The Secret To Happiness

I was talking to Toni on the phone the other day and told her how in our most recent sojourn out to the patch of grass outside our apartment door, Adam and I spread the boy out on a blanket to enjoy the atmosphere while we picked clover out of the grass. (Before I married Adam, I thought clover was just part of grass.)

"You just live an idyllic life, don't you?" she asked me.
I fell silent while my brain whirred a little.
"No, I don't think it's that," I said. "I think it's just that we have low expectations."

I told that to Adam and he just laughed and said I had hit it on the head. I guess this is the secret to our happiness: low expectations. Simple pleasures is another, slightly nicer way to put it. Yes. Much better.

Simple pleasures is the fuel behind my impending birthday celebration this year. As with all good celebrations, my birthday this year is solely based around food. Like the time Haley and I roadtripped to Vegas solely for the excuse to cram In-N-Out, Cheesecake Factory and The Rio buffet into our greedy mouths before calling it a day and wrapping up our Fat Fun in Vegaz adventure. We literally had no other plans besides eating, and screaming our brains out to Queen's Greatest Hits on the way there and back while I shoveled in the Twizzlers as fast as I could grasp them in my sweaty palms.

But I digress. My dear husband has promised me the following:
1. A possible swing by Cafe Rio for two Apple Beers.
2. Dinner at Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles because just the sound of that place has been tugging at my ear since I first picked up the Best of Phoenix issue at the OB's office in October.
3. Cupcakes at Sprinkles. Two of them, and I get to pick the flavors.
4. Window shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square, because there's no place I'd rather get in a good gawk than Williams-Sonoma. (My secret plan is to bring two paper lunch bags to wrap our Apple Beers in and see iffen we can discombobulate the privileged people enjoying their privileges.)

If that sounds like a low-impact birthday to you, let me assure you that there's literally nothing I would rather be doing to usher in the ol' 26 than go out on a date with Adam and eat delicious, fatty, sugary things. I've been on a no gluten, no dairy, no sugar diet for the last two weeks and just the thought of shoving a baked good into my mouth leaves me feeling giddy and slightly weepy with happiness.

Low expectations. Simple pleasures. Apple Beer. This is our secret.
Amen.