#19 A FABULOUS STEAK DINNER

As I said in a previous post, my wife and I have been trying different restaurants. Tonight we both had a black Angus steak dinner. It was an amazingly well cooked steak seasoned to perfection. The veggies were also exquisite, a squash with a nice sauce and mashed potatoes. We were both so pleased with our meals that I think we found our new favorite restaurant.

A fabulous steak dinner makes me happy.

#18 VISITING HEAD-SMASHED-IN BUFFALO JUMP

On Saturday my wife and I took our granddaughter with us and visited Head-smashed-in Buffalo Jump.

What an amazing piece of history to learn about. The tactics that were learned by the Blackfoot Indians through tracking and watching the buffalo, then using what they had learned of their behavior to create a stampede and direct the buffalo over the cliff. This tactic had been used by the natives for over 5800 years in the western plains to bring food and supplies to the tribe.

This area is the most well preserved buffalo jump locations that have ever been discovered.  I recommend a tour of this facility to anyone interested in history.

Visiting Head-smashed-in Buffalo Jump makes me happy.

#17 HAVING A RELIABLE VEHICLE

This summer my wife and I finally purchased a newer vehicle, the newest vehicle we have ever had since, well ever. It is awesome to actually enjoy getting into my truck, feeling safe and comfortable and having fun driving it. This is definitely the classiest vehicle we have ever had and it is really good looking too. It has been a dream come true to have a new vehicle.
I love it.

Having a reliable vehicle makes me happy.

#16 50's STYLE SODA SHOPS

You know the cool diners from the 1950's (for those of you who are old enough), you know, like the one Fonzie used to frequent on Happy Days.

Well, on the way home from Calgary, my wife and I took a little detour to Black Diamond, a little town in southern Alberta where my dad grew up.

We stopped at Marv's Classic Soda Shop and had probably the best home cooked hamburger ever. It is a very cool little diner.

 The decor is very retro with lots of posters and items from the 50's. There is a big jukebox against the wall.

As well as the small selector boxes on the table in each booth. The staff is even dressed in typical soda shop attire.

 My wife andI had a great meal and and enjoyed our little excursion. We are exploring new places and trying new food and restaurants  all the time.

Spending some time in this soda shop brought back some great memories for me.

50's style soda shops make me happy.

#15 SPENDING TIME WITH MY WIFE

Today we are driving to Calgary. My wife is driving,  allowing me time to post on the blog. It is a beautiful day, the weather is nice, the sun is shining and thank goodness there is no snow. I enjoy the time that we get to spend together, we get to talk and visit without the interruption of others. We always have fun teasing and joking together and sometimes we get into fits of laughter. These times always remind me to enjoy what we have together. My wife is the love of my life and means everything to me.

Spending time with my wife makes me happy.

#14 SCUBA DIVING

I have had my scuba license for about 25 years. I have done dives in many different locations, from cold water lakes in northern Alberta, to warm water ocean dives in the Caribbean. Each place has its own unique discoveries that make them fun.

Diving is a different world

When you get in a wet suit

And put on scuba tanks

Don't forget your mask and fins 

Boat ride to a reef...thanks

The ocean is a different world

When you are underwater

Scuba diving's so much fun

With your son or daughter

Dive from boats or from the shore

Or any way you like

Swimming in the deep blue sea

Just like riding a bike

Seeing all the types of coral

Octopus, eels and fish

The colors are so amazing
Like nothing you could wish

Troy Hudkins     November 2014

Scuba diving makes me happy.

#13 THE DINOSAUR MUSEUM

We toured through the Royal Tyrrell Museum a couple of days back. It is always very interesting to see the impressive beasts and how they would have lived and survived millions of years ago. The one thing I thought was very cool this time is the one display that I looked at that was discovered by Shawn Funk, a very good friend of mine.

Imagine having this as part of your legacy. This will never die, for generations to come, children will be told "your great-great-grandfather Shawn Funk uncovered this dinosaur while he was digging at work".

To my good friend, thank you for creating this legacy and sharing this discovery with the world.

The dinosaur museum makes me happy.

#12 GOING THROUGH THE TELEPHONE MUSEUM

This morning  I went with my wife, my mother and my wife's aunt to the telephone museum. It is amazing to see the history behind the telephone. The way technology has changed over the years is mind boggling. I had the pleasure of being a switchboard operator for a few minutes (definitely a job that I wouldn't want to do). Looking through telephone books from 1959 and 1960 I did find listings for both sets of my grandparents and also my mom and dad's first listing after they were married. How cool is that.

Going through the telephone museum makes me happy.

#11 HOME COOKED MEALS

There is something about a home cooked meal that is very satisfying. The smell that wafts through the air while the meals are cooking send my desire to eat into overdrive. Smothering butter over the mashed potatoes, letting cheez whiz melt on the steamed broccoli and cauliflower, the way the meat juice trickle on your plate, all these things create such a masterpiece on the dinner plate. After eating such a wonderful meal and cleaning up, it is always nice to sit and relax on the couch and visit with family. The home cooked meal is so much better than any restaurant meal can ever be.

Home cooked meals make me happy,

#10 GOING ON A ROAD TRIP TO SEE MY PARENTS

While we all have our own families and are so wrapped up in our lives, it is nice to take a few days from the busy schedule to make the road trip to see my parents. As the years go by and my parents grow older, it makes me cherish the moments that we have together. My parents are very special to me,  they have taught me so much and have raised me with good traits and respect for those around me. Thank you Mom and Dad.

Going on a road trip to see my parents makes me happy.

#9 AIRPLANE RIDES

Riding in an airplane is fun. It amazes me when you look out the window and down to the earth and see all the farmers fields in different colors, separated in distinct shapes. Seeing the vehicles on the road and knowing it is taking them 5 hours to get to the same place it is taking you a 45 minute trip. I have flown in small 2 seater airplanes, 6 seater bush planes, 14 seater float planes, turbo prop and jet planes. My favorite airplane to ride on is the one that is taking me on a trip to a faraway land. Airplanes have made travel easier for long distances and it sure takes the stress away from driving on the busy roads, you can lay your head back and relax.

Airplanes make me happy.

#8 BIRTHDAYS

People, animals, even places have birthdays. I like to look at my birthday as a celebration of having another year of life, to enjoy my family and friends. Each year that goes by we gain knowledge even though we may not think of it that way. I heard someone say once that you grow and learn life until you are 25 and every year after that is experience. So I am 25 with 29 years experience. I look forward to many more years of experience to come. Happy birthday to everyone who is celebrating today.

Birthdays make me happy.

#7 PLAYING HOCKEY

Hockey is an excellent sport, it teaches you skills and finesse, how to have soft hands (until you get in a scrap), how to be a team player, to have drive and desire as an individual and how to be an ambassador for the game and your home city. Growing up in a small northern town, there was not a lot of things to do in the winter. We used to skate down the frozen ditches and shovel the ice on the lake and start a game of shinny hockey. This is where my love for the game started. My first pair of skates I used for hockey tryouts was my dads size 10 generic brand skates. I had to stuff paper in the toe of the skates as I was only a size 8 at the time. The first year I learned to skate well and my love for the game grew. Through the years I have made many friends and met a lot of highly respected people that have helped shape the person I have become. As my children grew, I coached hockey (for over 25 years) and there have even been players from my teams that have grown into excellent young men who have joined the NHL. I have been involved in all aspects of hockey, from making ice and running the zamboni to mascot to music man to broadcasting live video and play by play over the internet. Hockey has been a very large part of my life and even though it is relaxing to not run so much for practices, games and out of town trips, I definitely miss it.

Playing hockey makes me happy.

#6 SUNSETS

Sunsets are amazing. They have a special aura that sends out happiness.

When the sun starts going down the colors in the sky change so subtly.

But watch closely as it happens, it doesn't take too long to go down.

It is an amazing site to see.

I would encourage everyone to watch a sunset with someone special.

Sunsets make me happy.

#5 PIZZA

Pizza is a feel good food. There are so many different kinds of pizza...and all of them are good. I like homestyle pizzas from small shops that make a lot of things from scratch and put a good serving of toppings on it, not the big pizza chains who are sparse with the toppings. My favorite pizza is a Canadian with ground beef added or a Donair pizza. Pizza is a food that is a great meal no matter what day it is and you can serve it for any occasion. The best place to buy pizza is LOCAL'S PIZZA in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Pizza makes me happy.

#4 Seattle / Bremerton Ferry Ride

In 2001 I moved my family to Bremerton, Washington. It was a great adventure for us. We enjoyed the weather, meeting new people and making new friends. As we learned about the area and the activities that were nearby, we started taking the ferry from Bremerton to Seattle where we spent the day walking around Pioneer Square and and through Pike Place Market. This became our date day on a regular basis. Touring around was great, but my favorite part of the day was riding the ferry. There is just something relaxing and calming about being on the water. For anyone that hasn't taken a ferry ride, I suggest you try it. Enjoy the scenery, the sea lions, the waves, the ocean air and the purr of the boats engines as it motors through the water transporting vehicles and passengers to their destination.

The Seattle / Bremerton ferry ride makes me happy.

#3 Laughing

Laughing is one of those things that always makes you feel happy. Remember when you were young and you were arguing with you brother or sister or your mom or dad never let you do something that made you mad. Walking around with a scowl on your face and being upset at the world. Then out of the blue someone starts joking around or teasing you and trying to make you laugh. You start snickering while trying to still be mad, but to no avail. Soon enough you start laughing and the anger dissipates leaving you feeling happy. There are also the times when someone does something really funny and you start laughing uncontrollably, you know...the time when you are laughing so much that your stomach starts to ache, or when you are laughing so hard that your eyes tear up and it gets hard to breath. Even the moments when you stop laughing and calm down, then you look across the table at someone and start laughing again. Laughing is the sort of thing that eases tension in a room or gets people interacting with each other. We could all use more laughter in our lives.

Laughing makes me happy.

#2 The Smell Of Freshly Popped Popcorn

Whether you are just relaxing watching TV, working around the house, or walking by the theater in the mall, when there is freshly popped popcorn around the aroma seems to waft through the air and set off sensors in your brain that spark the craving for some popcorn. The aroma lingers and waits to catch you in the nose. It is the one smell that always finds me no matter where I am. When I make popcorn, there is always someone who comes by and says "that popcorn smell delicious, I could smell it all the way down the hall".

The smell of freshly popped popcorn makes me happy.