#549 School field trip day

Neil Pasricha

It all starts with the permission slip.

Yes, when teachers send them home before the bell rings so parents can rubber stamp the bumpy yellow bus trip to the museum, then it’s on, my friends, it’s on.

Soon the days count down and the buzz builds up as the class gets ready for the day away from school. The middle-ages unit wraps up at Medieval Times, paintings are handed in before the art gallery, and everyone mails a friend a letter before the tour of the post office.

On the morning of the big day you wake up with some extra pep in your step because you know we’re all going far away. It’s time to skip the portables, soggy sandwiches, and long afternoons with the Spanish teacher.

It’s time to do something different.

It’s time … to go for a ride.

Yes, whether it’s the petting zoo, chocolate factory, or a long hike in the woods, it’s time to enjoy the school vacation with some of the following perks:

1. Subs in the house. Taking thirty screaming seven-year-olds to the planetarium is a bit much, so most teachers call in backups in the form of parent chaperones. These subs act like a sweet and sweatered army of substitutes and don’t know enough names or have enough power to mess up the fun. Of course, that’s assuming they’re not your mom or dad. If that happens, your day is done.

2. Wheels on the bus. They go round and round on the way there and back. Yeah, we all gang rush into the slippery seatbelt-free seats and enjoy a loud, laughing party on wheels. There are loud screechy songs, secret makeout sessions, and some friendly gestures at passing motorists. This is also when the classroom’s social structure is on display too — from the cool kids at the back to the nerds sitting with the teacher up front. I really did love sitting up front though. I mean, how about that view?

3. Sealing it in. A friend and I were strolling quickly through an art gallery a couple years back when we stumbled on a group of kindergartners holding a rope and looking at splotchy art paintings. I’ll never remember the jaw-dropping look of pure head-tilting amazement from the little boy at the end of the group — eyes twinkling, mittens hanging out his winter coat, and his whirring brain soaking and swallowing up something beautiful on the wall. And it’s true: field trips often help seal in the learning. Chalk one up for school.

So… let’s enjoy the memories, let’s enjoy the moments, and let’s enjoy the parking lot speed bumps. Yes, let’s all love those special days when dusty chalkboards fade away and buses wheel us down the freeway, far away, far away, far away.

AWESOME!

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Photos from: here, here, here, and here

2,210 thoughts to “#549 School field trip day”

  1. Hi everybody,

    This is a strange comment string.

    From March 15 – 19th, 2010 it was home to Week 1 of 4 of The Book of Awesome Contest. Of the over 2000 entries received, one comment was selected randomly and one was selected to be expanded into the final #549 for the list. Both winners received autographed copies of the book.

    Pasted below is the original contest post, all the original comments, and all comments received after March 19th. It sure is big and chunky but it makes for some fun reading.

    Neil

    —
    Original Post:

    #549 Your idea here.

    Let’s play a game.

    Alright, as you guys know I’m pretty pumped about The Book of Awesome hitting stores April 15th. With the countdown officially on, I thought it’d be fun to drop some personalized, autographed copies of the book in the mail as we roll towards the launch.

    So for each of the next four weeks we’ll have a contest post up on Mondays and will pick two lucky winners each Friday.

    • How do I enter? Super easy. Just tell us in the Comments about something you find awesome what makes it awesome to you.

    • How do I win? There are two ways to win: One winning comment will be written and expanded into entry #549 on the blog and one winning comment will be chosen randomly! For those into math, that means there are two winners each week.

    • When’s the contest end? Can I enter more than once? How will you contact winners? Will you mail books anywhere? Do all comments have to be suggestions? Whoa, whoa, whoa. We’re not that uptight. Okay, let’s see here: 1) Each of the four weekly contests will end Friday at 5pm EST. 2) Sure, you can enter as many times as you want. 3) We’ll use the email addresses entered when you submit your comment to contact the winners. So make sure it’s not your spam account. 4) Yup, I’ll mail the books anywhere. Bolivia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Brazil — if you’ve got an address I’ll get you the book. 5) We’re using a random comment picker for one winner which will include all comments — including thoughts or opinions on other comments. So keep chatting because it helps your chances. (We’ll just delete spam or hateful stuff.)

    • Any legal stuff? Yeah, all contest entries and comments become property of 1000 Awesome Things.

    • What if I have other questions? Just ask them in the Comments. Plus, that doubles as an extra ballot entry for you, too. Superstar commenter Freddo has kindly volunteered to answer questions throughout the week. (For his kindness he wins the grand prize of ineligibility.)

    So! Are you excited as I am? Are you ready to play? Are you ready to make the list? Are you ready for some free books? If so, it’s time to come on down, comment on up, and get ready to win your very own autographed little bit of

    AWESOME!

    1. relieving yourself …after waiting…and waiting…and waiting,

      it’s pure bliss for a few seconds nothing else matters but you and that lovely lovely urinal

      1. This is perfect! I completely agree. The feeling of your stretched bladder finally able to relax is bliss!

      2. i completely agree… i’m in the library working on a project and i have to go really bad… and i know that as soon as i get the chance to, it’ll be like a short trip to heaven :)

        1. Absolutely true. Always happens after a movie where you pretty much can down a liter of coke without realising it.

      4. Here’s an awesome thing: The fact that when you’re really hungry, even something as simple as crackers can be a delicacy (you might want to reword this one a tad. XD)

      5. AWESOME THING: While on vacation in the mountains or in the country you stop in an old-fashioned hardware store and find your favorite old-school candy from back in the day, e.g. wax soda bottles with the mystery liquid; Bottle Caps; Sky Bar.

    2. Finding an inspiring quote that relates to your life.

      Whenever I’m having a rough patch in my life, there is nothing more comfortanting than knowing that I’m not alone. Finding a cool quote on the internet always helps me find that positiveness deep, deep inside me. Now, I know I’m not alone and that there is hope that others give me. AWESOME!

      1. I love this one! For me it is quotes from the bible or from a song, that just fit the mood.

      2. Agreed! I usually save the inspirational secrets from Post Secret and read them when I’m down.

        1. Ditto. Also extremely addicted to quotes. Love looking them up to suit my mood and then posting them on my facebook or twitter.

        1. What about when the music the instruments themselves make is able to stir feelings in you? I’ve always liked that.

          1. when anything makes you feel like you’ve transcended something greater. whether it’s a quote, a song or even just the wind. That moment when you’re just lifted of your worries or troubles or when it finally feels like someone understands that the best.

        1. Neil has already done a lot about friends, but you are right, there is just so much that is so awesome about friends. I particularly think it is awesome when a friend tells you something you need to hear whether you want to hear it or not. That proves that they are the best type of friend.

          1. Definitely. Also when your friends tells you something that you don’t want to hear, like maybe your boyfriend is actually a creep, but you just ignore them. Then, three weeks later, when you come to that conclusion on your own, and your friends DON’T give you any sort of “I-told-you-so” attitude, and are just there for you, that is definitely awesome.

    4. Coincidental Learning

      When you learn about something very random or obscure and then the next day, or a few days later, it’s mentioned in passing by a friend, or referenced in a television show.

      You never know whether you noticed it because you knew about it, or if you were being taught by the Universe ahead of time. Either way, it’s…

      AWESOME!

      1. I LOVE when that happens! Usually those questions are the ones asked on game shows. I just love being able to answer the obscure questions!!

      3. That is awesome! Especially when you’re somewhere a few days later, and someone else asks a question about that information and you can now answer it.

      4. Wow, that is actually one of my favourite feelings. Especially when at the time you were doing something unproductive (like watching Jeopardy) and the answer helps you in some way that is productive(like on a pop quiz). Has the unfortunate side-effect of making you think you can watch Jeopardy all the time though.

      5. Yes it is. Each time it happens I am so proud/surprised, I feel like a little girl at elementary school when the teacher ask a question for wich I already know the answer and everybody else has to check in their books.

      6. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this feeling :)

        It’s like you knew something all along, and it makes you feel really smart.

      7. ahhh i love that. i use my random little facts while watching cash cab or jeopardy :]

        1. this happens to me all the time also with words like i’ll learn a word then the next day it will come up in class or in a book or something and I’ll feel that much smarter because I don’t have to ask what it is or look it up. I already know ;)

      9. I love this because it makes me think, “Wow, I can actually use the stuff I learnt in school.”
        It also helps you understand the jokes in awesome shows like The Big Bang Theory. That’s what I went to university for!

      10. See, I was just talking about this with my friend a couple of hours ago. That’s coincidental talking!

        I just love when that happens. I love random knowledge.

      12. Especially when you learn a new word and then you start hearing it all the time…and understanding it…

        Maybe that only happens to me because I’m younger, but it’s still awesome

      15. I love this too!

        For me though its usually a word that I learn and then I hear it like 3 or 4 times over the next few days. It makes me feel so smart

    5. My Awesome Thing is morning naps. You just slept a solid night before and maybe get up to grab a coffee, but then… right back into bed for another few hours of sleep. Maybe listening to some music or a movie as you drift away back to dreamland.

      1. I love a good morning nap on a day off. My wife sleeps late, so she never gets a morning nap. My rule is that you have to get up early – I hate it when I sleep through my morning nap.

      2. This is great. For me as a college student they are even more amazing. I wake up for my morning class, but as soon as its over I’m back under the sheets with the lights off.

      3. Ooooh. Like this morning, I got all the older kids off to school then climbed back in bed because the three year old was still sleeping. Nice.

      4. I do this every weekday, wake up and let the dogs out, turn on the news, and catch a quick nap when the dogs are done.

    6. The first sunny day that it’s warm enough to be outside without a jacket on in the spring. The whole city is in a good mood. Everyone finds excuses to be outside, everyone is smiling. Awesome! :)

      3. Today is like that where I live, and it is just wonderful. Time to pull out those sunglasses, throw on some flip flops, and just enjoy the beauty!

      5. I get so excited when Spring comes around! Time to get those dresses out of the closet and show off your legs!

      6. that’s what it was like here last week. then on friday it got rainy and hasn’t stopped now everyone is back in that “fuck it I hate winter” mood. I just want spring!!!

      7. oh. done and done!!!
        you hold your breath as you open the door… hoping the piercing cold won’t hit you as you continue out.
        :) ahh

        so good!

      8. That by far is one of the best feelings in the world! After a long, cold, & dreary winter when it is warm enough outside to put your coat away and absorb the Vitamin D!

    7. Relief teachers.

      When you are able to muck around in class without fear of getting told off or yelled at.

    9. You know what’s awesome? Websites that don’t suck. 1000awesomethings.com does not suck, therefore it is awesome!

    10. Morning hugs

      First thing in the morning, my kids will pop up, crawl, or roll out of bed and stumble toward me, sometimes with sleepy eyes barely open, just to give me a hug and get one in return. It just puts us in a positive frame of mind for the start of a day. No matter where the day goes from there, it started right with a warm, cuddly hug.

      Morning hugs with my kids are AWESOME!

      1. For me it would have to be morning kisses from my dog. It’s the only time of the day that I can forgive him for having dog-breath.

    11. The smell of spring.

      The snow is melting, birds are chirping, and the sun is shining brighter than it has in months. And with those beautiful things comes the smell of spring… it’s the world coming to life again after hiding all winter. The grass, the flowers, the sunshine-y air.

      It’s definitely AWESOME!

      1. I love that each season has its own special smell. It’s just something different in the air that tells you that it’s arrived. My favorite is the spring scent, cause you know that Summer is for soon!

      3. I agreed with you! But I actually prefer the smell of a fresh winter day. The kind of day you wake up (and knowing it’s been snowing all night) to find out that this snowstorm is finally over and been replaced by a perfect blue sky and by a bright sun. During those days, I just forget it’s winter and open every window of the house and let the nice breeze enters.

        It makes me smile just by thinking of it.

    12. Walking in the rain when you don’t care about getting wet.

      The rain sucks when your hair is done and you have somewhere nice to be, but when you don’t and you can just walk along and let it soak you through to your skin… there’s no greater feeling. For me, nothing makes me feel more alive than feeling the rain on my face.

      Plus, who doesn’t like splashing in puddles?

      2. Also, stepping in puddles when you have on rain boots! It always makes me feel like I one-upped the rain. Oh, whoops, just stomped in a puddle? GOTCHA. I had on rain boots, so my feet are still dry as a bone. Not to mention it’s really fun.

      3. This is AWESOME! I love that feeling and it is even better when you have those rain boots on and get to splash in those big muddy puddles! Nobody is ever too old to go puddle jumping.

      4. especially because my hair is curly and the rain actually helps it stay in place sometimes

        1. yes! the rain always makes my hair look better for a bit. I love it because I don’t even need an umbrella, just my rain jacket and rain boots, so I can still bike to class and enjoy the rain!

    13. Cooking Food for Your Friends

      Have lots of ingredients? Have lots of friends? Invite them over and you can have a food party! It’s always awesome to see your friends enjoying something that you made yourself!

      1. Most definitely!

        At home, I play the role of personal cheff to my sister and our friends.
        Whether they’re in the mood for pizza, pancakes, or potstickers, I’ll make it for them.
        And..I love doing it!

        It’s also fun to make food with your friends.
        My friend and I once made the most amazing milkshake ever.
        It was strawberry, honey, cinnamon flavored and it was delicious!

      2. And having so much fun cooking that you started a contest of who finishes his receipe before the other and end up cleaning the huge mess it did on your mom’s oven. And on the floor.

        That was fun.

    14. Cooking with someone you love. I have five siblings and we all spent a lot of time in the kitchen together growing up – throwing apple cores at each other, snapping each other with wet towels, teaching ourselves the awesomeness of a meal cooked with love. Then I moved out and married a man who likes to cook too. One of my favorite things is to spend an hour or two with him in the kitchen – pinching his butt when he won’t move out of my way, reading recipes together, and generally not being able to eat the food when it’s done thanks to all the sampling we did during the cooking process!

      1. I love to cook with my boyfriend. It is so much better than eating out because we spend the whole night together. Shopping for the ingredients, we spend time together in the kitchen preparing, then we get to curl up on the couch and eat our delicious meal while watching a new movie!

      2. I agree! The food is better, even if it actually isn’t all that good! I love trying out new recipes with those that I love.

        1. agreed. especially when you botch a recipe. you sit there an comment on how “it’s not awful”… secretly wishing you had just tossed it prior to plating it up. another excuse for take out!

      3. oh! so so true! especially when it’s something neither of you have ever cooked.. :) but somehow you pull it out and it’s pretty dang tasty!

    15. #549 should be

      The day after doing your laundry- where you open the closet and have your whole wardrobe to pick from to wear.

      1. Yes, I agree!
        Everything is more simple, you don’t have to search in all the house to find a piece of clean clothing. You just open the drawer/closet and pick your favourite t-shirt and your lucky socks!

      3. Yes, yes, yes!
        Also discovering that a particular piece of clothing you really like is clean and ready to go out!
        Awesome!

    16. Waking up one morning, after a week of coughing, and realizing, You can breathe again.

      Because you never know how much you miss breathing, until you cannot do so without dislodging a lung in the process. Lets face it people, sickness is not fun. Its days, maybe weeks, on end of cough medicine, cold pills, stuffy noses, chest congestion, and general aches and pains. So when you wake up one morning, magically symptom free, its hard not to take a deep, non-congested breath of

      Awesome!

      1. It’s the worse when you’re trying to eat and you have to keep your mouth open so you don’t suffocate. breathing = awesome.

      2. I’ve been sick for a few days and reading your awesome post is making me feel better. When Incan stop coughing I will definitely breathe in a sigh of relief :)

    18. You know what’s awesome? School field trips. There’s the anticipation for days leading up to the trip – and the better the trip, the longer the anticipation builds – followed by the morning of the trip (waking up & realizing it’s not a normal school day but is instead a FIELD TRIP DAY!). You arrive at school all a-flutter with excitement, barely settle in for attendance & rules & all that boring stuff. Then! You look out the class window only to see those big yellow buses pull up. You know they’re readying to whisk you away to fun.

      Next up is boarding the buses & jockeying for the best seats. Maybe putting the windows down, singing “100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” or something similarly annoying to the adults. Finally, you arrive. Everyone files off the bus & heads out to have fun & maybe learn some stuff. Maybe there’s a special lunch! Maybe there are activities!

      No matter what – even if the school field trip day is boring – it’s still better than a regular old day at school. And that’s AWESOME.

      (EDIT: Congratulations! – Neil)

      1. Yes, it was a very special day. My parents always allowed me to buy a bag of candy to share with my friends in the bus. And it was often on a Friday, so when you return to school when the day is over, it’s already the week-end!

      3. I had a field trip today! Guess where we went??
        –The landfill! Yay!
        It was actually kind of interesting, but cold and stinky at the same time. Plus we had to take notes, which made it kind of not awesome. And there was no chaperon, candies, hype, or singing.

    20. Crawling back into bed after getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Not only do you get the satisfaction of knowing that you have a few minutes (or, if you’re lucky, hours) of relaxing you get to crawl into a warm bed.

      Awesome!

      1. I looove this one, I think this is one your bed feels the best. It’s like it was waiting for you.

        1. My 18-month-old niece’s name is Rosalina!
          Awesome thing: being pleasantly surprised when someone you “run into” has the same unusual name as someone close to you!

    23. Picking up stuff at the store for other people. You’re getting ready to leave to grab a few groceries and ask everyone if they need anything. Some decline, but others throw on a few “hey, could you grab me…” items. Sometimes this can be stressful, especially if you were really just offering, but when you have the money, it’s so great to be able to save them a trip!

    24. Spending a lazy day cuddling.

      Sweatpants, television, nowhere to go.

      Simply,

      Awesome!

      1. I agree!
        Seeing people you haven’t seen in the longest time always makes my day.
        Talking about the old times and hearing about the new is truely awesome.

        1. I love meeting them in random places where you would never expect to see them. Especially when it’s someone you don’t want to pretend you didn’t see.

      2. I love this one!

        I met my very best friend at a mission camp and she wasn’t from my hometown. So all we got was one week out of every year to be together. We called each other best friends but never got to see each other and talked only by internet (we were like 15) every time we got together, it was like no time had passed and we were just any regular set of best friends. As we got older and got our licenses, we are able to visit each other more often and try to see each other during every college break, but we still go months sometimes between visits, and it is wonderful to know that every time we are together nothing has changed, it is like we have spent every day hanging out.

        AWESOME!

    26. A child’s laughter!

      Whether it be a pony tail swishing back and forth, a ball hitting their feet, someone sticking their nose in a child’s belly, a funny sound, noise or movement …

      Regardless of the cause, a child’s laughter can ignite feelings inside people you can’t get anywhere else, often times to the point where you can’t help but laugh to … because you know whatever it is they are laughing at, is truly the funniest thing to them in the world, and it is 100% genuine!

      AWESOME!

      1. That is the best thing evvverrrr. i love it when kids laugh. its so contagious.. it just makes the world go round the right way :)

      2. Now THAT is awesome! My neice has the greatest laugh and I just die laughing as soon as she starts! LOVE IT!!!! SO AWESOME!

    28. Your FREE public library!!

      Free public libraries offer “awesomeness” everyday to many awesome people. There are free books, magazines, DVD’s, reference materials, educational programs, internet access and more at your local public library! Public libraries are of the few institutions left that are truly democratic. We offer many venues of materials and programs for all ages, races, cultures, religions, political and sexual persuasions.

      1. Love my local library! The best stuff is there for just the price of a signature on a library card. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved to hang out at the library. It’s just a cool place. My childhood library even had a fountain with a statue of Christopher Robin! Awesome!

    29. When a song you’ve been listening to for years all of a sudden has a whole new meaning.

      Sometimes theres a song thats never been my favourite on an album, or one that I never purposefully play on my ipod. Then something in life changes, it might be a big change, it might be a small unconscious change, and all of a sudden, this song that I’ve heard for years, maybe I even know all the words already, is now talking straight to me. Even the solos and drum beats sound slightly different as the words are describing this change in my life. So from an old album comes a brand new favourite song. AWESOME

    30. The Hand Hug.

      There are times when a hug just feels a bit out of reach.
      You could be behind the counter at work, in a car, or could have recently passed through that twisty thing at the metro, when you realize that someone you know is about arms length away from you.
      Why great them with a wave when you can give them a hand hug!

    31. Finally catching up on all those TV shows that you have been putting off, missing during their regularly scheduled time, or postponing until the season DVD comes out.

      Nothing is better than vegging out in front of the TV for an all-night marathon of LOST or 24, and then waking up the next day to keep going. Too many shows to watch on Thursday? No problem, NBC.com and your DVR will get you updated on your Office and Community, or Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice.

      Can’t handle waiting one more week for the next episode of LOST or 24? Just wait until the DVD for the season comes out and catch up all at once without hearing “Previously on…”

    33. Awesome thing: Getting the last of something
      Whether it be the last slice of pizza or the last item in your size at a sale, the “last thing” is always more satisfying than any of those boring old “middle things”.

    35. When you can finish a book in one sitting! I’m a self-proclaimed speed reader, and I get all anxious when it takes me more than one day to finish a book. Some authors don’t like when you fly through their books, but in my mind, it’s a compliment, because it means the book is so good, you can’t WAIT to see what happens next! That’s how I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I holed up in my room and didn’t stop until I was finished. . . seven hours later. I even had to have my parents bring my dinner upstairs for me!

    36. “Accomplishing something after many hardships.”

      When you hold a dream and you start working on it, the concept of “being tired” becomes blurred because it’s something you always wanted to do. But to get to goal there’s a long road ahead.

      Time, age, work, people who make their happiness by slandering you to the ground… even the little bug called procrastination slow you down and make you quit.

      Some do. Some don’t.

      When you reach the goal and shed blood, sweat and tears over it… you can just look back and see the road that was ran with so much hardships that coaxed you into quitting…

      And have the satisfaction that it didn’t happen. “It’s the road, not the destination” some people say. I think it’s a combination of both. The satisfaction of going down the road and actually reaching the destination.

      AWESOME!

    37. Hugging someone who is just the right height.

      You know what I’m talking about. When you need a good hug, a real warm, full, on-the-verge-of-tears, snuggly bear hug, you need someone just the right height. Tall, short, in between, its all game. Some people like huggers who are tall so they can press their head up against their heartbeat and just listen. Others want a shoulder to rest their chin on. Many like short huggers who fit oh so nicely into their arms. But no matter how you hug, you know when you find the perfect height hugger, and you know its the best find in the world.

      So get up and hug it out!

    38. Getting to the TV guide channel right as it starts at number 2. AH no, wait! Just your shows perfectly lined up from the very beginning!

    39. Blowing your nose for the last time.
      Maybe you have a wicked cold or you’ve been crying or you just have chronically functioning mucous factories in your nose, but if you’ve been blowing your nose for the past ten minutes and you’re giving the Kleenex companies a hell of a lot of business, it’s that one moment where you feel a final relief of, well, boogers.
      Then you take a big whopping inhale through those clean nostrils. There’s hardly anything better!

    40. Waiting and waiting and waiting to be seated at a restaurant and being sooo hungry it hurts, you’re finally seated and the server brings bread right away! Perfect!

    41. Slipping into that freshly made bed, sheets still warm from the dryer and the sound cotton only makes if it’s FRESH surrounds you…… AWESOME

    42. Making my mumma giggle is an amazing feeling. She sort of curls up on herself with her hand over her mouth and blushes losing years and years in the process. It’s like knowing her when she was 16 years old when she giggles like that. Awesome.

    43. Locking eyes with a stranger on the street.

      It’s a fleeting moment, but you see a person approaching and he/she catches your attention. Briefly, you walk past them and you hold their gaze for a couple of seconds. The heart beats a little bit faster, and you feel something there.

      Awesome!

    44. When your favorite song comes on the radio right when you get in the car, or finishes right when you’re getting out.

      Or, when the entire ride to somewhere, nothing but awesome songs are on the radio and no commercials.

    45. The morning you wake up knowing that the week long cold you had has finally passed. Being able to breathe without coughing, without the medicine haze, and the constant urge to curl up in a ball and hibernate… Awesome

    46. Old people holding hands. Assuming the time they have been married is relative to their age then it is sweet they still act like young lovers.

    47. 1000 Awesome Things making me look for awesome things. Since this contest I have been thinking more about the cool stuff around me and why I think it is cool and considering if other people think the same.

    48. Putting together a new outfit outta clothes you already had in your closet. It is like going shopping for free and looking good at the same time.

    50. Purring! There’s nothing better than listen to a cat purr, especially if they’re lying on you and warming your feet at the same time

    51. becoming a regular at your favorite food/drink place. its just so frigin awesome to see the employees’ eys light up at a familiar face – your face. They call you by name and know your order, which makes the whole visit a pleasant breeze.

      AWESOME!!!

    52. when you’re reallly cold and you step into a steaming hot shower :) or waking up 3 hours before your alarm goes off and realizing you get to sleep longer.

    53. Kiss Attacks are AWESOME! Doesn’t matter if they are from a spouse, boy/girlfriend, cousin, nephew/niece, grandparents, etc. You are never to old for a kiss attack from the right person. My boyfriend loves to kiss attack me while lying in bed on Saturday or Sunday mornings before we have gotten out of bed. It is the perfect was to start the day! My nephews have been subjected to more than a few kiss attacks from me and even though they are “too cool” to admit they love it – I know they do cause they give it right back.

    56. Music you can feel:
      -the buzz of a guitar against your chest as you strum
      -the thump of the bass of your favourite song turned up as loud as it will go
      -standing by the speaker at a party feeling the vibes
      Or remember back in school when you’d all file into the gym to listen to the school band. Sitting on the cold, hard floor feeling the reverberations around the gymnasium of the not-always-in-tune but always enthusiastically played classics.
      That’s awesome!

    57. Returning from a Newport to Bermuda race on a sailboat and taking the first shower you’ve had in a week.

    58. Getting pajamas or sweatpants out of a warm dryer and putting them on right away…then basking in how toasty warm you are.

    59. Driving round a deserted car-park with no respect for the pre-determined markings….

      There is no free-er feeling!

    60. When my kids all remember to put their dishes in the dishwasher after dinner.

      Sure, it’s a rule. Sure, they’re supposed to put them away every day without needing reminders. But somehow, everything else seems so much more important once we’re done eating and we all head off to different things .. basketball practice, Guides, or just to read the next chapter of a great book. But that invariably means that when I wander back into the dining room an hour later, there is still SOMETHING on the table. Then I have to decide whether to call the kid back from wherever they are, leave it there until they next appear, or put it away myself.

      The days that I walk into the room and find … (gasp) a table! … make me breathe just a little easier and smile. I knew they could do it.

    61. The quiet during a snowfall – everything gets hushed and time seems to slow down watching the snow falling outside.

    62. This is a gross one, but finding and picking out an ingrown hair. Just like popping a good pimple or squeezing out a blackhead, it’s so satisfying and gives a great sense of accomplishment…kind of like you’re a doctor coming out of surgery (can you tell I don’t have a medical degree?!).

      1. I thought I was the only who enjoyed taking out ingrown hair! Thanks, Tina! We are like doctors, using our sharp metal instruments (tweezers, etc) skillfully extracting a poisonous bullet before it does more damage to our body.

    63. Packing the perfect bag of groceries – especially when using canvas bags. All the boxes fit at perfect right angles! Just like Tetris!

    64. Free Extra Helpings!

      It’s all happened to us before- recieving the wrong order in a resturant. You peruse the menu of your favorite resturant looking for the ultimate guilty pleasure to satisfy the craving of the day. You ordered that delisciously barbequed slop on a soft and flaky bun, and after an hour of mindless chitchat and appetizer salads with those weird little crouton things, your order arrives and mouth-watering aroma hits you. Of course, some waiters make mistakes: we get it, you’re only human. Today, the Chef’s Special just simply will not make the cut.

      So, you didn’t get what you ordered. Bummer. And yes, dissapointment and annoyance are bound to strike your senses when you call the waitress over to correct the minor misshap. So while the rest of your family chows down on their meals, you wait. And wait. Your place mat is now a canvas of imagination, doodling cartoons as you hum showtunes. Until finally, the Holy Grail arrives.

      Eyes widen and your jaw drops as you gaze on to the heaping pile of extra fries that has become more like a super-sized entree, and the shear amount of pork smushed between two warm pieces of bread make you seriously rethink your sympathy pleas to the Three Little Pigs.

      But you already started to munch on that previous order. Covered it in ketchup and claimed your prize. You feel almost spoiled, like this is a bonus. Like the buffet before you is saying, “I’m so sorry. Let’s kiss and make up”.

      Sure, they made a mistake, but now you can reap the benefits. And oh, how sweet it is! Dig in hearty eaters! Order’s up!

    65. Leaving work early on Friday.

      Knowing that you gained that extra few hours and can add it to your weekend. Awesome.

    66. That website you used to regularly visit that you haven’t been to in a while.

      Nothing like forgetting “1000 awesome things” (or some other fav site), because life has been keeping you too occupied to surf for pleasure, and then coming back to see what was posted the last couple of weeks, and getting a backstock of that bacony cheesy garlicy awesomeness all at once.

    68. When the can of cinnamon rolls/ biscuits pops open.

      Because, you’re already excited and proud of yourself for making a legit breakfast, all that anticipation builds as you twist the wrapper off. Then BAM, it pops open, a slight gasp jumps from your chest, you laugh at yourself, and you smile at the whole process. Breakfast has begun! Awesome.

    69. Getting in the car after the sun has warmed it up.

      I was only planning on submitting one entry for the contest, but this happened to me today and I had to share. It’s been a cold, cold winter in Bloomington, Indiana and every time I had to go into town, it was a shivering, slow ride where I undoubtedly missed all of the green lights. But today, Spring in all its glory came through for me. I walked out to my car to go to lunch and when I sat down and shut the door, the sunshine’s warmth covered me like my grandma’s quilt. Awesome!

      1. I, too, live in Bloomington and had the exact same experience yesterday! And then I caught all of the green lights on Walnut on the way to work.

    70. Hot Air Balloons.

      Because they’re terrifying, nostalgic, romantic, thrilling, darn pretty, and a completely ridiculous way to travel. Awesome.

    72. I know I’m late now. (Well, WAY too late) But still I would like to share something.

      AWESOME THING: Reading your posts at the end of every tiring and stressful day, smiling to oneself realizing how true they are, with only one word tumbling out reflexively- Awesome!

      Good job, sir!

  2. It’s really awesome when there’s a beautiful day that happens unexpectedly during a long spell of not so awesome weather.

    Aside from being able to get some much-needed relief from a long bout of cabin fever, it puts you and everyone else in a good mood. Yay! :D

  3. Something I find awesome is that one status you wrote that you didn’t put much thought into but everyone liked on facebook.

    2. This is always great — when you come back an hour later and have 20 comments on your pointless status :D

    3. :D I like the ones where your friends took off in a totally different direction than you were thinking, but it works even better.

  4. Penguins are awesome. The are permanently dressed to impress – strutting around the Antarctic like they own place.

      2. I’m thinking that Elephants are more awesome than either of those animals. I collect elephants, I probably have over a 100 and each one is unique. and real elephants are amazing, smart, beautiful creatures!

  5. Realizing that you and a friend were in the same place at the same time years before you became friends

      1. That’s how me and my husband were.. we went to all the same places, had a lot of the same friends, and finally just met..

    2. this is awesome! a couple of my friends even have a picture of them running against each other in junior high track years before they met.

      1. There’s pictures of my now best friend in my middle school yearbook, and she didn’t even go there!

      2. There’s pictures of my now best friend in my middle school yearbook, and she didn’t even go there! She was just there playing soccer.

    3. I had the same experience with one of my classmates. . .we were classmates back in kindergarten but then she changed school, and after seven years we became classmates again, but we only realized this a few months ago. . .finding ourselves in those photos are AWESOME indeed.

      1. I took a video camera on holiday one year and ended up randomly filming two drunk girls asking us where a certain bar was. 6 months later one of those girls turned out to be my roommate at University.

        1. Turns out me and one of my best friends went to the same camp back when we were 7. Who knew?

    4. That is just like my boyfriend and I… he sat in the front row at church every week for years so he could see all the girls walk by to get communion. I was there every Sunday, same mass just a few rows behind him. Yet it took both of us to sign up to be ushers in order for us to meet.

    5. I have taken a liking to figure out where people where during significant events of history (that have happened during my lifetime) and then comparing thoughts/ideas/etc. about it. Good awesome call here!

    6. I thought of this after a friend at college and I realized that he had reviewed one of my high school’s plays that I was in. He didn’t recognize me from the play until we had this discussion. We were both extremely surprised.

    1. Personally I think the smell of rain coming is even more awesome… especially when living in the desert.

  7. The Perfect Shopping Experience

    When you find the perfect outfit in a store. It is exactly what you were looking to buy. It is the only one on the rack, it is your size, and it fits you perfectly. You bring it to the register to check out and find out its on sale. AWESOME!

    2. Also finding a pair of pants you like that fit perfectly. Especially if it’s in one of the first stores you try.

  8. It’s really awesome when you’re in the store shopping for __________ (in my case, it’s been makeup, juice, and toothpaste) and a stranger sees that you’re shopping for a product for which they have a coupon that they willingly offer to you.

    They took the time to clip the coupons, and then gladly sacrifice personal use of it for you, a stranger. So very awesome!

    1. How about when you run out to the store because you just need one thing – expecting it will be expensive, because you don’t have time to go to the bigger store today – and then when you get there, you find that it is on sale!

      I did that Monday and it truly was AWESOME

  10. Taking a shower when you come home from the beach.

    It’s been a long afternoon in the sun. Your hair still smells like the beach and there’s a layer of powdered sand on in between your toes that no amount of wading in the ocean seemed to cure. There’s sand deposits in your bathing suit and you’ve since become disheartened at trying to remove any more of it. The towel you’re sitting on in the car is damp and feel scratchy with sand. Dairy Queen has no more Oreos, so you have to get an m&m flurry instead.

    You arrive home and dash in the house. You let the shower run until the steam smells like the beach too. You get in and feel the sand washing away, leaving your skin all baby soft and raw from so much sand and hot sun. You step out into a fresh pair of clothes.

    You realize there’s still another whole half of the day left!

    1. I love this! I live at the beach and the sand is everywhere. Even in the middle of winter, you can find sand in the corner of the shower, or in the floor of the closet. You move a bag and out falls sand from the one time you brought that bag with you to the beach. It feels great to wash off that sandiness and feel refreshed.

    3. the same thing applies when you come home from camping or a campfire

      the smell of campfire is awesome while you’re there, but then you get home and step into the shower to wash away all that smoky smell

  11. Awesome- finding out at the register that your cute new pair of jeans was even more on sale than you thought! : D

    Also: this contest is Awesome. XD

  12. A chance to win free stuff is awesome. From colouring contests when you were a child, to calling in the radio when you were a teen. Just filling out the ballot and waiting for your name to be pulled out at a store promotion. Any chance to win some free stuff brings a little rush of excitement and is awesome.

    1. I also like when you climb into bed after your bf has spent the night (or day) and the pillow smells like him. Yummy!

  14. Pulling an all-nighter….

    You feel like you’ve beaten the system, tricked society, and challenged Mother Nature. Your biological clock will be a bit confused, your mind a bit groggy, your eyes a bit baggy, but your mind a bit accomplished!

    Not everyone can do it, after-all. That’s one less finger you get to keep up in a game of Never Have I Ever. “I JUST PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER!” You’ll want to scream this out your car window but hopefully you won’t be driving in this condition.

    Yes, your body will eventually go into REM rebound once you allow your head to fall to a pillow, but until then, embrace your zombie-like state. The feeling doesn’t come very often, and you lose it quite fast, so enjoy it while it lasts because everything about it is AWESOME.

    1. haha! zombie like state is exactly it!! When I pull an all nighter or really even get anything less than like 5 hours of sleep I will literally fall asleep doing just about anything. I recently did this and was sending out emails at work and realized the next day that I had NO idea who or what I had written and I just hoped with everything I had that the emails were somehow coherent!

      This is about as awesome as sending texts while half asleep and then laughing hysterically as you read their nonsensical words the next morning!! Really, anything that makes me laugh is AWESOME!

  16. It’s awesome when a toddler lovingly gives you a leg-hug. It’s adorable and unsolicited and sincere. <3

      1. Yeah … I knew of that one, but this is a bit different. Not different enough to win, by any means, though :)

  17. Memorizing the path you’re going to make to your bed just before turning off the lights at night

    2. and realizing you don’t need to turn the lights on anymore at your boyfriend or girlfriends house because you’ve memorized their path too!

  19. Driving under a bridge during a rainstorm- that sudden hush, that wonderful moment when everything seems to come to a halt, the driver gets a quick respite from the torrential rain, and the world feels perfectly at peace, ever so briefly.

    Awesome!

  20. When you’re experiencing a moment that will never happen again – I was staying up all night for the student improv group Erasable Inc’s yearly 24 hour performance. Sometime during the real quiet, dark hours of the night, they stopped the show and two kids just started this jazzy dance. I wanted to turn on my camera and film it but I didn’t have it with me. So all I could do was sit transfixed and watch for a few minutes as I saw some of the best dancing I’ve ever seen. Also, live performances are awesome – there’s a very real quality to a musical instrument that can’t be replicated by a recording. And seeing actors perform, sure you could record it but it’s happening right this instant, and this instant is going to vanish and become memory but it’s happening right now and it’s magic.

    1. This one is definitely awesome. Not only is the event itself awesome, but its kind of a bonding experience with the people you witnessed it with.

    2. I was at a campsite on a warm summer’s day with the three youngest grandkids – aged around 5 or 6. Courtney and Caleb stopped to get a drink out of a free-standing faucet that was at about the height of their heads. They started getting each other wet and splashing each other. Over the next 10 minutes they sprayed and splashed each other until they were totally soaked, all the time laughing that from-the-toes laugh that only young children seem to do. Seth stood next to me, smiling and watching as his sister and cousin shared this magical moment. He was as transfixed as I was, and didn’t mind being on the outside enjoying the show.
      This was one of the most magical moments of my life and I cherish it deeply.

    1. YES! I just got a long haired kitten back in november. She is now going through that lanky teenager stage and her fur is all sleek and shiny, but her belly is starting to grow out and the fur there is the softest fur I have ever felt! Awesome!

  22. Pinning an achievement/certificate to the wall and staring silently for 5 seconds to admire all of the hard work you put in to get there.

    AWESOME!

    1. Listening to a new song on repeat all night and then watching the sun rise on a clear windy morning

    1. I do that too haha I think I annoy my friends when I do that about celebrities or artists I’ve met/heard in concert.

    2. Haha I totally do that. I even do it to other people.

      For example my brother went on a cruise and sky travel had a commercial for the exact cruise a few months later. I was there ringing him telling him to put it on quickly before it changed practically yelling down the phone!

    3. YES! I was watching the Travel Channel “Top Roller Coasters” countdown and “Goliath” at Six Flags Magic Mountain was rated fastest and highest drop and overall best roller coaster. I was screaming in my apt alone…”OMG! OMG! I went on there on vacation and I thought I was just being a sissy!” It was terrifying!

  24. It’s awesome to use old-school stuff when you don’t have to, like an actual address book, a planner and pen, and (as mentioned) actual mail instead of email. I could use my phone or computer for these things, but it’s awesome not to, too. :)

    1. Absolutely!
      And though I know Neil’s already done it, I love getting hand-addressed mail … esp when I recognize the handwriting!

  26. Winning on a scratch ticket but not scratching off the prize.

    It’s never as much as you hoped it would be, but how good does it feel when it’s in that limbo state before you see what you won?!

  27. Ok, one more: free samples at the grocery store! or anywhere! even if they taste terrible, there’s something about that little plastic cup and tiny spoon (and of course the fact that it’s FREE!) that makes free samples totally AWESOME!

    2. That right there is the reason I hit up Sam’s Club on Saturday afternoons (2:00 is prime sample time)… LOVE samples!

    3. hehe, my friend was pushed into the pool with his phone, ipod, and a handheld game system in his pockets. After letting them drying they all worked again. So awesome.

    4. I straight up washed my phone about 8 months ago – it ran through an entire wash and dry cycle with my laundry – and it still works perfectly!!

  30. That random letter from a loved one that arrives on the worst day possible.

    I’ve been at college now for four years and probably about one a month my grandmother sends me a note. It does not usually say much, just about how she is doing and the weather. There have been a few times where this random letter from my grandmother arrives on a day that is just really crappy and it always brightens my day.

    I love my grandmother!

    Awesome

    1. I’ve had that. I bought a car for £2000 and it keeps breaking and when I asked for a refund they said no. I was gutted as that money was a present from my god-father and work was really stressful that day too. I get home really moody to find my boyfriend has bought me the most gorgeous pink roses ever. It was so nice to know he knew me that well that I totally forgot about my aweful day! AWESOME!

      1. That is so awesome. It really brightens your day. And it doesn’t even have to be a letter, if I’m having a bad day and I get an email or even an instant message from someone I rarely talk to it turns my whole day around.

  32. Well, obviously this contest is pretty awesome.

    But what’s even more awesome is getting a phone message from someone you love, who just called to say hello, because you hadn’t talked in a while.

    Or, discovering that the waitress at the diner/restaurant/fast food joint/sandwich shop/etc. that you always stop by for lunch has memorized your order, and stops by the table just to say, “The usual?”

    Last one:
    When someone sincerely compliments something you’ve worked really hard on – an essay, art piece, fancy dinner, new coat of paint, etc. Besides the gratification of having finished your task, you now have a warm fuzzy feeling inside because someone else recognized a job well done.

    2. I finally found a place in the city that I loved and have gone there so many times the waitress knows exactly what I want and just asks me if I want ‘the usual’. The first time she said it I knew I had found the perfect place to eat. She is the most amazing waitress/restaurant owner ever.

      Totally awesome.

    3. Every friday my family and a neighbors family go to dinner together. We use to always go to the same two places, but have only gone to one of them for a couple years. We had usuals and a usual waiter for both restaurants. The one we stopped going to moved to a new location (why we stopped going, they moved and we thought they closed) and recently we discovered this and went there. They still remembered our usuals.

      So what is really awesome is when you go to a place you haven’t been to in a long time to find they remember you and your usual.

    4. When I was in college my roommate and I would regularly go to Waffle House together in the middle of the night. Shortly before we graduated I went once with a different person, and when I walked in the door the waitress looked at me and said “Where’s your other friend?” It was at that moment I realized I had become a Waffle House regular. And yes, it was AWESOME.

    1. definitely awesome. My cat loved to play fetch. I’d have to hide his toy to give my self a break from the meows pleading for another toss on occasion.

    3. Even now, my kids will tuck me in when i’m not feeling well – it is just that feeling of being loved and cared for that can’t be beat!

  35. There are too many to list here, but my favorite has to be the awesome feeling that comes when an exited kitten jumps in your lap and immediately falls asleep. It’s like your lap has super cuddle-powers!

  36. sandwiches cut in to triangles…they just taste better. Perhaps as Cosmo Kramer says “that’s all surface area. the taste has nowhere to hide….welcome to flavor country.”

  37. When you’re having a bad day and your dog follows you everywhere and does all it can to make you smile. Awesome. :)

  38. The one random warm weather day in the middle of a bunch of cold weather days.

    I must say that is pretty awesome.

    1. ha! except for the fact that you come out wearing big boots and winter jackets! But it’s not too hard to strip off the layers in order to really enjoy the one day of beautiful warm weather.

  39. When you’re thinking of an old movie you haven’t seen in a long time, and then it is played on tv a week later. AWESOME!

  41. Relatives getting married.
    Yes, whether it is your great aunt, cousin, brother, parents or some distant relative you have never even heard of, they are almost obligated to invite you to partake in their special day. For twelve year olds, it is the one time you get to sneak under their parents radar and steal the alcoholic beverages. For others it is the chance to catch up with old friends and family, (most of whom you have probably forgotten about) and reminisce about the old days of climbing trees, having sleepovers and going to the tire swing by the creek. And for that last few, it is because you were dragged there by a spouse, your parents or looking for a chance to party.
    AWESOME!

    1. Yikes, I’m glad I read the entire comment here. I was a little concerned after that first line.

  42. When you’re having a bad day and your dog crawls into bed with you and nuzzles your arm and I SWEAR hugs you with their paws. The day is instantly better. AWESOME!

    2. Or having your cat come sit in your lap and pat your face gently and purr when you’re having a bad day. Especially if your cat is not a lap cat.

    3. my dog knows anytime you are upset or sick. he will spend days by your side. When my boyfriend my senior year dumped me and I spent days crying thinking life had ended (ha) there he was cuddled beside me the whole time. He would even follow me to bed. it was the sweetest thing ever!

  43. Reading this blog after a ______ day and the entry is exactly what you needed to hear/read.

  45. When you light something on the first try: the stove, the fireplace, a candle, a cigarette.

  46. When you reach the half-way point in a great book so that you have a large hunk of pages between both paws. You remember all the excellent stuff that has already happened in the story and look forward to all the potential it has left.

    Awesome.

    2. Oh, that is so awesome. You don’t even mind reading a little fast because you know you have lots left to enjoy.

  47. I love the fan pages on Facebook for things such as “Staring creepily at the people in the car next to you at red lights” or “I redo high fives if they weren’t good enough”.

    Why? When you read them, you start laughing because, chances are, you’ve done that exact thing. You relive it all in your mind, and you can’t help but sheepishly click “Become a fan”.

  48. It’s awesome when you’re watching a movie on TV and keep dreading a commercial break that never comes because you’re watching the movie on a pay channel!

    1. That happened to my gram this year. It was so wonderful to see. Despite being in their 70’s, they both positively glow when they’re near each other, and look like teenagers. Awesome!

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