99 Things I Love in 2016

I got the idea for this post from a blog I started following recently called Reflections of a Redhead. On the blog, the writer offers up the challenge to other bloggers to write a list of 99 things that they love and she enjoys doing it so much herself, she’s done it three different times. I love this idea because it’s such a great exercise in practicing gratitude as it forces you to think about all the blessings you have in your life and helps you appreciate them a little bit more. While I was writing my list, I was thinking about all the unique experiences I’ve been lucky enough to have in my life and I even contacted a few people I hadn’t spoken to in ages to recount a funny moment I remembered sharing with them.

So here is my list of 99 Things that I love in 2016. I hope you enjoy and I would love to know some things that you’re loving right now. If you decide to write your own list as a blog post, please leave a link in the comments as I would love to have a read.

1. My crazy, quirky, loveable family. I’m so blessed to have a family who I genuinely like being around.
2. My fur-baby, Stella. I cannot imagine loving my human child as much as I love this little fluff ball.
3. Being an adventurer. Travelling alone especially has opened up a whole new world to me and I wouldn’t change my travel experiences for anything.
4. Hot chocolate with whipped cream and a chocolate flake on a wintery day.
5. Blogging, which is something I’ve only recently got back into but am enjoying very much. Aside from the writing aspect, I’m really loving the community of bloggers and being inspired by other writers in this little corner of the internet.
6. The smell of jasmine in the summertime.
7. Being a Christian. It’s not been an easy road but I wouldn’t give it up for anything.
8. Blank journals. All the possibilities…..
9. A really, really good TV series that you just have to stay up all night to watch. Some of my favourites this year have been Game of Thrones, Outlander, Mr. Robot, Thirteen, Prison Break, The Originals and Broadchurch. Go watch them but only if you are prepared for a giant binge-fest.
10. Bouquets of fresh flowers. I always feel that things in my life are going very well if I have a vase of fresh flowers somewhere in my house.
11. My little orange car. I love her so much; she hasn’t let me down yet and I can always spot her in a crowded car park no matter where she is.
12. Being in the company of creative, inspiring people.
13. My dad’s homemade pizza.
14. Watching home videos and looking at old photos. I love revisiting memories and having something tangible that captures a moment that you never want to forget.
15. Making lists. I don’t know why but it just makes me so happy.
16. My wildly different but very special circle of friends who are scattered all over the world.
17. Random acts of kindness. It makes my heart feel like it will burst with happiness when I see a person doing something for another for no reason other than pure kindness. It gives me hope for humanity.
18. Farmer’s markets. I wish I could get up early enough to go to more of these.
19. Having energy. My health has been all over the place for the past few years and my energy levels have been terrible so I’m ecstatic to be at a stage where I wake up in the morning and feel like I have a normal amount of energy.
20. Christmas morning. Actually anything and everything to do with Christmas. It’s my favourite time of year and I can’t think of a single thing I hate about it. Except maybe Brussel sprouts. 
21. Bubble baths. If there happens to be Lush products, candles and a good book, even better.
22. I do quite enjoy my social media, Instagram in particular. This is with the exception of people posting spoilers for the latest episode of Game of Thrones. That is just not ok!
23. Having a lovely, long lie-in and then eating breakfast in bed while watching Nigella. Bliss!
24. Having a good scream. It’s such a stress release!
25. Fairy lights. Everything just feels a bit more magical with fairy lights.
26. Going to Gold Class movies with my friend, Shelley. She introduced me to Gold Class movies many years ago and we always order ice-cream sundaes that are so big, they come in a fish bowl. Such a decadent treat!
27. Singing ‘Under Pressure’ in the car with my sister while getting McFlurries late at night. It’s become quite the tradition.
28. Lying in bed at night when it’s raining and feeling all cosy and warm.
29. Laughing so hard you pee your pants.
30. Quirky clothes. I love putting something on in the morning that makes me smile and makes me feel a little bit different. 
31. Going for dessert with my friend, Cherese. It’s a beautiful thing when you find someone who shares the same passion for all things chocolate.
32. My Scottish kilt. There are a lot of memories wrapped up in that tartan fabric.
33. Feeling a part of a community when I’m at church. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that feeling and it feels good.
34. Cruising. I went on my first cruise this year and I never want to go on a regular holiday again. I’ve never felt so pampered.
35. Red lipstick. It makes me feel like a sassy minx.
36. The feeling I have when I’m at home. I can only describe it as feeling like I’m wrapped up in a warm, cosy blanket.
37. Going for massages with my mom.
38. Edinburgh. This city will always have a little piece of my soul wrapped up in its cobblestone streets and foggy nights.
39. Musicals and theatre.
40. My book collection. It made me feel like Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ when I finally had enough books to warrant getting a bookshelf ladder. 
41. Giving presents. I get more excited about giving gifts than receiving them at Christmas, especially when I know I’ve found a present that someone is going to love.
42. Cream limoncello. It’s like a lemony Baileys that we discovered in Italy this year and it’s just heavenly.
43. Big, messy, happy family get-togethers with cousins and uncles you haven’t seen in ages and everyone is laughing and being silly and loving each other in their own crazy, comfortable way.
44. Experimenting with new make-up techniques. I’m determined to perfect contouring!
45. Stella’s furry little Grinch paws.
46. Funny travel stories. I love how people do things that they would never normally do on holiday and the hilarious stories that come from these experiences. I have more than my fair share of these particular stories.
47. Popping champagne corks. The sound alone feels like a special occasion.
48. Homemade gifts. I love getting a gift that someone has put their time and effort into, it’s so thoughtful and precious. I have many gifts that my talented mom has made me over the years and I can’t wait to hand some of these down to my children as family heirlooms.
49. Ed Sheeran’s music. And his hair.
50. Getting to see the Colosseum in Rome this year! This has been a lifelong dream of mine and it was every bit as awe-inspiring as I hoped it would be. 
51. Having someone else blow-dry my hair for me. My hair is a lion’s mane most days and it takes a lot of effort to calm it into submission so it is such a treat when someone else tackles with task for me.
52. Reading ‘Little Women’ and ‘Matilda’. These two books are my childhood in pages.
53. My skin. I’ve been blessed with good genes and a mother who always made me wear suncream so my English-rose skin has not suffered too badly in the Australian sun.
54. Anything to do with Wonder Woman.
55. Jumping on a freshly made bed. Particularly someone else’s.
56. Harry Potter books. All of them.
57. My coffee mug collection. I’m very specific about the kind of mugs that I like so it’s like discovering gold when I find one that meets all my unique specifications (and if it happens to have rose gold on it anywhere, even better).
58. The exhilaration of jumping into a pool on a hot day with all your clothes on.
59. Road trips. I love being able to jump in the car and go on an adventure somewhere for the weekend.
60. Catching people in their unguarded, honest moments. 
61. Bookshops. Second-hand, brand-new, independent, chain stores, I love them all. I love the smell of books, the feeling of undiscovered treasures and the calmness that bookshops exude.
62. Yoga. I never, ever feel like going to a yoga class but I always enjoy it when I go. I like feeling my body getting stronger as I’m able to hold poses I struggled with before and I like how totally relaxed I feel during the breathing exercises. Yet still I resist!
63. Toasting marshmallows on a bonfire. One of my favourite childhood memories.
64. Outdoor eating areas on busy city streets where there are plenty of opportunities for people watching.
65. Cinnamon scented candles.
66. Room service. It’s like breakfast in bed all day without even having to do your own dishes.
67. My mom’s winter puddings.
68. Water parks, fun fairs and carnivals. I love fast rides and watersides and carnival games.
69. The luxury of being able to spend hours writing in a coffee shop or playing card games in a pub when there is nowhere else you have to be.
70. Dancing like a mad woman and not caring one bit. 
71. Reading my old diaries in all their cringe-worthy glory.
72. South African ribs. Mmmm!!
73. Finishing an article or story or blog post. It’s such a great feeling typing that very last word!
74. Getting a spray tan. I’ve never in my life been able to tan so it’s a new experience for me.
75. Growing my own herbs. I’m awful at remembering to water them but when I do, it’s pretty cool cooking with something you’ve grown yourself.
76. Checking things off my ‘to-do’ list. So satisfying!
77. Eating strawberries and cream in secret gardens.
78. My granddad’s house at Christmas.
79. Finding friends who are just as weird as you.
80. People who are encouragers. We need more people like this in the world!
81. Ben & Jerry’s ‘Half Baked’ ice-cream. Pint-size, please!
82. That feeling in your tummy when you do something really scary and it actually turns out alright.
83. Dreamers.
84. Watching Vlogmas videos on Youtube. All year long.
85. Aimless wandering in foreign cities.
86. My friend Taty’s chocolate mousse.
87. Lying in the warm sun on a fluffy beach blanket smelling of coconutty suncream.
88. Movie nights at my brother and sister-in-law’s house.
89. The Shakespeare and Co. bookshop in Paris. If I could only ever visit one bookshop in my life, this would be it.
90. Drawing for no other reason than for your own pleasure. 
91. The feeling of being loved and accepted and admired for who you are.
92. Eating the leftovers from a party late at night in your pyjamas.
93. Leaving a place and feeling like you still have so much to discover there.
94. The Christmas markets in Berlin.
95. Quirky things that are there for no other reason than to look cute. Like when people hang hundreds of multicoloured umbrellas from the ceiling just because it looks cool.
96. Pepperoni pizza and wine on a Sunday night watching ‘The Tudors’ with my favourite American roommate.
97. Documentaries about psychopaths and murderers. I find them endlessly fascinating and disturbing at the same time.
98. Coming home from a shopping trip with bags full of treasures.
99. Knowing that there are still so many unexplored adventures waiting out there in the world.