A Lemon-Flavored Celebration (The Happiness Challenge Day 10)

Yellow is the perfect color theme for the start of a new year, my 40th year of living in this beautiful, frustrating, challenging world.

The theme wasn't on purpose but these things never are. Sometimes, life just presents you with the right color for the start of a new season.

Yesterday, I cashed a birthday check from my mom and went to Anthropologie, where I put my hands over my eyes until I was safely in the sale room. I'd been to several stores already and had hated or been bored by everything I saw.

This transition from winter to spring leaves stores full of an incongruous mix of winter beige and springtime pastels. I wasn't feeling either. But in the Anthro sale room, I found the perfect top for my winter/spring transitional ambivalence: a top with stripes of gray and yellow.

The top was only $29 which goes nicely with one of my rules for living: Never pay full price for anything at Anthropologie when you can get it for 80 percent off a month later.

The secret to following this rule is the aforementioned technique of never, ever looking at the full-priced items. If this means bumping into the jewelry table or knocking over a rack of $100 t-shirts on the way to the back of the store, so be it.

Anyway, the shirt fit the theme I didn't yet know existed.

Last night, I met some friends out at Tin Roof Bar in the Lakeview District where I was showered with awesome gifts, lots of love, and a free meal. Erin brought a box of delicious, tart lemon cupcakes. I'd been craving them ever since she wrote Happiness Challenge Day 2: Lemon Cupcakes, Deep Fried Fridays.

Yellow is delicious.

Stephanie gave me a bottle of Southern Lemonade Vodka from Firefly Distillery in Charleston, South Carolina.

Yellow is intoxicating.

Laurey gave me a Piloxing DVD and a pair of weighted gloves. OK, neither of these things was yellow, but the gift bag they came in was.

Yellow is good for you.

 (In the bottom of the bag is a packet of red beans Erin brought back for me from her recent trip to South Louisiana.)

Charles brought me a lottery ticket for the Mega Millions drawing.

Yellow is lucky.

OK, not that lucky. I didn't win.

Yesterday was a pretty terrific day all around. Erin wrote this amazing blog post for me. It made me cry and laugh out loud. Stephanie wrote this blog post and I laughed at the part about her, jobless and pantsless. I mention these not to say, "Hey, read about how great I am!" but so you'll see how lucky I am to have friends like these.

All day long on Facebook, people wrote fabulous birthday messages mentioning George Clooney and vodka cranberry cocktails. I loved reading them. Todd wrote this hilarious message: "Happy Birthday! I love you more than Tootie loved her roller skates. More than Mrs Garrett loved Aquanet. More than Natalie loved donuts. And more than Jo loved copping a furtive feel of Blair during PE."

Hey, look, there's George Clooney paying his dues.

Speaking of George Clooney, Stephanie gave me the greatest birthday card ever.

It's nice here in Fantasyland, except I have a freakishly long neck.

Yes, that is Stephanie with Hines Ward and, yes, Stephanie does need to eat a foot-long meatball sub. Every day. For a month.

March 9 was a day full of happiness. Even better, yesterday was the beginning of the weekend when Daylight Saving Time starts, when the days begin to feel a bit longer, brighter, and more full of hope.

Yellow is the perfect color for springing forward.

Yellow is happiness.


Visit one of these blogs for an extra dose of sunshine:


The Gold Shoe Blog
That's Just My Opinion
Nothing But Time For Me
My Sweet Addiction
Jen Talks A Lot About
Stellar Fashion and Fitness
BeautimousBurger