Moments I Experienced Joy....

This was just a little exercise I created for myself, after doing some reading about learning to appreciate the life I have. I thought back and identified times when I remember being truly happy and can still feel that warm, fuzzy feeling of exhilaration when I think about those times now. In those moments, I had experienced joy. Now I want to keep this list for myself for when I am feeling down, to remind me.  

Moments In My Life I’m Positive I experienced Joy

Age six: I got to crawl on hands and knees through a maze of brightly colored plastic tunnels, dodge obstacles and plummet down a spiraling slide into a ball pit at the indoor playground.

Every year until I was maybe 11 or so: Mayfaire By the Lake came to town and I got to spend the afternoon doing arts and crafts in the children’s activity tent, eat kettle corn and drink ice cold lemonade.

My 9^th birthday: I woke up to discover that my mom and dad had purchased a huge life-sized golden retriever stuffed toy dog for me.

Age 12: We went as a family on a plane to New Orleans to see my dad’s family and explore the French Quarter. It was my first time out of Florida and on a plane.

Age 14: I was in the ninth grade, and I made friends with Chase. He was such a gentleman and since he could drive a car already, he took me on “dates” to plays, movies and dinners. We weren’t a couple, but it was still so much fun to have a nice guy take me out.

My parents decided, just a few days before Christmas, to trade in their ailing old Nissan for a New Beetle, my dream car!

Age 15: My parents and I spent July 4^th week on Anna Maria Island at the beach. I dove down in the ocean and found a giant conch shell.

I also went to Duke University for 2 weeks to go to a camp. It had highs and lows, but we spent a lot of time in the famous, breathtaking cathedral.

Age 16: I celebrated my sweet 16 on Anna Maria island with family and friends.

Age 17: I graduated from high school. For about a week or two, everything was all about celebrating me. (and all the seniors)

Age 18: I moved into Flagler College dorms to start my college experience. This town, with its pirate-y, beach-y vibe and red-hot Spanish roofs was like living in a fantasy world at first.

Age 19: I went to Atlanta for a huge Christian convention. It was three days of concerts and inspirational speakers with some time in between to explore the city. It set me on fire about God and His love and that fire lasted at least a few months, during some trials.

I went to visit my Aunt Kathy in Arizona and admired the grand canyon as well as other red-rock beauty.

I also went to New Orleans again but with a mission group to gut houses. That part wasn’t fun but we had some fun during that time.

I went on a 2 week long mission trip to Mexico city. This was also full of highs and lows but there were some beautiful moments where I discovered the pyramids outside the city, tried new foods, saw a beautiful cathedral, danced with happy children etc….

Age 20: I went with a friend to North Carolina for a weekend and had a blast at Dollywood, hiking by waterfalls and experiencing the beauty of the “mountains”.

Age 21: I met Max and had a fun summer with him

My 22^nd Birthday: the church had a fun retreat, and then max showed me a good night with La Pentola and revealed to me on the fort that he planned to marry me someday.

Age 24: Max and I had just spent nearly a year broken up, but in July that year we started talking again and we agreed to meet up at the Cross Park to talk one evening. We ended up admitting that we still cared about each other, and our relationship began to mend. Being back in his life was like coming home after a rough journey.

Age 25: I traveled to cold but lovely Seattle and had fun with a friend.

Age 26: I finally marry Max on June 7.  We had a fun honeymoon at a resort and then some other beaches we love.

Age 28: I received two awards at work. It meant they finally acknowledged my effort to work hard despite some odds.

Times I know I experienced Joy when I was with Max:

Our first date. June 10, 2009.

The summer we had together after that first date.

Namely, a Framing Hanley concert, a dance club, several beaches

And an island in South Carolina where his older sister was staying.

When he told me on my 22^nd Birthday that he planned to marry me.

Maybe he didn’t know me well enough yet, but I knew I would marry him someday.

At the end of our second summer together (2010), Max went through a period of time about two months long that he needed to be away from me to deal with some things. It was not a happy time. But, that fall, he returned and we picked back up where we left off. It felt like coming home after a long, terrible, confusing night lost in the woods.

That Christmas was probably my favorite.

In 2011, I was living in a house with a back yard. Max was there a lot of the time and since I wasn’t using the back yard, I let him use it to plant pumpkin vines, sunflowers and all kinds of other things. We would go out weekly to the plant nurseries and “rescue” the unwanted sick plants. Sometimes we would just buy plants we thought were pretty as gifts for each other.  It was a gardening adventure all summer long.

It was a long day, but we made a round trip over to the gulf coast and back to discover the beach known for hundreds of shark teeth. In the three or four hours we were there, we found a few hundred.

That same year, for Max’s birthday, I was very sneaky and got him concert tickets that he really wanted but wrapped them in box after box. I loved watching him open all the boxes and then find the tickets and get really excited.

Max and I ended our relationship at the end of 2011, but in the late summer of 2012, we began talking again. Having him back in my life was indescribable relief. It was like coming home after being out on rough seas. It was like I could stop holding my breath. It was like a gaping wound suddenly healed and I suddenly awoke from a coma.

That fall, winter and the following spring, we enjoyed some simple memories like walks or a movie. They were simple things that I probably took for granted before. Now they felt warm and cozy.

In 2013, Max’s family moved. They also welcomed his brother, his brother’s girlfriend and their new baby into their home. Life in their home was chaos and not easy for Max and I when I would go to spend time with him. I felt like we were growing apart again and I was losing him. Then, all in a day, he decided he was done staying there and he found a way to move out on his own. That day was a little scary but the following weeks were a huge sigh of relief for me and we finally planned to get married.

Our wedding day was all the bliss I ever expected it to be and then some. Our small budget and simple church facility didn’t curb the excitement.  Our honeymoon was relaxing and full of fun times with not much to worry about.

When we adopted our dog in 2015 and then our cat in 2016, it was a huge undertaking of responsibility where before there had been none… but the new “family member” in the house brought joy and excitement.

Taking vacations and being out on the gulf coast beaches always filled me with wonder and joy.

I felt joy in the little things too: ordering a fancy leather chair together. Picking out a Christmas tree and decorating it. Sitting inside listening to a storm.  Max getting his new car around new year’s 2016.  Going out for date nights. Seeing a number of much-anticipated movies. Returning to the original campus of our church after 9 months away at the other campus. Celebrating his birthday.  Celebrating mine. Nature walks. Discovering wildlife. Intimacy.  Helping him shop for new clothes.

Making his favorite dinner.  The list goes on and on.

One of my favorite things has been getting to bring him with me to Lakeland, where each trip I would show him more and more of my childhood memories. He has shown me several of his on a few trips to the Sarasota/Venice area.