Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail - A Picture only Blog

          All of these trees were beautiful, I wish I had better camera skills to do them justice.  There were 15 trees by where I think the buses used to drop off people.  They were so cleverly decorated. As a bonus there were Christmas songs playing in background, and it was snowing!!! Disney is amazing, they can make it snow in Florida, even when the weather is in the 80's LOL

Mickey and Minnie tree

Alice in Wonderland tree

Beauty and the Beast tree

Cinderella tree

101 Dalmatians tree

The Princess and the Frog tree

Frozen tree

The Jungle Book tree

Mary Poppins tree

Villains tree

Lilo and Stitch tree

Tangled tree

Muppets tree

Mulan tree

The Little Mermaid tree

Toy Story Mania Birthday

          Another year around the sun has passed.  I turned (gulp) 48 years old this weekend, and because of moving I felt all those years.  After unloading the truck, and finding the floor, I decided enough was enough.  It was time to celebrate birthday at Disney.  First was lunch at Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant.  I haven’t had their chips and salsa since Staci was an infant.  They were delicious as I remembered.  Afterwards it was off to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  For the first time, I got to park my own car and ride the tram.  It was kind of cool to show my annual passholder band and just get told to have a great day as they waved me through. No parking fees for me now.  The tram was fun and arrived quickly.  It dropped us off at the entrance.

  I am used to hiking from the resort bus stops LOL the giant tree out in front of the park was beautiful. Once through bag check I guess I looked suspicious because of course I get randomly picked to go through metal detectors.  I seem to always get randomly picked LOL finally I was in my element.  The décor at Hollywood Studios was glamorous of course.  Star garlands and lights lined the streets and Christmas music was heard all over the park.  We only had one fast pass for the day, so we just leisurely strolled around.  My son had not been there in years, so it was special for me to have him there with me that night.  Staci and I always go, and he always declined.  He even got into the spirit and wore a Donald Duck shirt and got one of the lighted necklaces to wear.  We explored and window shopped until it was time for our ride.  I had scored four fast passes for Toy Story Mania!!!

  Staci and I had been on it only once a few years ago, and my son and mom had never been on.  I was so happy to get passes for it.  For those who have not gotten to experience this treat, it is great.  For the ride guests wear 3D glasses, and ride in a 4-person car, that spins around from game to game.  The games are reminiscent of classic carnival midway games.  The ride que is filled with life size games that take a person back to the toys of their childhood.  Mr. Potato Head, View Master, Barrel of Monkeys, and Etch-a-Sketch were a few.

Lee and I took one car side, and Staci and my mom took the other seats.  The shooters had a string attached that you just pulled back on to shoot your targets.  The first game was a practice round to learn what to do.  In it you threw virtual pies.  Next up was Hamm & Eggs where Hamm and Buttercup invite you to knock down both moving and stationary barnyard animal targets using hardboiled eggs.  Then on to Rex & Trixie’s Dino Darts to pop balloons in front of a bubbling volcano in this game starring Rex and Trixie. After that was the Green Army Men Shoot Camp where players tossed baseballs to break plates at a green army men firing range. Next up was Buzz Lightyear’s Flying Tossers where he urged players to toss rings and make them land atop the Little Green Men.

 Finally, to score major points it was time for Woody’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Shootin’ Gallery where you shoot suction-cup-tipped darts at a variety of mine-cart targets in this game inspired by the “Woody’s Roundup” television show.  I scored 92,000 points, which I thought was good until I saw Lee had scored over 140,000 points LOL.  We all left laughing, smiling, and happy.  They all loved the game, which made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.  In addition to the warm fuzzies my old body was aching as so were theirs so we decided to call it an early night.  We stopped for a Frozen lollipop for Staci on the way out to the trams, and then made it back home, only getting lost once LOL.  Ten minutes after we got back home there was a knock at the door. Not expecting anybody, so nervously opened door, and lo and behold a gorgeous yummy Edible Arrangement from my friends RJ and Megan.  It was a perfect ending to the day.  I had a great birthday.

disclaimer:  I took none of these pics, all were borrowed from google LOL I was having too much fun strolling around, and did not take a single picture.

Enchanted Christmas Village

          We went to the grand opening of the Enchanted Christmas Village here in Jacksonville, Florida.  Staci loved it.  This is just pictures, I am too tired to make actual post, but wanted to still share.  Once the sun set the place lit up with Christmas lights everywhere.  I wish my iPhone could have captured the night pictures.  Nothing I snapped did it justice.  It is definitely worth a trip if you are within driving distance.

All Aboard!!!

Staci named him Jinglebell Rock

too much sweetness

free face painting

my beautiful snowflake princess

the decorations were gorgeous

free cookie decorating

also free to make gingerbread house

finally got her on a carousel 

still doesn't do the lights justice

hayride through a magical forest of lights

Disney's Moana - my review :)

Last night we went to see the 56^th Disney movie, Moana.  We being my seven-year-old daughter, my twenty-one-year-old son, and me (never mind my age) LOL My point with the ages is all of us loved it.  So, I thought I would write a bit of a review.  Each year we try and find a Thanksgiving movie to go see, and we lucked out this year.  I adore having a new movie to see.  The animation was beautiful.  I loved the tropical look of the movie.  The colors were vibrant and made me want to go to Hawaii as soon as possible. For all those curious, there is no song that will become an ear worm LOL so that idea, you can let it go LOL my favorite song in move was sung by Dwayne Johnson.  Can you believe The Rock sings Disney LOL his “You’re Welcome” was funny.  Every time I watch Maui on screen, I imagined The Rock.  BTW: Dwayne Johnson is perfect as Maui the shapeshifting demigod.  His tattoos tend to steal a few scenes LOL opposite his is newcomer Auli'i Cravalho as Moana.  She is spunky, fun, and actually has a normal shape.  As a toddler, you just want to pick her up and hug her she is so cute.  Moana loves the ocean, but her dad does not let her go into the ocean. He is very protective father and chief, which makes Moana a reluctant princess.  Best line courtesy of Maui is “If you wear a dress and have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess”.

Of course, when her people are threatened it is up to Moana to save the day.  You know it has to do with her sailing the ocean.  That scene also has a great song and animation.  Moana and Maui are fun characters, but my favorite is hei-hei the chicken.  He is so stupid and funny.  That bird does not help in the least, but he is cute and colorful, so I like him.  I will not give away any spoilers, the internet is already full of them.  I just wanted to share that the movie was great.  The animation beautiful, the songs fun, and the story entertaining. No romance, just a movie about a courageous teenage girl, who wants to protect her people.  All of us adore the movie.  Oh, and the short film at the beginning was great.  The animation was superb, but the plot was geared more towards adults. I know it inspired me to want to break out of the rut, and not worry so much.  So, for fun I recommend have a tropical inspired dinner, then getting dressed up in colorful attire, and heading over to see Moana as soon as possible.  You won’t regret it.

Found a Place at Disney World

Well last week was interesting.  My mom, Staci, and I drove down to Kissimmee in order to find a new place to live.  Happily we did, so we were free to go to Disney World!!!  We went to check into our resort, The All Star Sports Resort is one of our favorites.  That is when we met a cast member who actually was grumpy.  I didn't think they were allowed to be grumpy.  We got "We're Celebrating" buttons, since we were celebrating moving to Disney, and the cast member had nothing nice to say about the area, instead she went on a rant that she was only there because of her job.  I was shocked.  I cannot imagine being that close to the happiest place on Earth is not fun.  Any way buttons proudly displayed we hopped onto the shuttle.  We went to the new Disney Springs for the first time, and it was quite different from the way it used to be.  It was more of an upscale mall, and less of a Disney wonderland.  Perhaps I just need to give it some time, and explore it more.  I only really went to the Visitor Center to get my shiny new platinum plus annual passes :) The Visitor Center was nice, and if you are thirsty they have a huge dispenser of ice cold lemon water that is free and refreshing.  After getting the passes we got on the shuttle to go to Epcot.  We chose Epcot as first park since the Magic Kingdom was having the first Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party that night and would be kicking people out around 4pm. OMG it was so fun walking into Epcot, of course I had to be randomly selected to go through the metal detector LOL  I guess I looked suspicious. The decorations were up for the Food and Wine Festival, and they were beautiful.

 Our original thought was to partake of all the dishes offered for the festival, but those kiosks were so busy that we just decided to have a late lunch at the Biergarten in the Germany Pavilion.  I had never eaten there , so I was curious.  The food was served in a buffet.  I liked the beet salad, and the potato salad.  The schnitzel was yummy, and the desserts were decadent.  I liked the apple strudel with vanilla sauce.  Disney needs to learn how to do sweet tea though LOL Now here is where people with annual passes need to be careful.  For the resort we had magic bands, and with it we were using the app My Disney Experience.  We had our resort reservation details, our fast passes, and dinner reservations linked to the bands. Apparently though when we went to Disney Springs and upgraded, everything was unlinked.  Cue a moment of panic when I looked at the app and found everything gone.  Thankfully the waitress noticed my distress, and immediately got the manager who contacted some fairy godmother, who put back all my information.  Crisis averted, check paid, so off to fun.  Did you know that there is a drawbridge by The Outpost?  I didn't, yet twice in one day we had to wait for it to go back down.. Staci and I entertained ourselves banging on drums. Then beeline to my favorite ride.  The Three Caballeros in the Mexico Pavilion.  I love the Donald Duck ride.  Inside is a lot like It's a Small World, but it has these beautiful fiber optic fireworks.  Disney Imagineers are genius with decorating rides. The new Soarin Around the World was amazing.  I will miss the orange fragrance of the California version, but the scent of the African Savannah was so real.  I loved seeing the baby elephant.  Journey into Imagination with Figment was so fun,  We finally figured out if you bounce up and down on the squares the instrument plays a song. All of Epcot was fun, though our feet paid the price.  By the end of the night my activity tracker said I had walked 20,000 steps, so we were hobbling to buses.   The next morning we woke up and had Mickey Waffles LOL there is no better way to start the day than those fluffy delights.  Then it was off to the Animal Kingdom.  Perfect weather for just wandering around.  We were not really concerned with rides, we just looked around at all the interesting decor.  In the late afternoon it was back to the resort for a much needed nap.  We finally stumbled out of bed, and made our way to the Magic Kingdom. It was definitely magical!!!

The Christmas decorations were so beautiful.  The castle stage looked different.  We found out it was because they were filming the Christmas Special in the parks.  The park was very crowded, but we were rested, and we had magic hours.  We used our fast passes to go on Peter Pan;s Flight, Philharmagic, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.  After the parade and fireworks the parks cleared out, and that is when the fun began.  We got to walk onto most rides with little to no wait.  We closed the park down at 1a.m. The next morning it was time to drive back home.  We were exhausted. Uneventful drive back, and then sleep.  I had to go to work Friday night.  I made it on time, and just out of curiousity I looked to see who I would be working with Saturday night. Surprise surprise not me.  I had been taken off the schedule with no notice to me.  So now I am unemployed.  Walking out Saturday morning I almost cried.  I know I had turned in my notice, but to be let go eight days earlier than expected, was a shock.  I did not get to say goodbye to a lot of people.  Five years just abruptly ended.  It was a strange week, but now it is time to get ready for a whole new world LOL so I don't dare close my eyes.
                                                       
                                                             Hakuna Matata :)

We're Moving to Disney World

already personalized mine a bit :)

Well my secret is out LOL. For the past year, I have been planning to move to the Orlando, Florida area.  Specifically, Kissimmee which is home to Disney!!!!  It has been a challenge keeping it to myself at work.  I did not want to deal with that yet.  This past weekend it was finally time to turn in my resignation.  Oh, my goodness was I nervous.  I really hate confrontations, so I just posted it on my director’s door and left.  I did not tell people until it was close to time because this one time I gave three months’ notice that I was planning on moving to Arkansas, and my boss fired me on the spot.  Said my focus would not be on the job, so I should just leave that day.  Since then I have kept my mouth shut until the last minute.  Deed is done now, no turning back.  Sort of funny, but in a month, I am homeless and unemployed if I don’t get my act together. 

So, next week my mom, Staci, and me are going down to Kissimmee to see about locking in a place to live.  My son has college classes, so he cannot go with us unfortunately.  We are hoping to get it handled Tuesday morning, which will leave us time to go to Disney Springs, where we can pick up (insert imaginary trumpets sounding) our Disney PLATINUM PLUS ANNUAL PASSES!!!!!  I am so excited.  No home, no job, but I have annual passes LOL  I have my priorities straight LOL.  I cannot believe I will be less than ten minutes away from the Disney Parks.  It is just a dream come true that whenever I feel like it I can go stroll around Epcot, play with the animals at Animal Kingdom, take in a show at Hollywood Studios, or just visit Mickey and the gang at the Magic Kingdom.  We can also go swim at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach when it gets too hot down there LOL  I have never been to the water parks so looking forward to seeing those.  My dream job would be to work at Disney, so going to keep my eye open for nursing jobs in the parks.  Shoot sometimes I think it would just be fun to work in one of the cute shops down there LOL

That’s why, if anybody is really curious, I decided to home school Staci.  The schools down in Orlando area are unknown.  Until I find a good one, it is home school for us.  I am also hoping to find an actual dream home for me to buy.  So, I will take the year lease that we must sign and find my perfect place.  One with a backyard big enough for a garden, maybe a small pool, a place to have a real barbeque grill, and fenced so I can get a dog.  Oh, and a porch and front yard that I can decorate during the holidays.

So, that is my secret I have been keeping all year LOL we from work that is.  So, excited to get to experience all that the Orlando areas has to offer.  So many places to blog about, so it should get more exciting in this blog LOL.  If anybody knows of places we should definitely check out, or neighborhoods that are nice, please let me know in the comments.  

Pumpkin Patch Princess' Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Today since Staci was awesomely smart and aced her monthly phone call test with her official teacher, we decided to celebrate by going to the Isle of Faith Pumpkin Patch.  It is such a cute set up, and the cost is based on donations.

            They have a simple maze to get lost in, and an obstacle course to test your skills, as well as fun little things to do all over the patch.  OK all activities are easy to do, even for little toddlers, but Staci still had a good time.  They have tiny all the way to huge pumpkins, in both white and orange, as well as funny shaped gourds in all sorts of colors.

            There is a Pumpkin carriage to whisk you off to an imaginary ball, as well as rocking horses to give chase. There is even a rickety wooden bridge to test your daring spirit.  Everything there is kid friendly, nothing spooky, and we enjoy it every year.

            We came home with a large orange pumpkin for carving, a small white pumpkin, and two small orange pumpkins, as well as a gourd that looks like a black swan.  All of which Staci has declared I am not allowed to carve LOL No homemade pumpkin pie for me, but here is a recipe for all of you

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe

PREP 30mins

COOK 1hr

TOTAL 1hr 30mins

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie

Ingredients

Chilled pie dough for a single crust 9-inch pie

3 large eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 can pure pumpkin puree or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

PREPARE the Pie CRUST

Roll out the dough so that it’s two inches larger than your pie dish. Gently press dough into the dish so that it lines the bottom and sides. Trim dough to within 1/2-inch of the dish edge.

Fold edges of dough underneath itself, creating a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Crimp edges into whatever pattern you like. Refrigerate while you make the pie filling.

MAKE The Pie FILLING

Whisk the eggs and both of the sugars together until smooth. Then add the pumpkin puree, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and the salt. Stir until well blended.

BAKE THE PIE

Heat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the pie shell to a baking sheet. Pour pumpkin filling into the pie shell. Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick or thin knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Rotate the pie once or twice during baking. To prevent the crust from burning, cover with thin strips of aluminum foil.

Now for the big FINISH

Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours or until room temperature. Cut into 8 wedges and serve alone or topped with whipped cream.

To store, cover the cooled pie and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

I Will Not Be Teaching Birds and Bees Any Time Soon.

Last night I got hit with a question I was dreading, and it came when I was sleep deprived which made it so much worse LOL my son came out after talking to his dad on the phone, I innocently asked how his dad was, and behind me I hear my sweet little girl’s voice ask “is your dad my dad too?” well crap!  I say no he isn’t and then “who is my dad? Do I have a dad?” inside I cringed, and was at a total loss.  Anyway with my sleep deprived and addled brain I tried to explain and it sounded so bad in my mind LOL trying to explain that he was anonymous donor, and everything was done in a doctor’s office was next too impossible.  I tried to emphasize that I did not want to share her with a dad, that she was all mine, that I had to fight to keep her brother for so long, that I did not want to risk ever losing her.  I also distracted her with the information that she was a big sister, and she had lots of younger brothers and sisters.  I showed her pictures, and she declared they were all super cute.

             The conversation about the donor was hindered by me not knowing how to explain a procedure that involved using donor sperm and my eggs, to a seven-year-old.  This lead to a debate with a friend over me telling my little girl about the birds and bees now.  I am strongly opposed to that.  She is way too young to be learning about sex. I want her to stay a little girl as long as possible.  She still plays with cuddly stuffed animals, Shopkins, My Little Pony, and Pokémon.   I am old-fashioned in my views on parenting.  I feel like she should be allowed to enjoy being a little girl for as long as possible. 

This means I do not dress her like a miniature adult.  Have you seen the clothes for girls??? They look like outfits a college girl would wear to a club. I also do not let her go places that I, her brother, or her grandmother, are not there to chaperone.  I want to know that she is safe.  I don’t even let her go alone to another kid’s home, because I do not know what goes on there.  Yes, I am paranoid, but unfortunately society has made me that way.  Just turn on any media and you will see children being harmed one way or another.  My friend tried to tell me that all kids her age are already talking about sex.  To me that does not make it right, it just means their parents are making very questionable choices.

            It’s becoming normal for a twelve-year-old girl to date. NOPE NOPE NOPE, not my little girl.  That is way too young.  She is not emotionally ready to date at that age, and definitely not ready to make decisions regarding sex. What happened to sweet sixteen and never been kissed??? Media is definitely sexualizing little girls, making them look older than they are.  Fashion models are often very young; they are just made up to look like they are legal age.  By the time they are the legal age, they are considered too old. 

            OK babbled a bit, but it’s because I feel strongly about this. A seven-year-old girl does not need to learn about sex.  When she hits puberty then we will have a chat, and she will still learn that she is too young for a boyfriend, sex, and all sorts of other stuff.  Adulthood comes soon enough, and with it all sorts of stress.  Children need to enjoy the eighteen years they have, before they are considered adults. They have another seventy years to deal with adult issues.  We need to protect our children, and discourage them growing up too fast.

Hurricane Matthew 2016

          So we are in evacuation zone, but nowhere to go to.  Mayor ordered zones A and B to evacuate early so all hotels and shelters were taken up by them.  By time Mayor said zone C needed to evacuate nothing was left. So we stocked up on water and batteries, have covered the windows in the bedrooms, and are staying put inside.  We are on second floor, so no real worry about flooding up here.  I was a bit disappointed by attitude at my work. As a single mom I am not about to leave my kids in a hurricane alone while I go to work. Plus with 2 cats there is no way I am taking the menagerie to work with me. No place for all of them to stay.  So home I am with my two kids, two cats, and my mom who is having abdominal pain.  I have told her no appendicitis during a hurricane. That is last thing we need.  

          Woke up at 6:30 to my iPhone and iPad blaring a warning from the Emergency Broadcast System saying hurricane is on way, seek shelter now. That woke me up.  Quickly got dressed and looked outside to nothing special.  It is windy here and raining, but I've seen this before.  I am hoping that officials are erring on side of caution with the warnings.  I took a video from my balcony of weather I woke up to.  I will take more as the day goes on.  Reports say that storm really going to get going at around 1pm.

          At least we have weather channel back on TV.. The ironic thing was both weather channels were out yesterday so no real idea what forecast was.  I had to contact my brother in Reno, Nevada to look for me LOL the meteorologists are having a field day on TV right now.  Winds are currently 24 mph and weather man going "your winds will go up and your winds will go up and your winds will go up" like a motivational speaker LOL it just sounded funny.  I know storm not funny, and a lot of people have died already and the destruction is awful, but I'm a wee bit scared so looking for humor to lighten the mood wherever I can.  I'm going to try to get more videos from my balcony today and post them to my Instagram.  I am leeandstacismom there if you want to see what I get.  This is the video I took this morning. I am hoping it works here, never tried video before.

Character Strengths

         

          So for this class I am currently taking, Positive Psychology, I had to take a character assessment that would show me my character strengths.  I must say I am a bit disappointed in my results.  It said my top quality was judgment, followed by prudence, then honesty, and forth perseverance.  How boring am I???  I guess it is a result of being old LOL I have learned to not jump to conclusions, and avoid unnecessary risks.  I made HUGE mistakes when I was in my early twenties, a lot of them I would love to change, but if I did change them I wouldn’t be where I am today.  I have imagined what would have happened if I just did one thing different, and the results would have had a domino effect on my life.  As much as I had to go through horrible times (won’t bore you with details) I could not change anything for fear of losing my kids. I can pinpoint the one event that if altered would have changed my whole life.  No idea if it would have been better, but it would not have my kids in it.  Maybe other kids, but not the ones I have now, and I would never in any life not want them.  Being a mom has forced me to use good judgment and avoid risks if possible.  My kids rely on me to take care of them, and they expect me to be there for them.  I love them, so I am there.  It does lead to me being sad that my hope is the very last thing on my results analysis.  Also way down on the bottom are love and a zest for life.  I wanted to type that I regret the loss of my youth, and wish I had found love, but like I said it would have altered my life in ways that would have cost me Staci.  So she is stuck with being my companion when I am old LOL This was not the post I thought I was going to write.  It changed on me LOL So for all you who peeped at this the take-away is life choices define who you are, so choose wisely.  If any others want to take the assessment it can be found here:  VIA Institute on Character.  My full list of strengths is below if curious.

1 Judgment

Thinking things through and examining them from all sides; not jumping to conclusions; being able to change one's mind in light of evidence; weighing all evidence fairly.

2 Prudence

Being careful about one's choices; not taking undue risks; not saying or doing things that might later be regretted.

3 Honesty

Speaking the truth but more broadly presenting oneself in a genuine way and acting in a sincere way; being without pretense; taking responsibility for one's feelings and actions.

4 Perseverance

Finishing what one starts; persevering in a course of action in spite of obstacles; “getting it out the door”; taking pleasure in completing tasks.

5 Spirituality

Having coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe; knowing where one fits within the larger scheme; having beliefs about the meaning of life that shape conduct and provide comfort.

6 Perspective

Being able to provide wise counsel to others; having ways of looking at the world that make sense to oneself/others.

7 Forgiveness

Forgiving those who have done wrong; accepting others’ shortcomings; giving people a second chance; not being vengeful.

8 Humility

Letting one's accomplishments speak for themselves; not regarding oneself as more special than one is.

9 Fairness

Treating all people the same according to notions of fairness and justice; not letting feelings bias decisions about others; giving everyone a fair chance.

10 Creativity

Thinking of novel and productive ways to conceptualize and do things; includes artistic achievement but is not limited to it.

11 Social intelligence

Being aware of the motives/feelings of others and oneself; knowing what to do to fit into different social situations; knowing what makes other people tick.

12 Leadership

Encouraging a group of which one is a member to get things done and at the same time maintain good relations within the group; organizing group activities and seeing that they happen.

13 Teamwork

Working well as a member of a group or team; being loyal to the group; doing one's share.

14 Love of learning

Mastering new skills, topics, and bodies of knowledge, whether on one's own or formally; related to the strength of curiosity but goes beyond it to describe the tendency to add systematically to what one knows.

15 Self-Regulation

Regulating what one feels and does; being disciplined; controlling one's appetites and emotions.

16 Humor

Liking to laugh and tease; bringing smiles to other people; seeing the light side; making (not necessarily telling) jokes.

17 Kindness

Doing favors and good deeds for others; helping them; taking care of them.

18 Gratitude

Being aware of and thankful for the good things that happen; taking time to express thanks.

19 Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

Noticing and appreciating beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in various domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

20 Bravery

Not shrinking from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain; speaking up for what’s right even if there’s opposition; acting on convictions even if unpopular; includes physical bravery but is not limited to it.

21 Love

Valuing close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing & caring are reciprocated; being close to people.

22 Zest

Approaching life with excitement and energy; not doing things halfway or halfheartedly; living life as an adventure; feeling alive and activated.

23 Curiosity

Taking an interest in ongoing experience for its own sake; finding subjects and topics fascinating; exploring and discovering.

24 Hope

Expecting the best in the future and working to achieve it; believing that a good future is something that can be brought about.