the art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things

well hey there! so this blogging thing is pretty new to me but I have a lot of thoughts and I love journaling but I thought maybe I should try out a blog.  Any way I just want to explain the title of my blog "this is happiness" it's actually the title of one of my photo albums on Facebook.  I love it because that album is a bunch of pictures from the summer after my senior year of high school, aka the best summer ever (if you want to check out the album just click here)  I honestly can't remember a summer where I was happier.
That summer was perfect, not because nothing bad happened though, no it was because that was the summer where I lived my life with no regrets.  It was a summer where I really felt like my priorities were in line and every day was magical.  I didn't really do anything that amazing that summer, I went to a concert, trek, retreat for girls, lava hot springs, but most days I worked and then came home and hung out with my best friends and sisters.  It was pretty ordinary honestly.  That was the magic though I was SO happy just with the ordinary.  I learned to drink in every moment and love where I was right then.
I think this is a good time for me to tell you about the person who changed my life forever.  His name is Michael Adam Jarman.  Ok, so maybe I am a little biased since we did date.  However Michael was the best at what he liked to call "momentism" which was just loving life for what it is in that moment.  Here is something else you should know about me... I love to have a plan... like I always have a plan.... like always.  In fact if I don't have a plan I am usually really stressed.  Michael was the opposite and when I was in one of those freak out modes he would make me sit down and love the moment.  "Kalli listen to the wind in the leaves, feel the sun on your skin, the grass on your feet" and instantly the moment became magical.
This is what I feel like the world misses out on sometimes.  We are all so worried about moving through life, to the next big bench mark, that we miss the moments that really mark our lives.  That is what I'm working on right now, is soaking up the moment, which can really be hard when you are in college.  It's hard to love the moment that you are fighting off sleep in the middle of class but I really do believe that life is magical and if we can learn to harness that "magic"? then our lives can really reach that maximum potential.
Last night I went home to see my little sister's musical alice in wonderland.  Emma was the cheshire cat and had a pretty big role.

me and emma at the play

  There was a point half way through the musical where I was sitting in between my sisters Quinci and Rylee and I realized this moment right now is perfect nothing could make it better, and I just couldn't stop smiling.  There wasn't anything remarkable about that moment but it was magical sitting there with these little girls who are such a big part of my life. Knowing that we are going to be together forever and that we can always count on each other for anything that made it magic.  I wouldn't change last night for anything and it is moments like those that make our lives worth wile.

happiness is something that comes from the inside out.  We can't control what happens to us but we CAN control how we react and this I believe is how to live a happy life.

this is probably one of my happiest simple magical moments it was at my cousin's wedding and actually we were having a hard time getting the sparklers lit when this picture was taken but it was perfect and wonderful (see it's the simple joys )