Happy Sunday! How’s your weekend been? At risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ve been loving the weather. I know it can be easy to get caught up in lamenting the end of summer, but there are lots of reasons to look ahead with excitement. September, which begins on Tuesday, is a new month that brings a new season, and a fresh start can be refreshing.

I wasn’t really sure how to feel about August 2015 going into it, but as we get ready to move ahead, I know I’ll look back on it and say it was game-changer but in a lot of good ways.

Since Sunday is gratitude list day on this here blog, here are a few things from the past week that made me happy:

*Went to an awesome Women Who Brunch networking event on Wednesday. They’re one of my favorite lady-friendly groups in the city.    I always have a great time and meet the coolest gals at their events.

*Somehow (and this is probably in large part my fault), we often end up swapping dating horror stories. Ah, dating in New York. It’s a topic I have quite the love-hate relationship with. That said, I could talk about eating (and drinking) on dates for hours. Special thanks to the awesome team at YouBeauty for letting me write about it in my column this week.  Want to know what to order on your next date? Wonder no more. 

*Speaking of the “hate” part of my relationship with dating, I bought myself flowers again the other day and placed them in my “happy corner,” where I also keep this silly picture of (wild thin mercury) Bob Dylan and baby Eli: 

*I say the “hate” thing somewhat jokingly. Mostly I just wanted an excuse to buy some $4.99 flowers with my groceries. I actually feel very at peace with the state of things in department.

*I’m taking a trip soon, and stocked up on a bunch of travel-friendly snacks. Seeing all the little single-serving containers make me excited about packing my suitcase.

What’s your you joy recently?