joy, part 3

Quite a while back, I posted two different entries entitled "joy." Tonight, I believe I will write a list entitled "Joy - Part 3." I had a bit of a dark day today... Nothing happened to me personally, just a lot going on in my head and my heart. But, it is very easy for me to dwell in sadness... Instead, I shall share with you my joys... Some of them may be repeats from my first two lists as it's been a while since I last read over them, and some of them will just be things I'm really thankful for... Without further ado, here is my current "joys" list:

1.) Rain dances with Amelia Rabelhofer
2.) Elephants... could there be a cooler animal?
3.) Power outages... Ok, not for obscene amounts of time... but there's something so cool about sitting by candelight and playing with flashlights!
4.) Running into old friends
5.) Little kids driving the "truck" carts at the supermarket who tell me they're driving to the zoo to see the ephalants, giraffes, fishies, froggies, and dinosaurs (yes, there's a dinosaur exhibit at our zoo)
6.) Flipz White Fudge Covered Pretzels... oh yeah... rock star!
7.) Late night conversations with random people (like Jen Howver!)
8.) Good documentaries
9.) Finding a "Short Stories From The New Yorker" book on sale for $7!
10.) Little kids... man, I hope I get to be a parent some day!
11.) Used bookstores
12.) Old buildings that look like they should be a part of "The Shining"
13.) Playing the game Telephone in church (yeah, we did that)
14.) The color orange
15.) Newsboy caps
16.) Alterra Coffee by the lake - such a great place to hang out!
17.) Adjustable shower temperatures... I take showers for granted.
18.) Books by Mo Willems...look it up.
19.) Polaroid pictures... old school baby!
20.) Smiles from elderly people - love 'em when I can get 'em!
21.) The song "Dancing Generation" by Matt Redman
22.) Worship lead by Brandon Grissom
23.) The city of Chicago... does it get any cooler?
24.) Trains... Craig K - you've opened my eyes to a love for trains!
25.) Carpet squares
26.) Maniac Mansion for Nintendo - the original
27.) Resurrecting old-school Christian music
(Whiteheart "Powerhouse," baby!)
28.) Getting comments on my blog from people in different countries
29.) Choose Your Own Adventure Books
30.) The Cosby Show

Ok, that's enough for now... maybe in the next week or so, I'll put up another list. Just writing all of these gave me joy... Knowledge of and compassion for the darker things in life are needed, but there should also be a time to rejoice in the amazing things life (and God) graces us with... These are just a few.