1. Good friends - I recently reconnected with an old friend...we're talking old as in friends in preschool type of old. I haven't seen him since I moved away from Fremont in fourth grade, but all of those years apart still hasn't seemed to change the reason we were friends in the first place...we just click. It's been awesome getting to know him again.

2. A loving family - As I sit here and type this, my beautiful baby girl is at my feet, looking up at me and smiling her huge toothy grin. I can't even begin to describe the sheer joy...and horror...I feel knowing that these children depend on me for their very lives. They trust me fully to raise them well and keep them alive. What an overwhelming thought. With this trust and responsibility though, comes this unconditional love. So often I don't deserve it, yet they're always there, giving it to me. It truly is awesome.

3. Sushi - Yes, it's odd that sushi makes me happy...I realize this. However, hear me out. I'm a huge fan of sushi. I can be quite the expensive date because of my love of sushi. However, this isn't the reason it makes me happy. What makes me the most happy about sushi is how much my little boy, Ethan, loves it. He'll randomly come up to me and ask me for sushi. It's the cutest thing. People think it's so odd because this little white boy (Ethan is VERY white and has blonde hair) LOVES his sushi so much. We're not just talking California rolls with their fake crab and such. He loves the good stuff. He'll happily eat my whole plate of sashimi if I let him. His favorite is the teka maki with tuna (raw, of course)in it, but you'll never find him turning down maguro nigiri, or pretty much any kind of sushi. It's the cutest thing..."Sushi, Mommy?" is heard at least every other day around here.

4. Disneyland - My kids have been saving, saving, saving for Disneyland. I've never seen them so excited about saving money before. Every penny they find on the ground goes straight to their Disneyland fund. When Saturday rolls around and they are due their allowance, all four of them put their money straight into the Disneyland fund. It's actually starting to fill up! I'm thrilled at the thought of being able to take my kids to Disneyland. I want them to have the same wonderful memories I have.

5. Starbucks - Again, a strange thing that makes me happy. I just can't help it though. Have you tried their blended strawberry lemonade? Heaven..I'm tellin' ya! My kids are incredibly fond of their passion iced tea. Plus, if you buy 9 drinks, you get the tenth free (at least at the Starbucks inside of the local Albertsons)...how cool is that?

6. My digital camera - Without it, I wouldn't be able to capture moments like these:That's my sweet little Sera at 1:45 in the morning...neither of us could sleep :)

Anyways, those are the things on my mind at the moment that make me incredibly happy and help me remember how truly blessed I am. (Yes, even Starbucks)