Some Of The Simple Things In Life....

I realized over the holiday break that there are just a lot of simple things that make life either quite a bit more fun, easygoing, relaxing, and awesome , and then sometimes there are a few things that make life a lot more frustrating. The good, the bad, and the ugly, right? :) After a very nice long holiday break, I just thought I would share some of my thoughts with you. :)

Some of my favorite things these days:

1) Chickfila-This one goes without saying. I don't know of anyone that has ever gone to eat here and had a bad experience. They are always so kind, happy, and friendly. And they are so fast! They seek out this special population of people to hire and it just works!! :) All of that keeps me going through the drive through time and time again! :)

2) Bed, Bath and Beyond's return policy-Seriously the best! No issues, no questions asked. They just take things back that were purchased from their store without receipts, and they take care of you. What more could you want? Life would be so much sweeter if everyone worked like they do, and you could avoid all of the return hassle!

3) Quaint restaurants-You know the ones. The fun little places where you can just go and sit in a quiet corner with your hubby and enjoy a nice meal. They just kind of invite you in and their menu beckons you to try all of the new dishes. :) I LOVE non-chain restaurants.

4) Good doctors-Ah yes!!! Who does not love a good doctor when something is wrong? Or heck even when something is right like you are pregnant. :) I have the best docs in Austin..hands down, and I feel so blessed b.c of that. One of my biggest phobias in life are doctors and hospitals...so to have good ones that I can trust is just the icing on the cake! :)

5) The Travel Channel-What a great network!! They have some of the most fun shows where you can literally travel all over the world from the comfort of your couch. That channel just makes me happy, and makes me start to think about where we can go next! :)

6) Southwest Airlines-The inventor of SWA is my hero!! I simply LOVE this airline and try not to fly any other one if humanly possible. I usually have to go kicking and screaming if I get stuck on AA or Delta...or something like that. I just LOVE how casual it is, and I love that I can sit where I want. I love how nice everyone is 99% of the time, and I love that they have lots of low fares. :) All in all...simply top notch! :)

7) Good photographers-To find a good photographer that you click with is so ideal. One that can photograph you or your family on a regular basis is awesome. One that has a personality and does not charge so much that you have to sell a kidney in order to afford a photo shoot. I love those folks! :) And I love the memories I have when it is all over. :)

8) Panera Bread Creamy Tomato Soup (in a bread bowl)-This one is so incredibly simple but probably one of my most favorite things in the food category. I have no idea why I am so in love with their tomato soup in a bread bowl but I just am! :) The little croutons that they put in there are the bomb too! :) You must also pair it with a caffeine free diet Pepsi...just to finish it all off. Oh..and you must eat your entire breadbowl! :)

9) Amazon.com-OH MY GOODNESS...how I LOVE Amazon!! I had shopped them some in the past....but just about 6 months ago when I found out about Amazon Mom, I fell head over heels in love. We must buy 1/2 the things that we own from there now!! LOL! :) Ok, so that is a little exaggerated....but it is true that we do order from them weekly. We use their incredibly awesome Subscribe and Save program to have all of our essentials delivered to our house on a regular basis. Just such an amazing option that makes my life so much easier! :)

10) Good housekeepers-To have a good housekeeper is like a little fairy that comes and wipes all of your worries away! :) We LOVE our housekeepers and the wonderful job they do on our home. It helps me immensely not to have to stress out every weekend about when I am going to be able to find time to clean the house thoroughly. They are one of the reasons that I am still sane with a toddler! :)

Bonus: My Kindle-Just a quick simple pleasure bonus. This device is wonderful!! I love that I can load TONS and TONS of books on here and just take it everywhere with me. I also love that I can read it on my iPhone too. What an awesome gadget, and what a way to simplify and declutter!!! No more buying lots of books from bookstores and online...and trying to find a place to store them. This is 10x better and all in one small package! :)


And then quickly onto some of my least favorite things these days:

1) Target's return policy-Don't even think I need to go into detail on this one. If you shop here then you already know what I mean. They annoy me so much if you have to return something without a reciept. It ends up being some big debacle and I just don't get why it has to be so complicated. I mean there are just times when you don't get a gift receipt, right?

2) Chain restaurants-I mentioned this one above...just really not a fan. I would never pick a chain over trying some place new and fun. I believe chain restaurants are best reserved for quick work lunches or when you just have no brain cells left after a long day, and you cannot think of a creative place to go eat! :)

3) Walgreens pharmacy-UGH, UGH, and UGH!! Over them in a huge way. Not sure why everyone has to be so rude here, and why they act like they are doing you a favor when they fill your prescription. I mean that IS their job! Plus they have mixed a prescription wrong for Braden before, so needless to say I did not have too much patience for that one. I have gotten nothing but attitude from the one by my house over various things..so it is a new year and time to throw in the towel and get a new pharmacy!!

4) People that do not RSVP- I mean if someone invites you to something, at least have the decency to repsond to them. If you cannot make it then you cannot make it...just tell them. After throwing lots of different showers, parties, and especially my own wedding...it just bugs me when I have to hunt down folks to please let me know if they are coming to something. Folks just need to get the invite, make a decision on whether or not to go, and send in a response. Thanks for letting me get on my soapbox for a minute! :)

5) Bad pedicures-You know the ones where you leave the nail salon and your heels are stilll scruffy, your polish is a little off, and your feet just don't have that oh so soft feeling. I have been there and don't like paying for that at all! :(

6) Smoking-do I need to explain this one? :)

7) Major heat waves-I am not a HOT HOT HOT weather person. Warm is ok....cool is MUCH better! :) I definitely prefer fall, winter, and spring to summer....especially here in TX! :)

8) People that drive REALLY slow-Just move over into the right hand lane. That is really all that I need you to do! Thanks!

9) People that Tweet on Facebook-FB and Twitter are NOT the same. :) If you want to post messages 5+ times per hour then Twitter is the place for you! :) If you choose FB for that then it sure does clog up everyone's Newsfeed. Not fun!

10) People that don't ever discipline their kids-You have seen them out and about in public, and you know they annoy you too. Little Johnny can never do any wrong but he is drving the entire world nuts!!! Please just let your kids know who is boss. They do not need to walk all over you! :)

OK, I feel a lot better now. :) Thank so much for letting me getting all of those thoughts out.....especially the happy ones! :)