My Happiness Projecct

Well... as nice as 6 days of vacation was , I have to admit that I'm happy to be home. I could go on and on about all the funny things that happened , all the cool things we saw and people we met . But I will save that all for another day ....
On the last night of our trip my phone was stolen ... I sat it down on the bathroom counter to help Brit fix her purse strap and when I went to grab it it was gone . The bathroom attendant lady didn't have it , security didn't have it ... I was freaking out. We all know that our lives are on our phones and I hated the thought of some stranger having access to my life. Luckily since it was an iPhone it had an access code and I was able to use some ladies phone to get on and mark it stolen .... when I used the location app the next morning it led me to a parking garage and a storm drain ... the person not being able to use it I guess decided to throw away the evidence ... I was so mad , so sad and so disappointed with myself and my irresponsibility.  I was also confronted with how much I relied on my phone and how lost I felt without it.
Let's just say that the rest of the day was spent replaying my poor decision over and over in my head ... the "why me" statement was muttered a few times ... I wasn't upset over just the phone but I think it triggered so many other issues I've been facing lately and without a phone to distract me from reality I was faced to be alone with my thoughts .
I decided to look around the airport for a book to read while we waited for our now delayed flight .... I couldn't bring myself to read a romantic novel ( the thought of love made we want to cry and barf at the same time ). I had no desire to read the gossip magazines... I just was having a pity party for myself ..poor me ... no phone ... no love in my life ... my vacation was over , I had broken two pair of shoes and spent way too much money ...
But somehow I managed to pick up this book called "The Happiness Project" ... it was exactly what I needed ... Brit And I had been discussing what would actually make us "happy" all week . Vacations only provide a temporary break from reality and I was not looking forward to returning to mine . Although I have so much to be happy about and generally like to think of myself as a happy person . I know that I'm not living up to my full potential or even enjoying the joys of everyday .
Tears started rolling with just the first few pages .... it was exactly what I needed ... I needed to start a Happiness Project!
With the recent passing of my sweet sister in law it put things into perspective for me ... we never know when our time here is done .. we need to be living each day to our fullest potential ... I needed to be a better mother , a better sister etc . I needed to start doing all the things I'd been procrastinating and live in the NOW !
As hard as it was to finish the book with 3 little boys constantly interrupting ... what did help was not having a phone ! Not only were there less distractions but I think it was nice for my kids to see a book in my hands rather than a phone . In fact at one point they were all reading as a well.  So I've officially finished and am now working on my resolutions to make my year of happiness begin. Part of this process is to document your progress , highs and lows , life lessons and so on
.. so what better way then to blog it on here . I'm so excited to be doing something positive with my life and love working on being a better person . It's not going to be easy . I have some major things /habits that I know I need to work on to become a better and happier person , but I was so Inspired by this book that I am willing to give my happiness my time and attention ... as selfish as it sounds she explains that  one of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy ... one of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself .
My resolutions are aimed at making me a better more patient structured and present parent...
Finding out what my passions and hobbies are ,
Building my testimony and a solid foundation... becoming more independent and financially responsible and so on !
My Happiness Project starts July 1st.... so watch out world ... a new improved and happier Whitney is on her way!