Still smiling :)

Although this week started off with more tears than smiles, I'm doing much better now and my smile list is once again pretty long! I'm so thankful for the gift of joy! God has given me so much of it :)
Here's a glimpse of what made me smile this week...

-playing the "newlywed game" with my co-workers... Bobby and I had a slight disadvantage!!

-singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with everyone at our field Christmas party (each person sang one line)

-making special 'last minute memories' before saying goodbye

-opening a few early Christmas presents

-an old grey haired man with a mullet

-English class Christmas/farewell parties... and getting presents!

-new additions to my Christmas decor :)

-teammates who offer to pick up McDonald's for breakfast for you on the way to a 7:00 team meeting! :)

-teammates who patiently wait for me to get ready after having just woke up when the doorbell rang when they came to get me for this 7:00 prayer meeting! (my alarm was in between the on and the off setting so it didn't go off after I re-set it when it went off the first time!

-lively conversations around the table over an amazing potluck lunch with my students

-a very sweet homemade DVD a friend made for me :) and news that this friend has signed up for Bible study!!!

-divine Skype appointments!

-being in my pj's by 6:30 pm :)

-watching a 3 year old fight falling asleep in the car... and losing!

-seeing a few snowflakes falling :)

-making someones day by giving them cookies

-Dad spontaneously telling me I'm beautiful when he saw me on skype :) (when my hair was 'post-shower' and I had no make up on!)

-recalling Mom's 'self hair cutting story'... note to self Dad: Never leave Mom home alone with scissors!!

-"I didn't do it Paul!" (I know, that's only funny to me and my parents...definitely a family joke!)

-dropping one of my chopsticks on the floor and having the lady next to me tell me that it'll cost me 100yen for another pair! :P

-having the church ladies 'grill' me about how things got started between Bobby and I, asking all sorts of questions like what our first impressions of each other were and we call each other now! They said it was fun to ask me all these questions because their daughters don't talk to them about this kind of thing :)

-a sweet lady in the church paying for my lunch as my Christmas present :)

-finding a surprise present under my tree! (Guess I chose the right people to give my spare key to!)

-knowing that I'm being looked out for while Bobby's gone :) (thanks Aki!)

-unexpected skype dates with a handsome young man in Maryland :)

-faithful smile list bloggers :) (that didn't even need the friendly reminder I was planning to give!!)

-finding out that I made someone smile!

-being told I'm a fun e-mail writer :)

-helping Yumi with her Christmas parties... forcing 7 year olds to speak English is always so fun :P

-eating Pizza Hut pizza and raspberry chocolate chip ice cream for dinner

-helping a friend decorate her house for Christmas

-joking with teammates

and last but certainly not least...
-daily reminders that I'm loved and missed :)

As ususal, I'm sure I've forgotten things and there's also things that I've left out on purpose due to fear of embarrassing someone! Again, I'm thankful that God has given me so much to smile about! He is so good to me :)

What made you smile this week?