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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

 

I’ve been seeking out joy lately. It’s easy to see the negative. It’s so easy to get caught up in the drama. The world is constantly throwing all these bad things toward me, and it would be easy to focus on that. But I don’t want to. I want to shift my sights on the good. So here is my annual favorite things list for your reading pleasure.

As always music makes the top of the list. I have different playlists for the different moods I’m trying to create. “Pump up,” “Get ready,” “Sing loud,” “10 minutes of Awesome.” I’ve been really into OneRepublic lately. In fact “Connection” and “Wanted” are listened to daily — usually multiple times. They’re also usually followed with some pretty intense dance moves. I’m sure my kids are not embarrassed by me at all.

A good cheeseburger. I usually order it as a bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings. Yum! However, I have found the world’s most perfect cheeseburger, and it literally needs nothing. Bun, meat, cheese — that’s it. No ketchup, no lettuce, no onions — it needs nothing. It is perfection on it’s own. It possesses this magical power to force my eyes shut as I take the first bite. I believe I usually make a “mmm” sound as I chew. Every time I get this Nearly Naked burger I am amazed at how delicious it is. If you’ve ever eaten at the local food truck Peppered Cow, you already know what I’m talking about. Dori is a food wizard.

Speaking of food, I gotta give some love to a few of my other local favorites. You can’t go wrong with a daily slice from Jake’s. They have mastered the cheese/sauce/crust ratio. 1910 Fresh for their street tacos. So simple and yet so perfectly done. Plaza Morena and their delicious queso. I have been known to eat just their chips and queso for dinner. And I can’t wait till B&B opens, so I can get some smothered hash browns. There are so many other palate-pleasing menu items in this town, I should probably write an article just on that. The title would be “April eats Albert Lea,” but I’ll wait a bit till everyone is back open and fully operational.

This is an oldie but a goodie. My husband and I recently finished the TV series “Parks and Rec.” It’s a documentary style comedy that follows around an Indiana Parks and Recreation department as they go about their day-to-day activities. Although this show is older, it was the first time that we’d seen it from start to finish. It’s so funny and well put together. Quotable, relatable and for a comedy, it still pulls on your heart strings every now and again. If you’ve got Netflix, check it out.

High waist, compression leggings. Seriously, if you have yet to experience the difference between a mid-rise (traditional) or the newly popular high-waisted, there is a difference. I’ve had three kids and I was a big pregnant momma, so I will take all the help I can get. I enjoy lifting weights and working out, but I am not ashamed to tell you that if you ever see me with what appears to be any firmness to my lower body, it’s not me. I give all the credit to my leggings.

As I wrap this up I also need to give a shout out to my co-workers. It doesn’t matter where I’ve worked, it’s always the co-workers that make or break a job. I had the most difficult job years ago, but I stayed longer than I should have because I loved the people I was in the trenches with. So if I work with you, or for you, let the record state — I love you. You’ve made a difficult time tolerable and I actually still enjoy coming to work.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams.