Things that Brought me Joy, Vol. 5

I want to identify joyful things in my life because joy keeps me sane. For me, joy includes things that make me smile or laugh, as well as things that make me feel seen, appreciated, accomplished, present, and connected. I easily forget about and gloss over things that bring me joy, and I don’t want to take those things for granted anymore. Hence, this feature.

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Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you opt to purchase something after clicking a link, I may receive a small commission or other reward at no additional cost to you. Go get you some cool shit! Thank you!

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Things of Joy

• This Effin’ Birds notebook that I will eventually purchase
• Key lime pie is my favorite pie, so I’m thinking about buying a “grow anywhere Key lime tree” from Uncommon Goods. Anyone tried to grow their own Key limes in Iowa before?
• I’ve wanted one of these Swearing Patterns mugs forever. So, I bought two. Y’all know I collect mugs, right?

Helpers

Thank you to everyone who has helped my sister so far!

Memories

• So many of these Adventureland pictures but especially the first one of the Silly Silo.
• In what has to be one of my favorite Gen X moments, Spencer’s invited me to be an affiliate. I appreciate that they’ve embraced their NSFW roots because, when I was growing up, I walked around in Spencer’s looking for the naughtiest thing I could find. Now, they’re like, “Fuck it! We’ll just be an adult store!” Like they sell vibes now! Anyway, here’s 20% off any one item with the code TWENTYOFF. 😉

Money

I mentioned how much I’ve earned thus far in interest at Wealthfront. In January, it was $27.41. That’s enough to cover our streaming services for a month. I wish I’d opened a high-yield savings account sooner!

Eats of Joy

• I ordered a box from Try the World, so we shall see if it’s worth it!
• The smoked chicken pizza at Cosi Cucina in Clive is easily my favorite pizza in the Des Moines Metro. It is topped with smoked chicken (duh), caramelized onions that are like candy, Roma tomatoes, mozzarella, gorgonzola, alfredo, and olive oil. The crust is cracker-thin and, surprisingly, holds up to most of the toppings. When you get into the middle, it gives up a little, but the rest is firm. Honestly, this is in my top ten in the area.

Joyful Thoughts

Chicago Cubs pitchers and catchers report in seven days! Baseball is so close! And yes, there will be baseball moments in this feature once the season starts. Just scroll beyond them if you’re the kind of person who says “sportsball.”

Creations of Joy

Here’s a sneak peek of something I’m bringing to central Iowa soon! If you want one, let me know! The first run will only be 12 shirts. If they sell out, I’ll have more printed. Price is TBD.