Good Things

my list of “good things”—Things that are good:

Animal fries
Whispering something under your breath & getting affirmed by someone who heard you
Making the perfect latte
Waking up fully rested
When the parents you babysit for come home early, but still pay you the full amount
Jean jackets
Having genuine faith in something
Photowalls & how individualized they can be
Jessica Glassberg’s humor on Tuesday mornings in University Hall
When you find out that someone kept a letter you wrote them a long time ago
Inside jokes
Tom Delonge’s part in Blink-182’s “I Miss You” when he says “where are you”
Scrunchies
80’s Parties
Finding out that someone said something really nice about you when you weren’t around
How you feel when a particular person looks at you
When the reading for your class is short
When someone tells you they love you & they’re proud of you in the same sentence
Texting someone & getting a text back that says “I was just thinking about you!”
When cities hire farmers to bring hundreds of goats to eat the grassy hills to avoid fires
When your best friend comes back from a year off
Having good reception when you’re FaceTiming with people in other countries
Oatly Oat Milk in Brooklyn Bagels Infusion coffee before work on Fridays
When you tell someone about something that means a lot to you & they’re genuinely happy for you
The concept of “living with randos”
When someone passes you a handwritten note in class like you’re in 5th grade again
John the Baptist’s book in the New Testament
Sharing the love of Trader Joe’s hummus with someone
Trader Joe’s in general honestly
Remembering that the universe is constantly expanding & we are terribly small
When a boring class goes by quickly
Crying of happiness
Hearing a song for the first time & thinking “this is the one”
When a friend you haven’t seen in a long time comes to visit
A brand new Moleskine Journal
Hearing your favorite song live
Making eye contact with a cute boy in traffic
Friendships rooted in faith
That part in High School Musical 2 when Troy cries “what about us? what about everything we’ve been through?”, but Gabriella hits him back with “what about trust?”
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Good gluten-free & dairy-free pizza from Fresh Brothers or Blaze
After you hold hands with someone in mass & they squeeze your hand a little bit
The Jonas Brothers
When you’re eating a burrito & the tortilla doesn’t break
THANKSGIVING
Positive news about bees
Fat orange cats
When you actually feel like you’re learning something valuable in class
The way I cut my apples
The way people react to the way I cut my apples
Compassionate people
Dim Sum on Easter morning
Eggs Benedict & Monkey Bread on Christmas morning
When something happens & you have a deep “that was God” feeling
Getting confidential information & sharing that information with someone else who also got confidential information
Pantone 17-0215
Dry shampoo
When the scripture in bible study is spot on
How everyone’s handwriting is different even though we write the same words
Confetti at concerts
When you lend a pen to someone & they remember to give it back
When you have the exact words to describe how you’re feeling
When someone says “I read your blog post!”
Wearing shoes that show my tattoo
Nicknames
The feeling you get when you walk out of an interview & know you nailed it
Every moment you bike around Westchester until you almost get hit by a car
Talking on the phone with your best friend (moms included) while walking down Loyola Blvd
Passion projects
Driving down the 10 on a Friday night, listening to music, & singing your heart out alone
When someone you admire admires you, too.
Being alone, but not feeling alone
Really good fried rice
Walking on the beach in the morning when it’s still a little chilly
A really warm blanket
Chocolate covered strawberries
When someone sends you a song that they think you’d like & you actually like it
Pink clouds
That feeling you get when you’re order #1 at In-N-Out & your cashier is named Jesus
Sitting on your apartment balcony when it’s raining
The scene in The Office when Pam says “I don’t think you should go to Philly tonight, I think you should stay, & I think we should fight”.
When someone shows up to something you weren’t expecting them to be at & suddenly you feel more at home
Lego Indiana Jones for the Xbox 360
Breaking the rules at Community Table with Lexi
Clean sheets & shaven legs
The part in The Maine’s “Am I Pretty?” when they say “LIKE WHAT?”
My Wonder Years shirt
When you make eye-contact with an actor or actress while they’re on stage
Every moment leading up to the moment you find out how dirty hotel rooms might actually be. Ignorance can be bliss!
Sitting down with someone in Malone to finish a 2 minute story but staying for an hour & suddenly having a new friend that actually sticks
Fast friends in general
The sky
Sitting in the back of a truck on a long drive & getting super, super dirty
Critical Karaoke in a class full of interesting & beautiful people
Friends who bring you deodorant when you forgot to put some on
Every time my dad talks about how we should domesticate raccoons because they’re so freaking cute & would make great pets
When your glasses are perfectly clean
Getting froyo with someone you haven’t caught up with a long time
All the moments that reminds you why you joined your sisterhood
The walk from Regent’s Terrace to the Chapel
Balloon animals
Driving on the freeways late at night, staring at the stars, & listening to worship music
Art museums
When your little brother picks you up from a show & doesn’t complain when you blast Hilary Duff & dance in the back seat
Sitting in a car eating fried rice with your best friend over a lookout
When your grades are much higher than expected
Sweet wines
How family friends feel like real family
Sitting on your apartment island drinking coffee with honey & soy milk
How it feels to sit in comfortable silence with someone you love
When you can’t explain how you’re feeling, but a song can
Bun warmers in cars
Pine trees
That part in “What A Beautiful Name” when they say “nothing compares to this”
The fact that at pretty much any college you go to they’ll say something about the squirrels there being “special”
Rainbows
When restaurants serve breakfast all day
Having your elementary school teachers as friends on Facebook
When you have a wholesome conversation with your Uber driver about life, etc.
Group texts that exist solely to tell your friends to have kickass days
The brown bread at The Cheesecake Factory
Seeing my mom watch America’s Funniest Home Videos
Looking through photo albums from one of your parents’ childhood
Using up an entire journal
When long flights go by quickly
When bartenders card really old people just to be funny. That never gets old
When you find a ton of really amazing music all at once
When a random boy you don’t know sends you a song that you know someone else would like & it’s almost like the world aligned perfectly for that to happen
Silent Retreats
When you know that someone loves you just as much as you love them
Having an innocent crush that doesn’t crush your soul
Ohio, a very underrated state
The feeling of growing up & realizing that your parents were right about a lot of things
Seeing baby pictures of the person you are ~romantically interested in~
Eating an entire basket of fries by yourself
When you go on vacation & expect snow but don’t get it until the last day & you realize that it wouldn’t have been as fun if it was snowing the whole time so you’re actually super content.
When boys wear denim on denim
The feeling on any December 31st when you take a step back & think “this was the best year of my life.”
Old friends, because you can’t make old friends.
When your friend (against your will) tells a boy you’ve been secretly admiring that he has a secret admirer & he asks her if it’s you who secretly admires him & is EXCITED that you secretly admire him.
Looking at a fresh journal & thinking “I hope I don’t write about boys as much as I did in my last journal” & then your first entry is all about a boy & you remember that it’s okay to admire people & want to share your love for them with others
Being drunk in a bathroom with your best friends when suddenly someone makes everyone be quiet & starts giving a speech about how much she loves everyone in the bathroom & someone starts crying
When Aisea watches a random movie (like La La Land) & cries for 3 hours
When you’re watching the local broadcast & it’s a story about goats
Seeing one of your best friends on TV
Meeting your college friends’ parents
Mixing Colourpop’s Zuma & Mama lipsticks together to get the perfect color
When you post a picture on Instagram & you only check to see who’s liked it until a particular person does & then you stop checking because who cares
When you think you’re flying out of LAX but you’re really flying out of Burbank
The pre-chorus in Waterparks’ “Gloom Boys”
When your dad comes back from New York with a bunch of Muji pens for you
When your skin is clear
When you make a playlist that describes the progression of your relationship with someone & in the end it’s even better than you could have ever expected
Starting a new tube of toothpaste
Laughing with God
When Vanessa asks you if you want to see John Mayer with her after she graduates. The answer is yes.
Dressing up as Michael & Dwight for a Dynamic Duo outfit
John 13:7
Tomato soup
When you have absolutely no reason to not trust someone. That’s a beautiful thing. Pure trust.
The sky & the air after it stops raining
Loft dates
Big t-shirts
When your Uber driver is a Catholic man from La Cañada who has a daughter named Elizabeth (who they call Lizzie), refers to her as a “princess & angel”, lives 4 minutes away from your house at home, & used to do the same job in the navy as your uncle
Vitamin Water (specifically the dragonfruit flavor)
When people complete your Venmo request right away
Shows at small venues with good friends
Soy caramel lattes
Raising $44,500 for families with children battling cancer
Friendships that don’t ever make you feel insecure
When you know you have to do homework or study, but the conversations you’re participating in are too good to leave
When you’re walking around Spain with your friends & someone says “hey…we’re in Spain”
Sleepovers with your girl friends
When you meet your favorite author & he writes “God loves you!” In your journal
When someone says it’s really important to them that they’re at your confirmation
Journaling in the sun
When you go see Arms Akimbo & you catch the pick
Having a deep feeling that everything is going to be alright
Friends that make you think “wow, I am so lucky to be their friend”
When mass is so powerful that you cry
When Adam calls Eve “heaven’s best gift” in Paradise Lost
When you have Caesar Chavez day off, so you spend all day at your friend’s house & ending your day in the library, but having a lot of really long, good conversations along the way.
When you finally get the tragus piercing you’ve wanted since you were 13
Running into friends at the grocery store
Praying to God for signs & getting them & being so sure that they were actually signs & not just coincidences
When someone takes a picture of you and your friends & you think “I know I’m going to hate those”, but you don’t & they’re actually really cute
The fact that suddenly everyone at LMU is fostering dogs so there are always puppies on campus
When you are not covered in lint
The way Aaron loves Kanye’s Ghost Town
When you eat normal pizza & don’t feel sick afterwards
Feeling insecure about showing up to a Date Night dressed as a Teletubby, but people tell you how much they love it which makes you feel less awkward
Putting fake mustaches on your eyebrows & taking selfies with your friends like there are not giant black mustaches on your eyebrows
Being in love with someone & being so sure that you are definitely in love with them
Knowing all the songs at mass by heart
Getting your prints back from your disposable cameras, looking through them on the floor of your room, & remembering all the happy memories & times that you’ve had that you’re glad you captured
These party themes in this order: Save the Bees, Lizards & Wizards, & “Red”
Calling your mom
Taking a step back & realizing that your life right now is exactly what you wished for a year ago
When you wake up from a nap & it doesn’t feel like you were hit by a bus
Sitting out in Sunken Gardens with your shoes off, typing a list of good things with your best friend on a warm Tuesday morning
When someone tells you that you have beautiful brain
When you find the perfect card for someone for any occasion
How certain places & certain things remind you of special people & special moments
When someone affirms you when you’re feeling down
When your friends come back from a semester abroad
The way a particular person’s voice sounds like music
Perfectly ripe avocados
Remembering that you deserve better
Moscow Mules
Rocket Pop yogurt with fruity pebbles from Yogurtland
Feeling so loved
Spontaneous long drives with good friends
When waking up at 7am is worth it
When squirrels walk
Prayer pals
People who have been your friend for a few months, but slowly you start spending more & more time with them, & then, before you know it, they’re one of the most important people in your life
New Hope for Cambodian Children
The Red Hot Chili Peppers
The way going home feels like after a long week
When you love your job
When people genuinely believe in you
Chick-fil-a Spicy Sandwich with Chick-fil-a sauce & extra pickles
The moment after someone takes a sip of the coffee you made them when their face softens, they start to smile, & they say “this is so good”.
Getting over someone you’ve been trying to get over for far too long.
Thank you cards
Kombucha
String cheese
When it starts to rain on a really, really hot & humid day
When State Farm affirms you that your car accident was not your fault
When you look good in business casual
Mentors
Getting prints back after hoarding your fuji film cameras for 10 months
Not having anything to complain about
Mango mint mojitos
The foothill mountains
Metal straws
Pistachio toddy lattes from Home Brewed Bar
Sales at stores
Dresses that make you feel like a freakin’ princess
Shoes that make you feel like you’re really just on top of your shit suddenly
Country music (sometimes)
Day one of an all-inclusive open bar/restaurant (but not day two & definitely not day three) (oof)
When a barista remembers your name
Tyler Cameron’s Twitter
Watching Hannah Brown absolutely wreck Luke Parker on TV
Seeing friends at Mass
Typing thoughts on your laptop
Being best friends with your roommate
Knowing that you’re growing at work
Dotted journals
The Paper Source logo
Yoga (it’s extra good when it’s free)
Bite Toothpaste
When random customers come sit with you at work
WeWork meetings
Strawberry Passion Tea Lemonade from Chick-fil-A
Discount Day at the movies
Making dinner for your friends
When you run into someone you really miss
When the cry you feel coming happens and you feel incredibly better after it’s over
The Lion King & Toy Story 4
Refried beans
Knowing that school will start again soon
Having two jobs—both with great bosses
Gel highlighters (as in the pens)
Purple highlighter (as in make up)
People who dedicate their lives to science
You, the one reading this. You are a good thing.
Matching tattoos
Feeling confident in classes
My phamily—Carlie, Lexi, Megan, Eve & Amanda
Alarms
The ability to communicate
Freedom of the press
Actual religious freedom
Having too many choices when you get dressed in the morning
Health (specifically how you feel about your health right after you get over a cold)
St. Jude & how he’s revealed himself to me
The freedom that comes from trust
Costco! With friends!
Tostada Pizza from California Pizza Kitchen with lime chicken & cauliflower crust
Tattoos in red ink
Crying in Cinco’s after you find out that you’re leading IC Peru
Professors that inspire you to strive to be a better person
When you can tell that someone else is unapologetically themself & it makes you want to be unapologetically yourself, too
Curbside
Going to John Mayer with Vanessa Cicchini
Free T-Pain concerts
First Year Retreat
Head banging
Gratitude journals
Connecting over a place
Friendships where you feel emotionally satisfied & comfortable, but not comfortable to the extent where you feel like you can take advantage of the other person or start being less of a good friend because you assume that you will be friends forever
Making salmon & doing a good job
Everything that grounds us in gratitude
Vatican 1 & 2
That I could chose Catholicism for myself & felt comfortable doing so because of where I live & who I am
Dignity
“Wax moments”
When someone agrees that there is no conversation too deep for date night
Catching the die together
Holding hands
How all-inclusive makes you feel like you’re not spending money when you are, in fact, spending a lot of money
When he looks you in the eyes & he tells you that he loves you & everything is alright because he is right there by your side when he looks you in the eyes
Spray tans
Watching a tattoo idea come to life on your skin
When your common denominator with someone is a deep love of Christ
Free margaritas at Madewell
Journaling on airplanes with an iced coffee
Lou & Gigi Bromley
Reading & the things it helps you uncover about yourself
Making your own tomato soup! Vegan! Gluten-free!
At least liking all of your classes
Red dresses
More specifically than #280: going to Costco with Jack & Griffin
John 3:16
John 13:7 & Ecclesiastes 3:11-12
Checking the time at 3:16 AM or PM & smiling
Juice shots
Chocolate hummus from Trader Joe’s
Avocado toast with sriracha & everything but the bagel seasoning
Wearing bracelets
Oatmilk based ice cream, specifically the peanut butter & raspberry flavor
Being proud & excited about a graphic you made
When your mom makes you homemade pasta sauce (I got nothing to my name but pasta sauce)
This text I got one time
My macaw earrings from Guyana
The fruit man!
Playing die in your backyard with your friends!
Home Brewed Bar’s “Love is love” campaign
Being scared to dye your hair for 3 years & then finally doing it & loving it & then going on a good date the next day & feeling awesome about that date even though you know it’s not going to go anywhere for a while if at all
When everyone looks good in a group picture with your friends
Photography
When you tell a non-Christian that you feel God working through them & they don’t freak out about it
When you’re really glad that you’re becoming friends with someone
When God challenges you & for once in your life not only do you welcome the challenge, but you’re excited about it
Late night chats in your car in Leavey Circle
Bringing your DS to Date Night
When Jack gives you his OneCard & sends you to the c-store
Getting paid to draw
The fact that someone told me that they loved me for the first time in an In-N-Out parking lot. I love that fact about myself.
When With Confidence covered Train’s Drops of Jupiter & Jayden sang “did you miss me when you were looking for yourself?”
Praying “Welcome” with your class
This quote: “Practice gratitude & focus on the transformation of mundane realities.”
Finally feeling like your own person again
Having the platform to talk about the things you love with the people you love
Knowing someone so little but loving them so much
Being born into a life that feels so undeserved
Finding God in the ocean
Disposable cameras
Sprite
TedTalks
When your friends just get you
Spiritual Direction from literally anyone
The people in your life who are simply worth missing
Wordless affirmations, like fist bumps in taco shops
When who you feel like on the inside is accurately represented by who you are on the outside
My Dream Team
Loyola Marymount University’s Campus Ministers
When Jake emails you at 3:16 PM on a Tuesday
"Randomly" having lunch at Chick-fil-A with a Holocaust survivor from Budapest on a Wednesday
Cornerstone Church Westchester
Leavey 6-414 B
Cinco’s at 4:30 PM on Thursdays with Gaia, Emily, & Nicole (& Hayden once!)
Feeling like a new Christian
Leap years
The fluidity of life & riding the wave
De Colores
Nate’s “Quail Forever” sweatshirt
Going to see the Jonas Brothers & crying the whole time because you’re so overwhelmed with how much you went through in 10 years & how grateful you are that you can see the Jonas Brothers in concert again
Sitting on a bench with a friend late on a Wednesday night & remembering that people come into your life at the exact moment they are supposed to & for that, we should be grateful
The Well
Build a Miracle
When you’re hammering nails into a wall & it only takes 6 hits
Getting Eve to Lodge
How funny it is that it’s so hard to walk on sand
When children dress up as oranges & coconuts for Halloween (basically anything spherical)
The fact that my laptop just autocorrected “spherical” to" “sphygmomanometer”…?
Worship nights & dinners at Jeff & Heather’s
Parking in the driveway of Lodge & not going to the party, but having your favorite people at the party come to you
Friends visiting you at work for lunch
Fjällräven Kånken backpacks
Luke’s “relax have a dorite” shirt
When the piano in Sacred Heart Chapel is unlocked & you sneak in & listen to someone play the piano
When your friends are fostering a kitten & she’s so freakin cute
Getting a purple IC shirt from JP
Getting dairy free ice cream with friends in Tijuana
When Jack Palen sings lyrics from Blink-182 songs to you
Blazers
Really good vegan milkshakes
Lynne Bromley, my grandma
Hanging out in the sculpture studio
When you’re sitting in a Chick-fil-A dining room & you realize that Kanye just released a gospel album that has a song about Chick-fil-A on it…
Postmating green beans & pork fried rice from ROC Playa Vista
Birds Aren’t Real shirts
The smell of good Mac & Cheese
Zoey Taylor
Being really passionate about your capstone
Getting someone the absolute perfect gift
Putting Post-Its on your Curbside poster (specifically over Bobby, Jacob, Jack, & Luke’s nipples)
Buying last minute concert tickets
The Story So Far’s album “Proper Dose”
The part in Mat Kerekes’s “Ruby” when he says “I stared up at the moon for a little while & wondered if maybe you were looking too”
When there is a T-shirt on your shirt!
What Cam Bryan wrote about me when she nominated me for embodying Pi Beta Phi’s value of “Philanthropic Service to Others”. I cried about it multiple times.
IC Leadership Class
When you’ve been thinking about how you want to go to Ghana, but don’t know who you could go with & then you meet someone & after 15 minutes she says “you should come to Ghana with us!” God, is that you?
When someone texts you that they miss you
Queso
Lactaid & other dairy relief pills
Riley, Raleigh, Maddy, Jose, Mackenzie, Avalyn, Nemai, Eve, Hallie, Sam, Luke, Harry, JP, & Maya
Knowing that there are so many people in the world doing so many amazing things for others
When someone tells you that they started crying when they were thinking about you because of how grateful they are for you & are so excited about the ways in which God is working in your life???
Going to concerts by yourself
Band t-shirts
When boys wear band t-shirts
When Spencer Hollister looks you in the eyes & says “Lizzie, please don’t graduate. What are we going to do without you?”. More like what am I going to do without you.
When Jacob’s yellow truck won’t start late on a Wednesday night & you just sit shotgun thinking, “okay what now?”, but it’s okay because you know that God’s plan is so much bigger than any plan you could ever make.
When your ringtone goes off in class & everyone is suddenly aware that your ringtone is “Full Circle” by Miley Cyrus & has been since you were 14
When you get confirmed on April 20, 2019, meaning your 50th year anniversary will be on April 20, 1969 (4/20/69). This is God’s plan.
Having a job that is so understanding of your crazy schedule as a student. Thank you, Chick-fil-A 405 at Jefferson!
When you register for classes for the last time & your schedule goes as follows: two classes. One on Tuesday & one on Wednesday. Both are 4:20-7:20. Both in University Hall. Both in the same classroom. Both are upper division Theology. Technically having 5 day weekends? Not really because I’ll have 3 jobs.
Cleveland, Ohio
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Supporting your friends
Finally going to Roscoe’s with Aaron, Maddie, & Jose after talking about it for ~8 months
Life recently
When your class is cancelled
When all your classes the 2 days leading up to Thanksgiving break are cancelled so instead of Thanksgiving break starting at 4:10 PM on a Tuesday, it starts at 12:50 PM on a Thursday…5 days early!
Licking art in art museums
Making “your things” with other people (such as licking art in art museums) “your thing” with someone else, but then realizing that the experiences of our lives are inherently singular/independent & “your things” with other people can simply be just something that you do on your own in relation to someone else. Just because we share things with others does not mean that we cannot share those same things with people who are not them. I can lick art with anyone I want & I can lick art alone.
These words: duality, clairvoyant, copacetic, fluid, malleable
Not feeling insecure
When people do not confine the complexities of who you are within their own idea of you
The fact that Spencer is in my sorority phamily
When you’re in IC Leadership Class & the guest speaker sees you writing in your journal & tells the class (/specifically you) that you don’t have to take notes because there wouldn’t be a quiz & without skipping a beat everyone says, “oh, don’t worry about Lizzie, she always writes”. My people! What a special moment.
The first few seconds of “Hate Me (Sometimes)” by Stand Atlantic when they said “Spaghetti? Spaghetti”.
People who are strong in their convictions
When you’re at the beach during the sunset & the sun is setting but it’s not too dark yet
Spending an hour writing your spiritual timeline, writing 12 pages, & still having so much more to say
Cactus Cooler
The light blue post it in my journal that says “M red eye mocha powder almond milk”
When your iPhone camera lens is cracked so you have a good excuse to always have a disposable camera with you
Doing an entire disposable at your fall formal
Lizards
When Ian says “Is whales on your list? You should add whales…I fucking love whale watching.”
When people recommend books that they love because they know you’d love them, too.
Getting beautiful shots as a production team of one
In Grayscale’s “In Violet” when they say “Bury me in violet, smile for me when you set me free, dance the pain away, trade in my soul for your grief when I leave this wonderful place”
These texts from Randi: “I love you tons / & I miss you even more / But I’m so proud of you / You make me so happy & proud / I just want nothing but pure joy and happiness for you”
Poetry
Pie Party 2019
Giving Keys
The fact that I am now associated with the song “Circles” by Post Malone because I listened to it on repeat for 24-hours straight on Spotify without doing a private session, oof!
The Curbside Gallery (I’m proud of my friends, okay??)
When you let your cousins paint your nails in August & you let the polish slowly chip off until November when one day you realize that it’s all gone
The Maine’s Instagram right now (November 21, 2019 at 3:02 PM)
Posting “woke up feeling BLESSED” on your Snapchat story & then your friends coming up to you in real life to talk to you about the blessings in their day
In The Story So Far’s “High Regard” when Parker Cannon sings, “what do you want from me, I’m just a kid who got in too deep”.
Photobooth & photobooths
Flaming Hot Cheetos
What Do You Meme
Kairos
When someone was right—they would see you again
Portable chargers
When you accidentally hit Aaron’s foot when you’re sitting next to him on a bus & he gives you a look that makes you laugh
When you’re not cold
Dance shows
Sharing a milkshake at The Habit
Accidentally posting the same picture on Instagram twice
Asking a random girl if you can sit next to her during the church service & ending up becoming super fast friends
When you end up wearing practically the same outfit as her 10 days later
Filling it forward
Lazy rivers
When someone says “all good things” to you & you immediately recognize the subliminal influences you have on other people’s language & mannerisms, but it’s okay because you’ve been picking up on their language & mannerisms, too.
Soft scrambled eggs
When people recognize you
Times New Roman
Apercu
Not drinking for 8 weeks straight
In-N-Out buns
The Annual Turkey Bowl
When your sorority composite is actually…pretty?
When both dresses you bought for formal are great options
Having places that you miss
When life feels different, in a good way
Feeling content with the fact that sometimes we don’t lose others, they lose us
Tattoo sleeves
When your gas tank is full & you think “I could literally just run away right now”.
When your ankle finally starts to feel better after you sprained it
The Notes App
When you’re leaving campus after 11 PM and you remember that the back gates are closed, so you don’t even try to drive back there, which saves you the (sometimes) greatest disappointment of the week
French fries!
Plaid pants
When you don’t forget your toothbrush or toothpaste on your weekend trip
Poppies
Importing hot sauce from Belize
My chili cross
When someone’s music through their headphones is so loud that you can hear it
When people say “that is the most Lizzie car I’ve ever seen” when they see my C-max
The Pasadena California Pizza Kitchen & all the great memories I have there
The Norton Simon
Having tea at a professor’s house (it’s extra good if it’s also with their family)
When people draw safety pins
Really good pasta
Mahalah Bernstein’s garage
Will Mendelson
Ice skating with people who are equally as okay or better than you
My dad’s Naval Academy sweatshirt
The Loyola Marymount University photography archives
How the titles of books are usually creative & how the titles of paintings are usually straightforward. How we use simple words to describe something complex like art & use creative titles to describe something that can seem so straightforward like paragraphs. But isn’t everything more complex than we could ever think? Sometimes I look at something & think of it as black & white, but know that nothing in my life is black & white & should therefore not expect the same from anything else. We can always go deeper. There is always more to learn & understand
My mug collection (my favorite one is my purple Montserrat mug from Spain. It has the Black Madonna on it & a lot of other drawings)
My Kombucha graveyard
My Bible from the 1800’s
Mirror selfies
When you go back to the coffee shop you worked at a year & a half ago & not only do the baristas remember you…they give you the employee discount
Gingerbread
Ginger beer (especially when it’s so ginger-y that it makes your eyes water)
Getting really good grades
Spontaneous piercings
When people lend you books because they think you’ll like them & you do…
When someone tells you that your writing is like poetry…heart eyes
The Lawful/Neutral/Chaotic/Good/Evil chart
Photoshoots with Chicken Biscuits
Trader Joe’s bags from other states (especially my Louisiana & Missouri ones)
Cute bookstores
When Spencer sends you a little graphic that says, “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on her own wings”.
Reading the gospels
Sitting on a bench on a sunny day
Spooning…little spoon or big spoon, it doesn’t matter
When the Democratic Debate is at Loyola Marymount University & you get to go to a Watch Party at the business school & you steal six mugs
FaceTiming
When people call you on your birthday
The lighting in my bathroom in La Cañada
Quesadillas
In-N-Out after church
When you take your little brother to church with you & he says he liked it…heart eyes
Dying your hair darker. My hair feels more like my actual hair when it’s darker
Harry Potter Marathons over school breaks
Cade Prins…the Cade/Lizzie Dynamic is too good
Leading Kairos
This quote—“You don’t need to try harder, you just need to trust more.”
Hot soy vanilla chai lattes from the Den
The Den in general
Getting a gluten-free muffin, a Pink Lady Apple Health-Ade Kombucha, two Wellness shots, & a medium hot soy vanilla chai latte at the Den (a dream)
Theology Classes (usually)
LMU Magazine
The Jerusalem Cross
The B+ Foundation
Short version: starting a club with your friends. Long version: When you’re with your friend John at EXP Fest at LMU in August 2018 & your mutual friend Griffin walks up to you. You’re all talking about random things until John asks Griffin if he’s going to start the dance marathon club. Griffin says yes. John asks if he can be on the executive board. Griffin immediately turns to you and asks you if you want to be on it. You say yes. Griffin then agrees that John can be on it, too. The three of you recruit other executive board members. Suddenly you have a decent executive board. You all face many hurdles together. There is often no hope. You consider quitting exec. Someone actually does. Things get hard. Will Dance Marathon prevail? It is uncertain. You say these words out loud: “maybe we should cancel Dance Marathon”. Oof. A month before Dance Marathon...crazy things start to happen. You raise over $40,000 in a month for the B+ Foundation. Your final total is close to $45,000. You get to donate $45k to an amazing foundation. Fast forward a year later and you’ve raised another $30,000 for the B+ Foundation, you’re nearing the end of your second term on the executive board, and you’re planning on getting matching tattoos with the other returning exec members. Dance Marathon is 18 days away. Life is good. Getting to be a part of LMUDM...a good thing.
Every moment you’re not thinking about how we exist outside of our own perception and people talk about us and say things that we’ll never know. Also how others perceive us differently than we perceive ourselves and we’ll never know what everyone thinks of us. Basically I hate that I exist outside of my own reality & it’s a good thing when I don’t think about it.
Taking the ferry to Sausalito
When my grandma says “have you seen my tattoos?” & shows you her phone case that has tattoo stickers on it
New boots!
Winging your eyeliner
Philippians 4:8-9
The new ramen restaurant that replaces the Pinkberry in La Cañada
Sitting on a roof watching the sunset
Hammocking on the bluff with a book & a blanket
Homemade dinner with your roommates
Ropes courses! With friends!
Barnes & Noble…bookstores in general
Getting lunch with your Kairos group
Wearing rain boots at the beach
Being a recruitment counselor for the third & final time
When you sorority’s recruitment video is recognized nationally for it’s script & production…& headquarters encourages other schools to model their videos after yours/use it as inspiration…& you wrote the script…
Bid Night
Having many places to be, but not being sad where you are
How Spencer & I can’t take a bad picture together
Beating Jack Palen in Connect 4
When your class crush wears a bible verse shirt
High-fiving Ian
Photography expos. Specifically PhotoLA.
Mel’s Dinner after you’ve been craving fries with ranch all day
Milkshakes
Yarn bombing
When you say “nice shirt!” to Ben at a party (because he’s wearing a Kanye West “Jesus is King” shirt) & he says (very loudly) “Jesus!! Lizzie, it’s your guy!”
Liking your brunch outfit
Unexpected hangouts…basically when you’re writing a talk by yourself & 30 minutes later there are 9 people with you, too.
Throwing a Super Bowl Party that actually ends up being really awesome
When a bunch of boys pick the lemons off your lemon tree & throw them at a wall
Blue Butterfly
The Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad from 26 Beach
Those word magnet things
Seeing a jumpsuit in your garage that ends up being absolutely perfect for one of your friends
Dinner for 15 at Islands in Marina Del Rey
Interviewing Paul Westhead
Getting an amazing internship after the craziest sequence of events you can only thank God for
El Matador State Beach
Chicken Mole Enchiladas
Giving a talk at Kairos & feeling completely comfortable sharing parts of yourself you rarely share
When your affirmation board is filled up with incredibly sweet messages
Knowing that you have at least one thing in common with everyone you meet & even everyone you don’t know
Cookie Night (if you know, you know)
The Pretzel Burger from The Tripel
Triple dates
Finding mirrors on the side of the road & putting them into the back of a pickup truck
Mirror selfies…OUTSIDE
Live music at small venues (only slightly different than 167)
Raising money for a great cause
Hanging things on your wall & being happy with how it turns out
Sipping earl gray tea in Theology Class
This email I got from my professor––“I’m grading notecards this afternoon and was really impressed with the clarity of your response to chapter 10. A number of your classmates raised similar questions this week, but not with the same clarity as yours. Do you mind if I share your response with the class next week for discussion? I’m happy to let them know it came from you or to keep you anonymous, whichever you prefer!” (for the record, my notecard said this: “I have a lot of questions. Ultimately, I understand that I cannot properly serve God to any capacity because I often do God a disservice by attempting to speak about God at all. It seems like every symbol isn’t good enough, so why have symbols at all? However—I keep going back to this question: If we emphasize the openness and mysteriousness of God too much, do we do God a disservice because it makes God more untouchable/unrelatable? How can we encourage people to create personal relationships with something we make so impersonal?”
“The Originals” group chat I’m in. The others know who they are.
Feeling secure in your friendships, in your faith, & in your choices
When you go from thinking “I hope you’re better off without me” to “I’m better off without you”
Miso soup
Hashbrowns & soft scrambled eggs with hot sauce
Fluidity
When the party’s at Jungle…not Lodge
Salvation Mountain
Driving through Joshua Tree
The curly fries at Mel’s Drive-In: An American Classic
Going to Sunny Spot for brunch
Going to 26 Beach for dinner! Their Pork Chops!
The Theology Department as a whole
Dying your friends’ hair
Giving boys bangs with your FaceApp
Philz Coffee with Dee
When someone rear ends you and it ends up being one of your friends so you both just laugh and move on with your lives
When someone tells you they miss you even though you saw them two days ago
This illustration:
Your friend is with a person. You’re sad, so you decide to text them anyway. “Are you busy rn”. They respond “not really what’s up” (lies). They invite you over. You arrive at their house at 10:45 PM. So late! You go to Yogurtland. Go grocery shopping at Rite-Aid. You buy St. Jude essential oil. Good things. They drive your car to the beach. You sit in the car and talk about life. It is good. You go back to their house. You look at pictures and talk more. You drive home. You get there at 2 AM. You look at yourself in the bathroom mirror. You’re not sad anymore.
Jasmine St. Jude essential oil
Sharkeez…sometimes!
The Kettle…all the time!
Finding multiple amazing jumpsuits
Going to Rugby games
Editing photos
How listening to worship music can genuinely make everything feel so much better
Life in the C-max
Emergen-C mixed with orange juice
When boys wear your clothes
Getting a sweet written affirmation from someone you love
The 10 PM Ash Wednesday Mass at LMU
Painting Pi Beta Phi arrows for your phamily members
My pyramid scheme phamily :)
Dinner in Pasadena with your parents, grandparents, and cousin
Dance Marathon 2020
Doodling on selfies
“When we first met”
When you’re alone in your house and one of your friends walks in and says “hello?” so you just start screaming
Coachella vs. Stagecoach Date Night
Cowboy boots
The Creation of Adam
Spencer Hollister
A good cry
Bonfires
Breakfast with Carly Johnson! Talking about love! I love love!
Love!
When someone says “hey, I know you! You got confirmed last year!”
Finding a toy shark at the bar
When you find out you are “the girl in the In-N-Out hat” to people…wow
“When you walked in it was all better” and “I had so much more fun when you showed up”
Campaign photoshoots!
Lunch outside! With friends! Picnics!
Cafe Solar
Arm tattoos
Naps in your backyard
Feeling comfortable crying in front of someone
Cafe Buna…especially their gluten free pancakes
The Happy Givers (it’s a company)
Drinking games with friends :)
When your friends are cool with your sobriety :)
Sobriety :)
Collaborating on projects!
Reflection selfies. They’re slightly different than mirror selfies.
Taking really good self-portraits
Really good drives
The Salton Sea! So pretty! Blue skies at the Salton Sea!
Bowling your best game ever at your brother’s 25th birthday party
The International Banana Museum
My black Curbside Shirt, my black belt, my gray Levi mom jeans, and white slip ons…I slept on this outfit for far too long
Ramen…so many heart eyes
All of the “Quality You Can Taste” neon signs
Tomatoes
Working at Chick-fil-A
The new Curbside (C.R.B.S.D.) mural in the Hilton Building at LMU
Good God talks at bars with good God friends
Pinball machines
Drawing at In-N-Out
When Nate walks in and says “my pockets are full of oranges”
Biting into popsicles
Extra spread
Airbnb’s
The desert!
My brothers!
Mango and tajin margaritas
Chicken nuggets
Kings Row Gastropub
Getting a haircut
Blasting music in the car from Bowlero to the bar
Sheep
Mochi
When whoever does the readings at mass walks up to the podium and their shoes squeak
Working on a campaign
When Nick Jonas sings “come back to me, baby, I'll come back to you”
Taquitos
Brownies
“Safer at home” photoshoots
Getting letters in the mail
Meredith Ritchter
This email I got from local legend and Campus Minister, Josh Mayfield: “Lizzie! Guess wht? I no longer hve n 'eh' key on my keybord! nd I thought you would 'preite this. TkeCre! Joshu Myfield”.
BLACK LIVES
Buying a second pair of Doc Marten’s because the first time you bought them you got matte white & it was a little bit of a mistake
Visiting new cities with friends
Road trips
Driving up the 395 on a beautiful day
Kayaking with friends (& dogs)
Giving a dog a manicure
How you only have to do your eye makeup when you’re wearing a mask
Dying your hair black & liking it
When each hand is painted a different color nail polish
Sending people tweets on Twitter you know they’ll like
Finally getting your Jesus Mac & Cheese in the mail
Getting tattoos in August (me every August for the last 3 Augusts)
Green purses
Quaranzines (check out Everyday Feelings)
Misters outside on a hot day
Getting really nice DM’s on Instagram (from friends & strangers)
When people wear scrubs to the grocery store
Ginger beer mixed with jalapeño limeade & pineapple juice
When your mom makes you a mask
Sleeping in french braids
Going to church in new cities while on vacation
Neck Deep’s album “All Distortions are Intentional”
International airports
Blue light glasses (they’re not a hoax, I love mine)
Hand sanitizer
Loving someone back & being loved back
Long dresses
Conspiracy theories
Documentary series on Netflix
Justice!
Buttery biscuits with jam
Spanish style tiles
Olvera Street
Social workers & everything they do for our society that often goes unnoticed
When boys dye their hair (& when boys let you dye their hair)
When you finally start liking a pair of shorts you bought two years ago (thanks, Warped Tour!)
Drinking enough water
The Bonneville Salt Flats outside of Salt Lake City
When your grandma texts you
Making enchiladas from scratch
Black nail polish
Getting matching Times New Roman shirts with Nathan
When the rain falls but you don’t drown anymore
Writing something straight from your heart
When other people ask you if you can pray for them...yes! Always!
When people know you better than you know yourself
When people get comfortable with the idea of going to therapy
When my great-grandma said “life is too short to not eat M&M’s every day”
Airstreams (& sleeping in them)
FaceTiming someone you love for three hours
Hugging your friend after you haven’t seen them in a while
Everything But the Bagel seasoning
How Instagram, briefly, seemed like a breeding space for positive social change
Being tan in the summer
Fake nose rings
Home Brewed Bar 48 oz pouches
Nicole Brunetta & her puppy
Collecting Trader Joe’s bags from different states
Venus fly traps
NO FIZZY DRINKS GUY!!
Roller skates & roller-skating
Three Baker’s Gluten Free 7 Ancient Grains Bread
The Raspberry & Mint Limeades from Sweet Lake in Salt Lake City, Utah
Winning an ASLMU Election
Eating mint leaves
When people’s birthdays are easy to remember
Guayaki Enlighten Mint Yerba Mate
Driving an hour just to get a Dairy Queen Blizzard cake
Brick Houses
Street art
Using deodorant made for men. Why is deodorant gendered?
Crew socks
Getting an email after you made a big sale on RedBubble
Bombay Beach, California
Jalapeño Cheddar bagels, toasted, with cream cheese
When Wizkid sings “tonight, I might fall in love dependin' on how you hold me“
Jeremy Zucker’s entire discography
Spencer’s Arrowman presentation
CupPong brackets with good friends
Jack Palen’s vertical striped shirt
Having the opportunity to go to “church at home” (aka church livestreams)
My black dress with white polka dots
Sparkers
Fireworks
Washing your hands
Pillsbury Orange Rolls with Orange Icing
Milk bath photoshoots (true creatives use corn starch instead of milk)
Snailmail
Coloring other people’s sketchbook pages
The Powerpuff Girls
When Emily wears blue eyeshadow
Throwing a fake formal with your roommates
“stupid horse” by 100 gecs
That 70’s Show
The ZigZag House
Doing Gaia’s hair & makeup for a fun photoshoot day
Getting mail from the Theology Department
Sitting on your roof & listening to worship music
Parked car conversations
When Rachel randomly drops chocolate off at your house
When people answer your FaceTimes
When Lexi writes a bible verse at the end of her letter to you: James 1:12—Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial”
When sunburns fade into tans without pealing
Sitting on the floor of your kitchen drinking coffee
Whipped coffee with cinnamon
When you have the same profile picture on Instagram for 2+ years
Getting a sketchbook (Moleskine’s forever)
Making gluten free banana bread
Trashy artsy boys…oof
My God is Greater than the Highs & Lows ring
Turning your handwriting into a font
Graduation stoles
Taking graduation pictures for people
Sneaking onto LMU’s campus through someone’s backyard
When Gaia makes you the subject of her video for her class
Horseshoe Bend
Taking self portraits while on FaceTime
The green chairs at The Vineyard
Going to Tahoe with Carly Johnson
Getting matching shirts with Ian & having a photoshoot at Cornerstone Church Westchester
Demin skirts
VSCO
Finishing your theology thesis about how transgender people go to heaven despite what Vatican documents may imply
When Nate wrote “I believe in God when I think of you” in a letter to me
FaceTiming Lydia, Lexi, Gio & Rosie on what would have been your graduation day
When Griffin & Jordan surprise you! FaceTiming Griffin & Jordan! When Griffin & Jordan give you advice! Griffin & Jordan!
Suddenly becoming a freelance photographer…?
When Emily lets you glue flowers to her face for an hour
Running straight into the ocean with all your clothes on with Josh Mayfield
When Carly meets you at Bowlero
When little kids dye their hair cool colors
Two-toned jeans
Hanging out in a Target parking lot during golden hour
Destroying your belongings for a photoshoot
Mountains because they are so beautiful & make me feel so safe
The people who consistently show up in your life
Letting a piercing close that has been bothering you for a while
When Amanda sent me a tik tok that said “nobody thinks what I think” & wrote “this felt so you”. I’ve never felt so seen
The Moleskine classic notebook size large (13x21 cm) ruled hard cover journal & the Muji gel ink ballpoint cap type 0.5 mm black pen combination
Throwing back (non-alcoholic) beers instead of holding back tears (shoutout to Noah Cyrus)
Going on a walk in Venice
When you’re only twenty-two & you know you don’t know anything
Shooting with expired film
The Marina Mami’s
Starting your own magazine…
When people like your magazine…
The Algodones Sand Dunes in Glamis, California
When you say “glitter?” & Meredith says “yes”
Having a secret tattoo ;)
Growing blackberries in your backyard
When you don’t have a headache
Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken
Raising money for People’s City Council Los Angeles though the @lmudm Instagram
Making the brave decision to keep going anyway
Anthony Bourdain
Ladybird
East Jesus in Niland, California
Early morning Pacific Ocean swims
Organizing jellybeans
The My Favorite Murder Podcast
Getting coffee & sitting at the beach with Kristen
When you ask someone if they’re happy & you feel like they gave you a genuine answer
Typing really fast
Aileron (my new favorite font)
Giant zucchinis
My Meredith sticker on my laptop
My red & blue lightbulbs
Getting old rolls of film developed
Going on road trips with photographers (more specific than #707)
Chia seeds
The Grand Canyon
Breakfast burritos
When you consider buying a scanner, but you realize your parents already have one
Church outside
Feeling good in your own body
When your Spotify Discover Weekly has a lot of really great music
Bonfires with friends
Making a lost list of places you’ve cried
When Ben Barlow sings “I was not me until I discovered you for the first time” & all you can think about is Jesus & how good your life has been since you truly gave it all to God & let Jesus’s transformational grace completely change your life
Jacob’s sermon notes
Thinking about how many times you’ve heard Mr. Brightside during your four years at Loyola Marymount University
Texting Ben Zazzara about how you used to have a crush on him
Good mascara days
Trader Joe’s Roasted Gorgonzola Flavored Oven Crisp Crackers with double creamy brie & prosciutto
Ripped tights with shorts & doc’s (or any boot)
The lack of traffic in Los Angeles during the pandemic
Snakes
When your brother asks you if you’re going through an emo phase as if your emo phase hasn’t been your entire life
How even when it’s bad, it’s good
When the Cinnamon Challenge was really popular on YouTube in like 2011/2012
When a writer falls in love with you & writes about you in ways that make you not completely hate yourself (secretly what I hope the boys I like think about me)
When he likes being your muse
Charlie Puth’s eyebrows
Reminding people that I was a competitive jump roper for 8 years of my young life
“Cardigan” by Don Toliver
When you say to a boy “everyone thinks you’re obsessed with me” & he proceeds to tell you exactly why he’s obsessed with you…heart eyes
Realizing you spent your last student mass sitting with Jake & Aaron
When you come up with a good synonym
When you turn your broken heart into art you love & you’re like “okay, this actually isn’t so bad”. Worth it?
How it feels to be lost (sometimes)
The way John Mayer loves lettuce wraps
When paper bags don’t rip
Pretty silk dresses
Vintage clothing
Trusting what God blocks
The lavender fields in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah
Coffee. Coffee is a part of a few good things, but I’ve been drinking coffee since 6th grade. I love it. I love grinding the beans, the smell, & pouring black coffee over brown sugar in the morning. I love picking one of my favorite mugs out of the pantry & I love holding it with both hands as I sit on my couch getting ready to tackle my day. I love coffee shops, I love asking baristas for their recommendations, when my drink is called, & taking the first sip, even when it’s still too hot. I love sitting somewhere with my journal, pretending I’m writing something profound when I’m usually just spilling meaningless words onto lines piece of notebook paper. I love shifting my drink sleeve up & down until my drink cools down enough where I can take it off all together. I love coffee, I love it all.
Finally accepting that you may not be the love of somebody’s life.
Learning to come alive in a space without knowing how everything will fall into place
Having nothing to wish for at 11:11 or when you see a shooting star
When high/low dresses went out of style
How Campus Ministers turn into friends after you graduate
Double exposures
A few TikToks
Jeff’s mini series on listening
Emo rap (my favorite is nothing,nowhere.)
Saying y’all even though you’ve lived in Los Angeles your entire life
When butterflies land on you
Jack’s house’s trampoline
Flare jeans
Pinto beans
Peach season
The Kogi Barbecue Truck
Buying your Nike Air Force One’s in a little boy’s size so they’re like $60 cheaper, but exactly the same
Not having an anxiety attack when you smoke, lol.
When people love you as much as you love them in an obvious & explicit & beautiful way. Basically being someone else’s muse. I want to be someone’s muse. How nice would that be?? I have muses…I want to me a muse
When someone recognizes you as someone gracious, passionate, & distinct in the way you love
Life after quarantine, hopefully (half kidding. life is what you make it, so let’s make it rock)
Journaling bibles
Finding a Moleskine journal in a color you’ve never seen before
Talking fonts with other people who love fonts (talking fonts with people who don’t get fonts isn’t as fun)
When you decide to restitch your jeans & you actually do a good job
When people take the doors off their Jeep’s
Tempura green bean fries from The Habit
The way Spencer feels about Iggy’s
Feeling yourself heal
Big fish tanks
When squirrels steal your french fries
JP, Melanie, & Micah
When you talk to one of your friends about a boy you used to be (most likely) in love with & it’s not weird & you don’t feel guilty about talking or asking about him & for once you really mean it when you say you hope he’s happy but you don’t have any desire to be a part of that happiness anymore
When you like your siblings’ significant others
Sour cream
When people say “I want you to come with us” instead of “you know you’re invited” or “you can come”
Sedona, Arizona
How the McDonald’s in Sedona wasn’t allowed to be yellow so they painted the arches a nice blue color
Zion National Park
How the mountains genuinely look purple sometimes
When you’re so proud of someone you start crying on the phone
The Alaskan landscapes in Fairbanks
Chips from Chipotle
When people call me Lizard
Grapefruit Izze’s
Planting an oak tree in pre-school & watching it grow with you
Churros (especially caramel filled ones from Peruvian restaurants)
Plant nurseries
Jeff’s pizza oven & every single pizza he’s ever made
Kevin Abstract’s “Peach” in its entirety
My older brother’s Instagram bio
Admitting you have a problem. Or that you may have a problem
Calling (83)FOR-TRUTH
Being fairly self-sufficient
When you get pulled over for going 42 in a 25, but you get a lecture instead of a ticket
Calling cows meadow angels
Friends with pure hearts
Knowing that there is a lot of greatness in the world that we may never experience. Like incredible charities you’ll never hear of doing great work or people doing great things you’ll never see
Freshly cracked pepper
How mountains in the distance actually kinda look like ripped paper
THAT WE ARE THE BELOVED
These texts: “I’m always impressed by and jealous of how much of yourself you let into the world” & “You also are very good at writing and I am impressed by how much you are able to write”…heart eyes
Taking up space wherever you are
Saying what you mean & meaning what you say!
Dismantling oppressive establishments board by board
Changing your name because who cares
Buying clothes on Depop
The Notes App
Eve Robinson’s love for soup
Homemade chili cheese fries
Peaceful protesting for BLACK LIVES
When people wear masks...thank you for being the bare minimum of a decent person
When your car breaks down so Jehu takes you to Wendy’s for Four for Fours to make you feel better
The Palen & Elsie campaign team
How unrealistic daydreams offer a moment of bliss
Getting flowers delivered in the mail
When someone tells you, “I wish I knew you earlier”
Finding your little brother in San Diego
When they miss you when they’re looking for themselves out there
“December” by Neck Deep in its entirety
How the stars at the Salt Flats in Utah are as good if not better than the stars in Lethem, Guyana. Really glad I looked up.
Concept albums (when they’re done well)
Shooting stars
Being proven wrong
Salt & vinegar chips
The vinaigrette from Chipotle
Having a “main character moment”
Making Animoji’s frown really dramatically
Getting an “all good things” tattoo on your hip because this list has truly transformed your life & connected you with others in ways you couldn’t have expected. This list has truly impacted me. Expressing gratitude has so much I couldn’t have expected & consistently brings happiness into my life. I posted my first 100 things during the hardest semester of my college career—I was feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders at all moments, but adding more good things to my initial list was such a blessing throughout that challenging time. Starting this section of my blog really helped me focus on the little things that make the mundane & even disappointing realities of life so much better. Life got so much better when I started looking for good things to appreciate instead of negative things to complain about. So…here’s to 1,000+ good things & almost two years of trying to practice gratitude every day. All good things, y’all!
Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese…mmmmm
Everyone who likes & comments on my @lizbroms posts or sends me sweet DM’s
Being vulnerable online
Nathan Faust’s poetry
When texting someone doesn’t suck & you actually enjoy it. I hate texting 90% of the time.
Online classes (sometimes)
Allbright Magazine
When a task you’ve been putting off for months takes 5 minutes
When your wifi isn’t painfully slow
When your new shoes start to feel broken in (I’m honestly not a huge fan of new shoes)
Local honeys (the food) (also me & my friends…we are local hunnies)
Reading the bible
Dave Days & my past life as a stan
When Emily makes you fresh squeezed lemonade from the lemons on the tree in the backyard
Cheese pulls…wow
Pineapple on pizza (with ranch and chili flakes)
People who don’t drive drunk
Iced Rose Vanilla Oatmilk Lattes from Constellation Coffee
Constellations
When Nathan read #1-1000 of this list & wrote this line for a poem after: “I hope peace comes to both of us as easily as love once did”
Straw hats
How God takes care of us
How I wore lipstick pretty much everyday for the two years that followed a break up because my ex didn’t like it when I wore lipstick but I love lipstick
Grammarly
The Philip DeFranco Show
Hamsters
My Venmo card
These movies: Dear Zachary, October Sky, & Across the Universe
Following your friends’ moms on Instagram
Tie-dye
When cats meow at you
How Lexi is so much younger than me. I always forget I’m practically two years older than her..?
White sneakers
Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (NOT regular Dr. Pepper)
The Jesus of Suburbia
Completing a five-year journal
Meeting up with Bobby halfway between your house and Curbside HQ at a park to exchange a book
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
When your life is falling apart but at least your teeth are white
Knowing you don’t have to prove anything to anyone
Voice memos
Leaving voicemails (SUCH a good thing)
The USPS
Getting your eyebrows done
This line from We are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby: “Maybe in this life you get all kinds of soulmates, multiple poeple who vibrate at the same level you do. I think that’s what Fred is for me…So, no, I didn’t get my happy-ending tongue kiss in the rain, but I did get my friend back.”
Sunset swims with good friends
When your friends like your other friends
When your brother brings you In-N-Out
Survivor
Jeff Probst <3
Sunscreen
Getting A’s on assignments you worked really hard on
Getting McFlurry’s with your brothers…& the total comes out to $3.16…
Mac & Cheesus with Jesus friends
When someone gives you a book they think you’ll love & they’re right…you actually love it
When other people take pictures on film & share them with you instead of the other way around
Finding sweet writings in your archive
Time lapses
Getting Tanner’s with Lexi & Sofia on a Saturday morning
Wearing rings that used to belong to your late family members
When Dawson gives you half a cake
Hawk moth caterpillars
When people drive from Westchester to La Cañada to hangout with you
My snake pants
Accidentally matching outfits with someone at church
When your friends let you use them for their wifi
Braiding boys’ hair
This party theme: “party animals”
When praying doesn’t feel like you’re just leaving a voicemail
When you find a cat at Samy’s Camera
Dutch Bro’s!
How this quote gave me exactly one moment of peace: “I asked my grandpa how he knew grandma was the one. He said…‘she was the one who was always there. No matter what I did, she was there to love me even when I was less then loving. I took it for granted for a while. Then I realize she’s what I needed for the rest of my life…”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Thrifting
Italian soda
McDonald’s Sprite & how it tastes like electricity
Cheetah’s
Oakland
Puzzles :)
Being COVID negative :)
Going to Alaska! With your friends!
Thrifting a really cool Metallica shirt!
Smoked salmon on an everything bagel with cream cheese, red onions, & capers
Going to hot springs when it’s literally freezing outside
When cats put their paws on you
Doing a boy’s hair & makeup
Cuddling, lol
Eating cake in the back of a pickup truck. As in eating an entire cake with two forks in the back of a pickup truck. No plates. No napkins. Just an entire cake, two forks, & a best friend
Craigslist Joe
running into the Pacific Ocean at 12:00 AM on January 1, 2021 with Jacob & Bobby
Supporting small businesses by buying cards for your friends
One time I slept over at a boy’s house & when I left in the morning, I walked outside to my car & the trashman smiled & waved at me. I was immediately filled with joy & was like “WOW...that’s going on my good things list”.
Nona Pittman
The New Mart building in the Fashion District in Downtown Los Angeles
Buying Pressed Juicery before work
When your friend is like “can you do makeup for the music video we’re doing” & you think to yourself “uhh, I’ve never done makeup like that, but…sure?” & it ends up being awesome & working out perfectly
Music video sets
Writing a secret message on someone’s desk in pencil
Confetti canons
When someone buys you fake blood <3
Being an iPhoneographer
Luke & Carter’s bathroom at 5:06 PM on October 30, 2020
Sleepovers (less specific than #173)
Wrapping people in plastic wrap
Suddenly being as comfortable without makeup on as you are with makeup on
GIANT SPOON DAY AT YOGURTLAND
& how Jacob Johanson has somehow made it Giant Spoon Day multiple times a year..?
My Vote Jack & Elsie pins
Going to Home Depot without having a sexist experience
Carhartt beanies…specifically that weird brown one so many people have
The Curbside “What If” video
Exodus 14:14—The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Revice Denim
When Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election
New dresses that fit really great <3
Boys with tattoos <3
Blue eyeliner
Taking your lunch break at the beach
Coffee with Jacob, Nona, & Yoyo
People who are in the world
This verse by Mark Hoppus: “I’ve lost faith, I’m not falling in love anymore / My role models keep letting the good time roll / I thought that maybe we were different / But I’m done acting like I’m Clark Kent”
Shooting with Craig in Redondo Beach, California
That deep “wow, God is really taking good care of me” feeling
Sunsets in Hermosa
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Getting breakfast with a new friend
Degrassi
The Hammitt Sample Sale
When Dua Lipa said “I move mountains on my own, don’t need nobody’s help”
My new phone case :)
Mesh
Operation Christmas Child
Target runs !!
When you go to Jeff & Heather’s for dinner & get to eat inside
Smoothies with Josh & Izzy
Chromesparks
Parmesan Goldfish
Golden Dragon in Chinatown
Zooming with Natalie
Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream
Drive in movie dates
Shooting at The Dream Factory Studio
Cutting all your hair off
When someone plays the saxophone for you
Staying awake for the whole movie
When you wax your eyebrows yourself & they look GOOD…WOW
Children’s bibles
When your date says to meet you at 316 Pier Ave
When your St. Ignatius metal arrives in the mail
Potato bugs
When boys send you videos of potato bugs
Chili cheese tater tots with Jacob, Palen, & Ben
T-shirt warehouse
Futon Factory LA
Venice Plants
The pasta I make everyone I love (that I stole from Amanda Paulsen)
@amanda_gillianphoto
His quote I saw from an old friend’s engagement announcement on Facebook: not sure if I believe in a god, but he/she sure as hell believes in me
My hand tattoo
Junior Mints
Martinelli's Apple Cider & Sweet Green at the beach
The Sunset in Manhattan Beach on December 6th, 2020
Em dashes…I cannot believe I ever worked for a woman who didn’t live em dashes or ampersands
Ampersands
Puppies
When Marlene & Dawson drop off a puppy & you get to puppy sit <3
When you put the puppy in someone’s hood & it falls asleep
My Simpson’s Neck Deep shirt
Being friends with Seth Cassellius
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Joselito’s Mexican Food
Frogs…I’m distraught frogs weren’t in my first 100
Camping in your car
Betty by Taylor Swift & how it made me fully sob while I drove up the 395
The “Jesus Saves” sign downtown
Cake for breakfast on Christmas Eve
Dying your hair blue & purple & green & pink
Juan Pablo Echeverri’s portrait series
Proverbs 16:3—Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans
Doing Amanda’s makeup before her photoshoot
When Pastor Jeff preached about this list: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUIJ_Diqjt8
When I say something positive & someone tells me to add it to my Good Things list
When Dawson said Rocketpop is also his favorite flavor at Yogurtland
Having a sense of home
Promotions at work <3
Having dinner with a female pastor (AKA Nate’s mom)
My friends recently
Carrying hot sauce around with you
Pressed Juicery. Greens 3. Citrus 2. Etc, etc.
Being a VIP at Pressed Juicery
Carly’s green dress she lets me borrow
The most recent time someone told me they love me was a beautiful moment & a very good thing
Wearing lots of rings
Carlsbad, CA
If Eggs Benedict isn’t already on this list I’m gonna be so pissed
Can I add Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich?
The time I drove to Hacienda Heights with my dad & strapped a mattress to the top of the car
Green couches
Reusable cutlery
The fact that it’s 12 PM right now & I’m writing #1200
The time I was walking through a parking lot crying & a man called out to me from his car & said “girl…that dress looks great on you”. I do not appreciate cat calling, but I did appreciate that moment
When people spray frogs with spray bottles
My 424 Clear Daisy purse
Jacob’s VIP Lrg Candlelight Orange
Really long walks
Starting therapy after saying you should go back for more…than…a year…

all good things,

Elizabeth/lizzie/LB

*20. When cities hire farmers to bring hundreds of goats to eat the grassy hills to avoid fires*

*23. Oatly Oat Milk in Brooklyn Bagels Infusion coffee before work on Fridays*

*41. Good gluten-free & dairy-free pizza*

*59. How everyone’s handwriting is different even though we write the same words*

*70. Driving down the 10 on a Friday night, listening to music, & singing your heart out alone*

*93. Sitting in the back of a truck on a long drive & getting super, super dirty*

*99. All the moments that reminds you why you joined your sisterhood*

*100. The walk from Regent’s Terrace to the Chapel*

*115. The fact that at pretty much any college you go to they’ll say something about the squirrels there being “special”*

*123. Looking through photo albums from one of your parents’ childhood*

*136. When you go on vacation & expect snow but don’t get it until the last day & you realize that it wouldn’t have been as fun if it was snowing the whole time so you’re actually super content.*

*139. Old friends, because you can’t make old friends.*

*147. Mixing Colourpop’s Zuma & Mama lipsticks together to get the perfect color*

*149. When you think you’re flying out of LAX but you’re really flying out of Burbank*

*157. Dressing up as Michael & Dwight for a Dynamic Duo outfit*

*167. Shows at small venues with good friends*

*169. Raising $44,500 for families with children battling cancer*

*172. When you’re walking around Spain with your friends & someone says “hey…we’re in Spain”*

*174. When you meet your favorite author & he writes “God loves you!” in your journal*

*182. When you have Caesar Chavez day off, so you spend all day at your friend’s house & ending your day in the library, but having a lot of really long, good conversations along the way.*

*191. Feeling insecure about showing up to a Date Night dressed as a Teletubby, but people tell you how much they love it which makes you feel less awkward*

*192. Putting fake mustaches on your eyebrows & taking selfies with your friends like there are not giant black mustaches on your eyebrows*

*210. Rocket Pop yogurt with fruity pebbles from Yogurtland*

*216. People who have been your friend for a few months, but slowly you start spending more & more time with them, & then, before you know it, they’re one of the most important people in your life*

*228. When it starts to rain on a really, really hot & humid day*

*229. When State Farm affirms you that your car accident was not your fault*

*240. Shoes that make you feel like you’re really just on top of your shit suddenly*

*248. Being best friends with your roommate*

*256. Strawberry Passion Tea Lemonade from Chick-fil-A*

*263. Knowing that school will start again soon*

*271. My phamily—Carlie, Lexi, Megan, Eve & Amanda*

*287. Going to John Mayer with Vanessa Cicchini*

*300. When someone agrees that there is no conversation too deep for date night*

*306. Watching a tattoo idea come to life on your skin*

*320. Chocolate hummus from Trader Joe’s*

*323. Oatmilk based ice cream, specifically the peanut butter & raspberry flavor*

*379. Worship nights & dinners at Jeff & Heather’s*

*380. Parking in the driveway of Lodge & not going to the party, but having your favorite people at the party come to you*

*387. Getting dairy free ice cream with friends in Tijuana*

*405. What Cam Bryan wrote about me when she nominated me for embodying Pi Beta Phi’s value of “Philanthropic Service to Others”. I cried about it multiple times.*

417. When Spencer Hollister looks you in the eyes & says “Lizzie, please don’t graduate. What are we going to do without you?”. More like what am I going to do without you. — *417. When Spencer Hollister looks you in the eyes & says “Lizzie, please don’t graduate. What are we going to do without you?”. More like what am* I going to do without ***you***.

*426. Finally going to Roscoe’s with Aaron, Maddie, & Jose after talking about it for ~8 months*

*431. Realizing that the experiences of our lives are inherently independent*

*435. The fact that Spencer is in my sorority phamily*

*439. When you’re at the beach during the sunset & the sun is setting but it’s not too dark yet*

*448. Getting beautiful shots as a production team of one*

*470. Accidentally posting the same picture on Instagram twice*

*484. When both dresses you bought for formal are great options*

*483. When your sorority composite is actually…pretty?*

*486. When life feels different, in a good way*

*501. The Pasadena California Pizza Kitchen & all the great memories I have there*

*509. My dad’s Naval Academy sweatshirt*

*518. Ginger beer (especially when it’s so ginger-y that it makes your eyes water)*

*524. Photoshoots with Chicken Biscuits*

*537. When you take your little brother to church with you & he says he liked it…heart eyes*

*557. The new ramen restaurant that replaces the Pinkberry in La Cañada*

*565. Being a recruitment counselor for the third & final time*

*573. Photography expos. Specifically PhotoLA.*

*577. When you say “nice shirt!” to Ben at a party*

*583. The Almond Crusted Goat Cheese Salad from 26 Beach*

*602. Sipping earl gray tea in Theology Class*

*604. “The Originals” group chat I’m in. The others know who they are.*

*643. Coachella vs. Stagecoach Date Night*

*649. Breakfast with Carly Johnson! Talking about love! I love love!*

*670. The Salton Sea! So pretty! Blue skies at the Salton Sea!*

*675. All of the “Quality You Can Taste” neon signs*

*679. Good God talks at bars with good God friends & 690. Kings Row Gastropub*

*716 Getting tattoos in August (me every August for the last 3 Augusts)*

*726. Neck Deep’s album “All Distortions are Intentional”*

*740. When you finally start liking a pair of shorts you bought two years ago*

*752. When my great-grandma said “life is too short to not eat M&M’s every day”*

*771. Guayaki Enlighten Mint Yerba Mate*

*784. Jack Palen’s vertical striped shirt*

*793. Coloring other people’s sketchbook pages*

*807. When sunburns fade into tans without pealing*

*814. My God is Greater than the Highs & Lows ring*

*824. Getting matching shirts with Ian & having a photoshoot at Cornerstone Church Westchester*

*839. Mountains because they are so beautiful & make me feel so safe*

*851. The Algodones Sand Dunes in Glamis, California*

*872. Getting old rolls of film developed*

*895. When a writer falls in love with you & writes about you in ways that make you not completely hate yourself*

*910. The lavender fields in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah*

*916. How Campus Ministers turn into friends after you graduate*

*936. When you decide to restitch your jeans & you actually do a good job*

*961. Kevin Abstract’s “Peach” in its entirety*

*971. How mountains in the distance actually kinda look like ripped paper*

*976. Dismantling oppressive establishments board by board*

*984. When Jehu takes you to Wendy’s for Four for Fours to make you feel better*

*989. Finding your little brother in San Diego*