The little things that make me happy

This is the first blog of many to come so I feel like it may be fitting to introduce myself before I get into a list of little things that make me happy. My name is Andie Rau, I am a photographer, a debater and the Treasurer of Student Council at my school. In my free time I enjoy reading and watching Tik Toks, but the are many other little things everyday that spark some happiness in my life.

1. When it storms at school

This is possibly the best time at school, the rain hitting the windows and the darkness seeping into the classroom make school calming. I think that rain can often act as an escape in my life, whenever it rains I find I can just listen to the sounds and for a moment all the anxieties fade away. At school this experience is even better, it's a little thing but rainy days are some of the calmest i’ve ever had at school.

2. Driving at night

I only have my permit so this is something I have not yet experienced to the fullest but even how it is I love driving at night. The best feeling is rolling down the windows, opening the sunroof and turning the music up loud. Often the roads are pretty quite and the are less people out at night so it’s a little bit easier to go over the speed limit, adding to the excitement.

3. Watching my fish swim around

At the moment I only have four fish, my betta Atticus, and three others named Sicily, Luna, and Draco. In addition to them I have snail named Shellington who I find in the most random spots in my fish tank. Before I moved into my basement my fish tank was on my desk so I could just sit there and watch all day.

4. Making playlists

Around every two weeks I find myself needing to make a new playlist, sometimes out of boredom, or sometimes because I get tired of all my other playlists. I enjoy having a different playlist for a situation or a mood. One I made recently was for an eight hour car ride to go get my puppy, there wasn't any radio coverage for around four hours of that trip so my music was all I had to listen to.

5. Making food and deserts

I by no means am a good cook but this is still something I find can help me escape a little bit from my daily routine. Just last night I made chocolate rice krispie treats for my mom. These only take around 20 minutes but it still makes me happy. An added bonus is making the rest of my family, primarily my mom, happy because they all get to eat the rice krispies.

6. Late night showers

Over the summer my sleep schedule was practically nonexistent, I was going to bed around five am and waking up at two pm. Thus my love for late night showers was born, around 2 am is the optimal time. My family would be asleep and the house would be dead silent almost making it feel like i’m the only one there. I had these lights in my room that would light up blue or red and I would bring that into my bathroom with the lights off so there is only the faint hue of the lights in the bathroom. Something about this and a good playlist really helped me feel like I was escaping and during that time I could really use an escape.

7. Green kitchens

I love green kitchens! Dakota Johnson’s Kitchen is the most perfect kitchen I’ve ever seen, the plants really tie everything together. There is something about the color green in a kitchen that just seems strange enough to work.

Dakota Johnson’s kitchen

8. Reading and my bookshelf

I have always had a passion for reading and have been adding to my collection of books since the seventh grade. There's something therapeutic about picking up a book you’ve read a dozen times and continuing to find new things in the book you haven't noticed before. My bookshelf now only has one empty shelf but, everytime I buy a new book I get the enjoyment of rearranging the shelves to make room for that book.`

9. Getting coffee

I love all the little coffee shops around Kansas City where you walk in and there's mismatch furniture and the smell of espresso. Even just going to get Starbucks is exciting. During the summer my mom took my sisters and I to go to random little coffee places around our house and those were some of the best days of the summer.

10. Pinterest cakes

I discovered “minimalist cakes” on Pinterest through Tik Tok this fall and there is just something so pleasing about them that I will never be want a normal cake again. These show up all over my Pinterest feed and they never fails to make me a little happier.

Whether you go out and buy a fish, shower super late, or go on a pinterest journey looking at cakes or kitchens I hope that this list has inspired anyone reading to enjoy life's little excitements. I find them better than a surprise present or vacation anyways.