Simple Joys of the Week, August 30th Edition

...And it's almost September. Holy canoli. This summer = quickest one ever. 

Ben and I have been in the DC area for 4 years now (we moved in late August, 2009), and I simply cannot believe how quickly life has flown by. In an attempt to slow things down, lets take a look at some simple, sensory joys from the past 7 days. 

What made you happy during this last week of August? My SJOTW are below...

HEAR: "Happy" by C2C (featuring Derek Martin)
As I bid adieu to my August class playlist today, I have to tell you that one of my students told me that my August playlist was the best one I've ever made--or, at least "in the past 2 years since [he's] been coming to my class." As I mentioned when I first made it, I owe the success of this fabulous playlist to all of you, my readers and survey-takers (who recommended many of the included songs), so thank you! 

But, since all good things must come to an end, I'm now working on my September playlist. During this process, I've been enjoying a whole new batch of songs, including today's featured song, "Happy," by C2C. This uplifting song was shared with me by one of my students, and it makes me feel very energized and really happy (surprise, surprise!). I think it's a great song for the Friday before a 3 day weekend...

SEE: Silver Linings Playbook
I've wanted to see this movie since it was in theaters. When it was, I would ask Ben if he wanted to go see it every single weekend. But, we were busy, and never saw it. Then, when it went to DVD, I started saying that we needed to add it to our Netflix queue ASAP. Again, weeks (maybe even months?) went by, and it wasn't until last weekend that we finally watched it. Although I wish I'd seen it back in January, I have to say that it was worth the wait. It was GREAT! I just love Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper so much! I'd also forgotten how fun it is to stay in and watch a movie on the couch ;)

TASTE: Healthy Homemade "Soda"
Here's my new fave drink of choice: Lime Seltzer + 1/4 of a lime + mint leaves + loads of ice + drink it with a straw. It's amazing and honestly tastes like a healthy, much less sweet version of Sprite. YUM! I've been making one every day for the past week or so, and find it to be one of the most refreshing drinks I've ever had. You're welcome ;)

SMELL: LA Looks Curl Gel (In case you were wondering, yes, this is one of the cheapest hair care products on the market...)
I've been using this gel since 10th grade (and no, this is not a sponsored segment!). It's the only gel that I've ever found to work with my crazy hair, and I love it. But for some reason, it went missing from shelves early last year. I figured it had been discontinued and although I thought it was tragic, I moved on. I basically stopped wearing my hair curly, as it was just too unmanageable without my favorite gel, and I adopted a new hair care routine. But then, last month, it was mysteriously back! New bottle, new color, but same gel! It was thrilling. I'm now back to using it, back to frequently doing my hair curly (yay for air drying!), and it's been great. See? It really is the little things in life...

TOUCH: Beach Volleyball
Little known fact about yours truly: I played volleyball in high school. However, I've only touched a volleyball once or twice since then, so you can imagine my nervousness when Ben and I were invited to play beach volleyball last weekend. We'd been talking about doing it all summer, but never got the chance until last week...and OMG, you guys, it was SOOOOOO fun! Sure, I was a little rusty, and couldn't get an overhand serve over the net to save my life (sigh), but wow, was it a blast. We're playing again on Monday and are super excited (!!!).

Other joyful moments from the past week? Finishing and packaging up 3 more commissions (will share images soon!), a trip to the pool, many fabulous yoga classes, two outdoor workouts, receiving my new Dress Collection prints from the printer, and dinner with friends. What a wonderfully enjoyable week.

I hope that your long weekend is FULL of simple, sensory joys! Don't forget to take the time to stop and appreciate them...