyDeleteYep- I totally agree :-)
DeleteKnowing gossip before anyone else
ReplyDeleteHaving a great hair day and then seeing all kinds of people
Random hugs/kisses from your kids... or spouse.
ReplyDeleteKnowing that your best friends in the world can be called "family".
Cool, crisp, freshly laundered sheets in the summer time.
ReplyDeleteWarm apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream.
43.ish - bumping into someone you know/dislike and you look great (its a girl thing)
ReplyDelete44. being in the best physical shape you have ever been
45. people with goodsense of humours
Being Blog Anonymous.
ReplyDeleteEli in shirtless pictures.
Fresh, hot coffee during a lazy, long home cooked breakfast (doesn't happen often!)
ReplyDeleteFire in the fireplace with loved ones around, wrapped in blankets (or Snuggies) telling stories about "when we were kids."
Homemade ice cream in the hot hot summer.
The ice cream truck's song. (Signifies summer's here!)
Tall glass of iced tea, slightly sweet with some fresh mint, on another one of those hot summer days!
Smell of fresh cut grass (if you don't have allergies).
Gardenias.
Wildflowers on the highway.
56) The cold side of the pillow.
ReplyDelete57) Food, food, food, food.
ReplyDelete58) Food.
59) warm soft sand on the beach when It's kind of chilly.
60) When you're favorite song comes on the radio and you have just enough time to jam out to it :)
ReplyDelete61) When you get an unexpected day off from work and use it simply to relax
62) When you come home starving and your favorite food is in the fridge
63) When its your birthday and EVERYBODY remembers
64) Long showers and baths
65) Holidays
66) When you receive an email from one of your favorite people ever and you feel like you you're talking to a celebrity :)
~Jade
Getting flowers when you're sick
ReplyDeleteFinding old pictures of fun times
84)New socks
ReplyDelete73)New shoes
99)When you arrive and are greeted with a running hug from a grinning child
83)Birds singing outside on an early Spring morning
90)Unexpected money
Seeing my baby's heart beat for the first time on an ultrasound.
ReplyDeleteCheesecake.
Finding a little painted alebrije cat on my desk at work.
The smells of summer, fall, spring, and Christmas tht you always forget until that time of year
ReplyDeleteHearing a song that brings back a memory
Discovering am amazing song or band amd feeling individual because no one else has heard of it ( I'm not a hipster, I just have a passion for good music)
Looking at your best friend and you both know what the other one is thinking
Coming home after a stressful day to read Stranger Blog
That first warm sunny day after a long cold winter.
ReplyDeleteHappy fun and random surprises.
Laughing til it hurts with an old friend about the past.
Especially when you are lying down on your back on the carpet. Because everything is funnier on a carpet.
DeleteA chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven
ReplyDeleteWhen your children randomly come up to you and say "I love you mommy"
Hugs from mom.
ReplyDeleteIce cream for any meal.
That quiet that happens in the middle of the night when it's snowing.
When your neighbor takes your garbage can to the curb or brings it back up the driveway for you.
-When friends recommend a truly stellar musical group for you to try out (and they really do turn out to be stellar).
ReplyDelete-Being listened to and heard and validated.
-Having every single Friday off, because you're an adult and you made the right career choice!
-Salted caramel hot chocolate.
-Cabins in the woods with friends (any time of the year).
-Dr. Seuss.
-When you try out a new recipe for friends, and it turns out really dang tasty.
-Naming inanimate objects that you use frequently.
-When friends know your love language and use it to express their love.
-Watching my dad watch almost any movie, but most especially John Wayne movies.
-Learning something new and not outright sucking at it.
-Homemade bread.
-Eating delicious soup on a cold winter's night.
-Dressing in layers.
-When you leave your house looking good, then bumping into that handsome someone you've had your eye on, and he tells you you're pretty (it's rare, but it's ELATION!)
-The waft of a really terrific scent (favorite cologne, etc.)
-Vacation.
-Curling up by the fireplace reading a good book on a cold day.
-The laughter of a child.
I love everything about this list. Perfection. :)
Delete* Your blog :)
ReplyDelete* Proving someone wrong
* Friends who are as cynical and sarcastic as you, therefore they laugh with you and don't think you're inappropriate.
* Dulce de leche granizado ice cream. (you can't die without having tried this)
ps: should we all send you hand-written letters?
Having a new post on this blog to read and laugh about.
ReplyDelete~Taylor
Awesome blog comments from people you've never met.
ReplyDeleteeating all the chocolate off of the butterfinger first, so you're left with a peanut butter nugget from heaven
ReplyDeletethe sound and satisfaction of vacuuming messy carpet
those times when everything someone says makes you think of a line from a song or movie (could also be listed under "the worst" list)
cold water in the fridge
accidentally farting but then having a baby that you can pick up, smell their butt, make a face, and blame it on. it's not gross if they do it.
finally figuring out what other movie you've seen an actor or actress in
The fact that we can laugh at cats on the internet but don't actually have to interact with them because cats ARE the devil.
ReplyDeleteHere's a number 26 just for you xox
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
Rainy days with nothing to do except read a book
ReplyDeleteA moment that makes you smile every time you think about it.
Sending Eli McCann a friend request on Facebook, and him requesting despite the fact that you've never actually met.
ReplyDelete*accepting... That's embarrassing...
DeleteWhen you've been friends with someone long enough that you can say, "Remember that time we..."
ReplyDeleteBeing Facebook BFF's with Eli.
ReplyDeleteBeing BFF's with Eli on Facebook AND in real life.
David Tennant as The Doctor.
Bennedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock.
Meeting someone through a friend and instantly hitting it off.
Having a best friend who knows you inside and out and loves you to death for who you are.
Ooooooooh! David Tennant as The Doctor for sure!
DeleteFinding love for the first time, second time, etc.
ReplyDeleteThat feeling when you make up with a person you've been fighting with.
Hugs from little kids.
Brutally honest comments from children.
Watching kids open presents.
Snow days with warm cookies straight out of the oven and hot chocolate
ReplyDeleteDriving to work and it starts raining....and looking back and seeing an umbrella in the back seat
ReplyDelete1.1) Holding a new born and seeing a crooked smile on their face
1.2) Getting an email from your friend that lives on the other side of the world
1.3) Finding $20 in jeans that were washed and folded
1.4) Not having a set schedule at work and being able to go in as early it as late as you want
1.5) Grapes and white cheddar...together..Mmmm!
~ Dr. V
Wait... You were just PRETENDING to like animals? And all this time I thought I'd found someone else who shared my distaste for them. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI meant pretending not to like them... Sorry.
DeleteNot having to set your alarm for the next day
ReplyDeleteFinding a new blog post on Stranger
Stalking Eli on Facebook
I strongly support all of the above. (Mostly the second)
DeleteSoup.
ReplyDeleteGetting a hug from a niece or nephew and having them whisper in your ear, "I love you."
Starting a new (or old favorite) book that you KNOW you're going to LOVE.
The smell of new shoes.
When someone snowblows your driveway so you don't have to shovel it by yourself.
Quiet moments when you can just think.
-your kids thinking you are a hero for getting them a sucker from the bank (because a one cent sucker that is delivered from a germ infested vacuum tube taste so much better than anything you can buy at the store!)
ReplyDelete-pumping your arm up and down like a moron to get a trucker to honk his horn...and he actually does!
Putting on a brand-spankin'-new pair of underwear :D
ReplyDeleteShowering and putting clean pajamas back on because you have absolutely nowhere to be that day...heaven ;)
ReplyDeleteConversations that last for hours and go off on millions of entertaining tangents...
ReplyDeleteA glass of wine after a very stressful day!
Discovering new music
When somebody genuinely apologizes after really hurting your feelings.
Cleaning up the house and discovering like 20.00 in change has accumulated.
Little babies that get their flirt on with everyone in the restaurant (who can resist smiling at a giggly, smiling 6 month old)
Naps!
Having someone that gets you so completely and shares your view on the world so much so that together you can make anything funny.
ReplyDeleteRealizing that your child is pretty freaking perfect and is going to be just fine as an adult.
Eating a summery dish in the middle of winter. Having your kids say "I love you" first. Talking to an old friend for the first time in a long time and laughing like you used to. Having someone compliment you on your parenting or children. Choreographing your first zumba routine. Being surprised by a gorgeous sunset. Getting a quick answer to prayer.
ReplyDeleteRainy days spent lounging in your most comfortable sweats with a fresh cup of coffee and that new book you cannot put down.
ReplyDeleteThe smell of a bookstore.
The peaceful silence of snowfall.
Being the coolest person ever in your child's eyes.
Pulling out of work on a Friday afternoon with the windows rolled down and a free weekend ahead of you.
* Feeling the baby kick for the first time.
ReplyDelete* Falling in love and a first kiss.
* When they say I love you for the first time (that could be loves or kids).
* A toddler smiling.
* Catching your kids getting along.
* A meal when you are famished.
* A good cry or a good laugh.
* Warm laundry.
* A new outfit that makes you feel pretty.
* A knowing look shared between you and your spouse when kids are saying something wonky and wonderful.
* The smell of the town I live in when they are making the strawberry and blueberry bagels.
* Rain on a warm day and the smell of it coming and going.
* A good book.
* A great dream.
* Holding hands.
* The first time I saw my babies after they were born.
* A hot shower.
* When a good song comes on the radio that you have not heard in a while.
* Sweet tea.
* Bed after a long day.
* The first meal after you give birth. So hungry!!!!
* In the morning after you have found that perfect spot in the pillow.
* The first snow.
* The beach andvwatching your kids discover it.
* When someone hires you.
* Finding money in a pocket you forgot about.
* When you are the first to figure something out.
* A cold glass of milk.
*Learning you are pregnant.
* If it is a boy or girl.
* Laying in bed and your cat cuddles up in your hair and purrs.
* Cuddles with kids.
* When your kids says something incredible.
* When you are comepletely taken by surprise.
* Your favorite movie while cuddled up on the couch.
* When someone thinks you are smarter than you are and you rise to it.
* A good and relieving fart. Yeah, I said it. And doing that on your kid.
* Really clearing out your nose and breathing.
* Hearing after your ear pops.
* Steak and eggs.
* Sunrise and sunsets.
* Waking up early and being on the roads and sidewalks before anyone else.
* Traveling to someplace new and wonderous.
* When something finally clicks.
* Taking your bra off after a long day. Apparently I say, 'oh, yeah' EVERY time.
* Laying on the grass and looking at clouds and stars.
* When you finish something...like this novel-like list. ;)
* When you learn your baby's gender.
Warm towels.
ReplyDelete85 cent shampoo.
Roommates who feed you vegetables when you cry.
Skype.
Tearing up superfluous credit card offers.
- Getting a smile from a stranger for no reason
ReplyDelete- How the earth smells after it rains
- The moment you realize you are falling in love
- Realizing some things never change (like your best friends, no matter how long it's been since you've met them)
Finally going to the bathroom when you feel like you are about to wet yourself.
ReplyDeleteSeeing so people have so many good things to say about the world.
ReplyDelete*so many
DeleteOops. Totally just ruined my own sweet moment there.
-this blog. seriously. best.
ReplyDelete..but i'll add a few more.
-the first warm day after a bitter cold winter
-the first sunburn of the season
-seeing family you haven't seen in years
-extra long hugs that radiate the love the other person has for you
-children laughing
-knowing that everything will be alright in middle of a really difficult trial
i could go on...
-messages from someone you really care about and haven't talked to in a long time