Every time the rain begins to fall I can't help but start to smile.  When it turns into a full-blown thunderstorm and downpour of rain I get really excited!

Rain isn't the typical favorite kind of weather.  For many it can be a least favorite because it disrupts plans to be outside for the day, takes a toll on travel, and just looks gloomy.  There are many songs dedicated to rain as being a bad thing; Bring on the Rain, Come on Rain, and Rainy Days and Mondays just to name a few.  Poor rain, it gets such a bad reputation.

I, for one, absolutely love the rain.  It really is my favorite weather.  When I tell that to my friends and family they give me a strange look and say "Ya, I like the rain, but I'd much rather have sun."  I tell them I'm the other way around.  When it rains I feel calm.  I love being outside during a rainstorm - taking a walk, reading on my balcony, whatever it takes to get me near that water that falls from the heavens.  It's beautiful, crisp, and clear. 

I can't explain it completely, but it's just perfect.  Besides, you can never have the rainbow without a little rain.

"I Open at the Close"

This morning I went to see the final installment of the Harry Potter series.  It's over.  It began for me 12 years ago - I was in elementary school and everyone was reading the Harry Potter books.  I was (like I am now) a non-conformist and didn't want to read the books because everyone else was so absorbed in them.  I was busy reading other books that weren't quite as popular anyway.

One day my mom took me grocery shopping at Sam's Club and when we first entered the store there was a HUGE stack of Harry Potter books 1-3.  My mom knew that I loved reading, so she grabbed a copy of each and told me she'd just heard about them and thought I might enjoy it.  I rolled my eyes, but didn't object to her buying them.  That day when we got home my curiosity got the better of me and I sat down to read The Sorcerer's Stone.  The first chapter didn't quite do it for me, though I know that a lot of other people were immediately hooked.  I decided to continue reading anyway.  Once Harry finally got to school I became fascinated!  I probably finished the book in a week (which is saying something since I was in 2nd grade!)  I turned to the second and third books and fell in love with the series!  I guess it wasn't popular just because people decided to jump on the bandwagon - it was actually really good!

When I first heard that they were going to make a movie I wanted to be in it, of course.  I was just turning 11 that year - perfect age to play Hermione (though many people said since I have red hair I should have wanted to be Ginny).  Unfortunately I found out a week later that they were already halfway done with filming - wow I guess I missed the boat completely on that one.  No matter - I went to see the movie on opening day with my sister and brother-in-law.  The entire time I was whispering to her "Oh no!  They left out that part?!"  Looking back, I don't miss too much of what was left out; the movie would have gone on for at least 5 hours if everything was included!

Today - 12 years later, having read each book 9 times, I saw the final movie.  It's interesting to wonder - with Harry Potter being such a huge piece of our culture, what will the world's attention turn to now?  Sure Twilight (something I still refuse to read/watch) has had its moments in the sun, but it has never captivated so much of the world as Harry Potter had.

It's over.  More than half my lifetime was spent in the company of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  I will still continue to re-read the books and watch the movies occasionally, but there will be nothing more added.  My memories will live on, but the characters will cease to develop and there will be no more adventures within the Hogwarts castle.

Today I lift my wand in the air in tribute to Harry Potter, "the Boy Who Lived" and to J.K. Rowling for creating a masterpiece, a timeless classic that will continue to live on in memory, and something that will be read and watched time and time again.  Long live Harry Potter!

Happy Thoughts

The opening shifts at Jamba Juice are my favorite shifts for many reasons.  The opening crew is great - these people are just happy people.  Of course we all have our bad days or bad moments, but these people get over those bad moments rather than dwelling on them and bringing their problems to work.  Whether it's blasting Disney music in the store or playing "Guess that Disney song/character" it's hard to stay down in an atmosphere that is so positive.

Yesterday my friend, Susan, introduced me to a game she's played many times - the "Happy Thoughts" game.  Every 15 minutes you write down something that makes you happy.  To make it even more challenging for us, after we were an hour or two into the game we decided we couldn't use any more Disney happy thoughts.  It was more fun to come up with things unrelated to Disney, because then we notice how truly blessed we are.

My list included things such as:  rain, reading, ukuleles, going on walks, and writing in my journal.  Susan's list included:  cooking, anything that smells like pumpkin, and cutting out paper snowflakes.  Nick's list was probably the most entertaining because he played it off as more of a joke, but still happy thoughts:  Covering and uncovering his ears while vacuuming (making funny noises), orange carrot juice, and looking (out-of-focus) at Christmas lights.

All of these happy thoughts, whether on my own list or on theirs, could have been on my own.  There are so many things that I could have written, but there just wasn't enough time to list them all.  This is definitely a game I'd like to play throughout each day.  It's kind of like finding those simple pleasures in life and just going with it.  There are so many little things in life that can make a person happy, it's hard to understand why there is so much sadness in the world.

Happy Independence Day!  There are times when we all moan and gripe about the government, but when it comes right down to it, we have more freedom than most countries - freedoms some dare not even dream about.  I'm proud to be an American!