With the Statue of Liberty positioned perfectly behind me, I turned my attention to my husband, Mark, holding the camera. "Ready?" I called out. "One, two, three, Go!" he shouted. At his1 , I started doing star jumps, as he held the shutter button down to2 the moment.
It was 2013, and Mark and I loved to travel around the world and3 silly photos with our friends and family back home. It was the first time I'd tried this4 and when I posted it on Facebook later that day, it was5 popular. I was amazed by dozens of likes and comments.
When I got home, it was all my friends could talk about. "Your star jumps really6 me up," one said over a cup of tea. It made me happy knowing I'd helped others7 a smile at my expense. Years went by, and the pose became a (n) 8 part of my travels, from France, the Greek Islands and Italy to Bali and New Zealand.
Then in June, I saw a (n) 9 advertised online searching for Australia's happiest person. "We're10 four stays at Oaks hotels and all we want to see is your happy face," it11 . "That sounds like me," I thought, so I posted the12 . A couple of months later, I got a phone call announcing I was the13 . I was excited at the news and raced to tell Mark.
Now, here's our plan: First, we'll14 to Sydney for the Vivid Festival and climb the Harbour Bridge. After that, we might go to Kingscliff in northern New South Wales and even Darwin.
Life's all about chasing happiness. And for anyone searching for15 in their lives, my advice would be to smile.
