Simple things... for a happy birthday

It's Christina's birthday today and we are giving her simple things as a present. Here are some of mine...

* A day off in the middle of the week

* Going on a date with my fiance: some wine, a fun French movie... just the two of us in the middle of wedding planning craziness.

* Beautiful simple posts by friends

* Dreaming about travelling

* Discovering details of New York through Kristina's camera

* A coffee date with a good friend

* A text message just to say "I'm thinking of you"

* Rain in the evening after a very hot day

* ... And (I had to mention it) Spain winning the World Cup!! I'm still smiling! This couldn't have happened at a better time for Spain, we really needed a reason to celebrate. I celebrated in Oxford with my Spanish friends but here's an account from a Brit in Madrid.

More simple things here and here.

Simple things

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Robert Breault

iPhone Photo by boyfriend

Christina has invited us to celebrate the simple things in life that make us happy.

These are some of mine...

* Breakfast in bed

* Arriving home right before it starts raining

* Listening to an old song on the radio and be instantly transported to that summer 

* Painting your nails pink and feeling instantly fabulous

* Reading a blog post and realized that someone has put your exact same thoughts in writing for you to understand

* Chocolate.

* An unexpected call from a friend

What simple things are making you happy? 

For a first round of my simple things, go here. See if you can spot the one that I've mentioned again today!

A pretty red umbrella

It´s raining outside and I hide behind the window, not wanting to face reality. If I had a pretty red umbrella to cheer me up, I could venture in the rain. If I was feeling stronger, I would fight the black umbrellas. My red umbrella and a smile is all I need.

Photo @ Overflowing via Vespertinal

An unexpected source of inspiration

A Thousand Words from Ted Chung on Vimeo.

Video found @ Noquedanblogs

What do you think happens after this? Is she going to call? Did she leave the camera behind on purpose? Or, is it too late and she's gone? Maybe she never intended to leave the camera and she'll never know that the guy found her. She missed her chance when she didn't say anything to him.
This makes me think of all those missed opportunities that we never learn about. Not the mistakes that become clear after a while, but the decisions we didn't take, the lives we didn't live. Do they get lived in a parallel universe, or are they lost forever?

The Guardian on Saturday

This is one of my favourite things about living in England. Getting up on a Saturday, getting the paper, going to a nice place for breakfast (the park, weather permitted) and flick through the news, the book reviews, the TV guide (I tell you some of the recaps and opinions are hugely entertaining), I even like the Work and Money sections... Normally I'll read as much as I can on Saturday morning and leave the rest for the week ahead. It's the simple things in life, right?

Big breakfast, LOTS of coffee, the paper, my notebook. My boyfriend and me. Lazy mornings!