This is Gretchen, and I’m always thrilled to see her because her brain sponges up such satisfying facts. For example:
Were you aware that some studies have shown that when women are looking to reproduce, they’re attracted to men who smell biologically disparate? However, when they get pregnant, they’re attracted to men who smell like family, ostensibly because family will be more likely to protect the offspring. BUT! The pill mimics pregnancy. Which could mean that some types of pill cause you to fall in love with a man who is biologically similar, reproduce with him, and then find his smell unattractive when you’ve gone off the pill, sometimes leading you to break things off with him. What the what?
Gretchen is good for a few dozen of those life-altering facts over an evening, which is why I always pull her down next to me at dinner.
Gretchen also happens to be the author of the bestselling Happiness Project, and the soon-to-be-released Happier at Home (which will hit shelves September 4 and is now available for pre-order), both of which document Gretchen’s curiosity about ways to improve her life — she also has a site dedicated to the process that has some useful suggestions. The Go Mighty team and the gracious Isabel Kallman hosted a book release party for Happier at Home in New York last week, and some of our favorite women gathered to celebrate happiness.
Laura documented all the details over here. There was champagne, and donuts (Donuts 2012!), and lots of women laughing, which is the best.
There were also gift bags. Want one?
Bliss supplied a generous helping of good-smelling body and bath products, and Anthropologie gave us pretty wall calendars.
We also have five copies of Happier at Home to give away. To enter, just tell us what makes you happy in comments. In fact, will you please tell us three things? I like to read them. Fingers crossed for you.
Top and bottom images by Mighty Girl. Other images by Sheri Silver from www.sherisilver.com.
UPDATE: Comments close Monday, August 13. Until then, keep ’em coming:
Mighty Girl 
1) Eating meals at the table with my family with the TV OFF
2) Laughing with my kids
3) Chocolate, the darker the better
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Off the top of my head:
* Biking in the sun
* Tea with good friends
* The third lap in the pool
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Homemade whipped cream on top of a latte from my favorite coffee shop!
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Three things:
1. my kids
2. the perfect run – feeling tired but every cell is alive because the weather is perfect and people are all happy to be outside
3. soy lattes
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Rivers, lakes, and rain make me happy.
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Animals, nature and water make me happy.
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*Sitting on the back porch watching the birds with my new husband. (Married 7-7 at 7p.m.after 24 years of being divorced)
*My 5 year old grandson asking me why, if my husband can read directions, he can’t also cook dinner so that I can stay and play longer.
*When my 27 year old son calls me once a week to tell me about his life,ask for my advice on the important things, and always says Thank You and I Love You.
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the three things that make my happy home:
* clean sheets on my freshly-made bed
* refrigerator full with tasty CSA share
* sitting/ standing in the kitchen preparing food with friends
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Only 3? Ok…here are 3 things that make me happy RIGHT NOW…
1. Summer produce and farmer’s markets
2. Family and friends
3. Pilates
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So many, many things! Making a new postcard to share with others, taking a photo that pleases me, hugging my dogs, going on a road trip, sailing on Biscayne Bay, laughing with friends, my grandaughter’s “love you”s!
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That first of the morning nursing time- with a cup of coffee and the curtains open to watch the birds play. Clean sheets and shaved legs. Day trips with no plans or intentions.
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1. Taking a walk with my wife of 30 years.
2. Having my 13-year-old cat plop beside me. He sighs and smiles, making me feel like a rock star.
3. Hearing the goldfinch sing after getting a beakful of seeds from the giant sunflowers we’ve planted.
Great questions make me happy, too. Thanks for asking.
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Biting into a ripe homegrown tomato, nestling into one of my bear-like husband’s hugs, sunny or cloudy days at the beach
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Champagne
Floating in water
Bruce Springsteen in concert
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Warm sunshine creating Vitamin D on my skin.
The kindness of others.
Star Trek
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1. curling up on the sofa watching tv with my best friend and love of my life
2. dogs, all of them
3. music, live concerts and records specifically
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1) Hugging anyone for no reason except to do it because it feels good to give and receive one.
2) Holding hands and seeing others doing the same.
3) Saying “Hello” and talking to anyone…my son tells everybody, “My Mom will talk to anyone, even the hobos!”
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Happiness comes in threes: sounds, smells, and smiles. The sound of the mourning dove that calms me, and also the sound of my children, squealing or squabbling, which isn’t always calming. The smell of summer morning, and also of burnt toast on summer mornings. The smile that forces its way to the surface through tears, through anger, through sadness.
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Happiness can come from anticipation and the joy that comes previous to getting what you want. 1. When you see the waiter/waitress coming to your table with your food. 2. When you get home right before the rain starts. 3. When you are about to be smooched by someone whose lips you’ve been admiring.
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Sharing with my kids all the things I love, and watching them appreciate and learn to love them too: steaming fresh bread slathered in butter, trying new foods in foreign countries, eating raspberries off the bush, watching thunderheards form, the view from a mountaintop after a challenging hike, and learning the song of a new bird.
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1. good food w/
2. good friends and
3. swimming
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1. A cup of coffee and letting the dog outside in the morning silence
2. A Saturday at home with my partner
3. A long walk with a girlfriend
4. An afternoon with a good book
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I just moved in with my true partner, and I am enjoying the recurring giddy thrill I get when I think of “our” home. Related, my basil plant sprouting on the kitchen windowsill is a current source of joy.
Also, creamed honey.
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1. Playing sports with my boys.
2. Setting and reaching goals.
3. A free weekend morning where I can sit outside, read a good book and drink an amazing cup of coffee.
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1. Sitting around a bonfire in someone’s backyard.
2. Planning and preparing the food I’ll serve at a party.
3. The smell of mulch.
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A good night’s sleep, a good book, ice cream takeout and my kids’ laughing make me happy.
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The rush of endorphins towards the end of kickboxing class. Morning cuddles with my kids. Listening to a good audio book during my commute.
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1. A cool breeze on my sweaty face
2. Hearing a huge laugh from anybody…my kid, family, strangers
3. The quiet of my toddler’s naptime…aaaah
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1. my daughter’s laugh
2. food
3. new shoes
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Kitten tummies
Napping
Coffee on the porch
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1. The smell of the tent when we unfold it.
2. Getting so dirty on a good trail run that I don’t even care.
3. The powdery dirt taste on the top of my water bottle during a mountain bike ride.
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Things that are making my happy today:
1. The fact I am about to go swimming during my lunch break
2. Telling friends I have completed the first draft of a new script
3. Having sore muscles from finally trying wakeboarding (I was pretty awesome at it, actually.)
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1. my daughters laugh
2. good food
3. new shoes
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Three things that make me happy at home?
1) Opening the windows when i starts raining
2) Using the china that was given to me on my wedding day by my mother, which was her mother’s, which was her mother’s.
3)When I lay down to read and my cat comes to nap on my stomach.
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1) Reading new books (particularly sequels/series!).
2) Sitting quietly with my love, whether on a park bench, in a car while on an adventure, or on our couch on a rainy night, I am always happiest with him and a wee bit of quiet.
3) Listening to my 88 year old grandmother telling me how my grandfather proposed (and other stories that I solicit with pointed questions).
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1. The laughter of my niece and nephews
2. The smell of fresh-cut grass
3. Getting an A on an assignment as a 42 year old college student!
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Being with family makes me happy, even after a 3 day road trip. 😉 Beautiful sights, good food and awesome memories! Oh, and going home is great too– to reunite with my dog!
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1. Zumba
2. hot showers
3. hugs from my sons
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1. a shiny-clean kitchen floor
2. an unexpected pleasant surprise
3. planning an unexpected pleasant surprise
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Things that make me happy:
1. Eating fresh herbs and veggies that I grew myself.
2. Watching my dog run at full speed with that goofy grin on his face.
3. Old pictures of my family from when I was growing up.
Thanks for the super-fun giveaway and forcing me to write a little gratitude list today- I already feel better!
katygmorris at gmail dot com
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Things that make me happy:
1) The way my son’s and daughter’s faces light up when they see each other.
2) Climbing into a bed made up with fresh sheets and lots of pillows at the end of the day.
3) Making something pretty/nice/useful for someone.
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no. 1 – my daughter saying “i miss you” in her toddler voice when i come back from work
no. 2 – libraries with shelves and shelves of books
no. 3 – fireflies
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Things that make me happy:
1. Pretty book covers
2. Clean, fresh sheets
3. Honey, mint iced tea
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Dogs. Carbs. Trips.
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libraries! movie dates! thunderstorms!
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Christmas lights
new books
the moments leading up to a kiss
xxxooo
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1. Making someone else happy. See: giving the perfect gift, and/or why I have the job that I do.
2. My boyfriend’s smell. Dude, I could huff that man like spraypaint, spend all day walking around on a little hormone high.
3. Anything beautiful. See: good writing, AB Chao Design Camp, the perfect Alameda Flea Market score, a shirt that makes me feel like a million bucks, a stunningly clear day across the Bay.
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#1 – The feeling of stepping off a plane or train in a new place or old place where friends are waiting.
#2 – Coconut anything.
#3 – Odd smiles, knowing looks, and general understanding with strangers whom you may or may not speak to and may or may not see again.
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What makes me happy? 1- hearing my kids laugh, 2- being at the beach (specifically St. Augustine, FL) 3- chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. Yum!
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1. Naps
2. Hot baths (bonus: naps in hot baths!)
3. That solid feeling of a tightly constructed hair-pile, the kind you know isn’t going anywhere all night, no matter how much tilt or shake your head (aka Dancing Hair)
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