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Joy

10 things that made us smile this week

Upworthy's weekly roundup of delights

wedding, babies, proposals
@angelabrushephotography/TikTok, @flynailsonly/TikTok, @lilythern/TikTok

From sweet groomsmen to new baby eagerness to surprise proposals, this week's list is full of joy.

Looking for an antidote to the negative news cycle? Look no further, cause we've got you covered.

In this week's roundup, you'll find a delightful surprise proposal, a NICU nurse with a huge heart, a 3-year-old who starts his day in the best possible way, an emotional groom being supported by his besties, a cat aggressively adopting her human in a parking lot and more.

I know I'm a bit biased, but I think this week's list of things that made us smile is especially smile-worthy. So kick back, relax and let these waves of joy wash over you.

1. A teacher thought she was running to break up a fight. What greeted her was the exact opposite.

@lilythern

#fyp #touchingmoment #middleschoolersbelike #loveit

Talk about a surprise proposal. Let's also talk about how she ran straight toward the fray, and in heels no less. Read the story here.

2. Family showing up on Day 31 after No-Baby-Visitors-for-30-Days rule expired is sheer joy

"I already sanitized! I already sanitized!" The eagerness to get first hands on that baby—too precious.

3. NICU nurse with a huge heart adopts a 14-year-old mom who gave birth to triplets

Katrina Mullen, already a mom of five, welcomed four more into her family.

Upworthy/Today

Katrina Mullen had been a teen mom herself, and when her former patient was going to be put into foster care along with her three babies, she didn't hesitate to welcome her into her family. Read the incredible full story here.

4. 3-year-old wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and immediately asks Alexa to play 'I'm Still Standing' so he can dance to it

@narisekiraaaax

5:30am wake up call from my darling son - this bedroom camera captures some of the funniest things 🤣 • #kidsoftiktok #momsoftiktok #mumsoftiktok #mumlife #toddlersoftiktok #newtrend #camera #caughtoncamera #capturedoncamera #imstillstanding #taronedgerton #eltonjohn #dancing #kidstiktok #dancetok #funny #familiesoftiktok #family #hotel #confidence #boymom #mumofboys #uk

Now that's how you greet the day. Go, Vinnie, go!

5. A gift for Gen Xers: Check out this trip down old-school dance memory lane

6. This best man and groomsman supporting an emotional groom has people celebrating genuine friendship

@angelabrushephotography

When Pete saw Maddie 🥹 #fyp #groomreaction #emotionalmoments #weddingtiktok #firstlookwithgroom #weddingphotographer

The groom and best man have been best friends since preschool—and they're both named Peter! Read the full story and see the bride make her entrance here.

7. Teenager performs a surprise haka for his mom at her college graduation

@shay_anar

Very proud of you mum 4 very long and hard years finally paid off!! 💯

Such a powerful expression of love and respect for his mama. Read the full story here.

8. They surprised their 93-year-old grandma after not seeing her for three years and she's beyond thrilled

9. Cat aggressively adopts a new owner in a parking lot and finds a home with 'not cat people'

@dretontheborder

#catrescue #catrescueroftiktok I am not a #catperson but maybe now I will be after today. I #Love my #son has a #huge #compassionate #heart #momsoftiktok #rescate #gato

Some people adopt cats and some people are adopted by cats through the Cat Distribution System. If you've never heard of the CDS, see how it works here.

10. May we all receive the level of emotional support this guy gets from his good doggo

Post-work cuddles and tail wags for the win.

Hope that gave you the boost of serotonin you needed today! If you enjoyed this post and would like to receive more like this in your inbox, join our free newsletter, the Upworthiest, here.

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Lynalice Bandy shares what her home looks like after working six 10-hour days and getting no help from her husband.

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Lynalice Bandy, who goes by @5kids5catssomedogstoo on TikTok, posted a video that showed her home looking like a disaster after she worked six 10-hour days straight while her husband did nothing to help.

Her time-lapse video shows every room in the house completely trashed, with toys, food and laundry scattered everywhere. "Shampoo on the carpets in the girls' room, nail polish all over Nugget covers, hair, and carpet. Scissors were used to cut hair, the down comforter, the mattress cover, and two Nugget covers," wrote the mom.

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Tori is married to Zach Roloff, 32, who’s been a star of “Little People, Big World” for 24 seasons. Zach and Tori have three children: Josiah and Lilah, 3, and Jackson, 5. All three of them have achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism.

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Gay choir teacher breaks down when his class gives a surprise performance at his wedding

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Two men exchanging rings in a wedding ceremony.

Christopher Landis, a choir director at Hingham Middle School in Massachusetts, didn’t tell his students he was engaged to Joe Michienzie three years ago. According to Inside Edition, whenever they asked who Michienzie was, Christopher would say, "That's Joe. He's my friend."

Landis kept his relationship a secret in front of his students because he wasn’t sure how their parents would react. Sadly, even today, LGBTQ people still have to be discreet about their personal lives in some professions.

This is sad for the teachers who have to stay closeted and also for the LGBTQ students who miss out on having a positive role model.

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Sun City Poms is a cheer squad for women over 55 and they're not slowing down

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You're never too old to cheer with the Sun City Poms.

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If you ask the ladies of Sun City Poms, a cheerleading squad in Arizona for women over 55 years old, age really is just a number. That's right, these ladies, some of whom are well past retirement age, have a cheer squad and man, are they active. Not only do the ladies perform, but they also march, and their practices would be a lot for people half their age.

According to People, the seniors practice three times a week for three hours at a time. That's pretty intense, but it doesn't stop these women from sticking it out, even the ones who are in their 80s.

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Legendary organist Garth Hudson, 85, makes his first performance ‘in years’ at a low-key show

The backbone of The Band may be frail, but he still stunned the crowd with his soulful playing.

via Heinrich Klaffs/WikimediaCommons

Garth Hudson performing with The Band. Hamburg, May 1971.

Garth Hudson, 85, made a name for himself being a quiet presence in a raucous band ... The Band, that is. Hudson played organ, accordion, and the occasional saxophone in an outfit initially known as The Hawks, which became known as The Band after backing Bob Dylan in the mid-'60s when he controversially went electric.

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Hudson changed rock history by being one of the first few to play a Hammond organ on stage. He was known as the “mad scientist” in the band who joined only if he could give music lessons to fellow members Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson.

Hudson also composed music that appeared in Martin Scorsese's masterpieces “Raging Bull” and “The King of Comedy.”

Today, Hudson lives in an assisted living facility, and recently fans started an online campaign to show appreciation by sending him cards. But even though Hudson is in the last chapter of his life, he recently revealed that he’s far from finished. On Sunday, April 16, he surprised the rock world by performing at a house show hosted by musician Sarah Perrotta in Kingston, New York.

He performed Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” on piano during the show. The footage shows that although Hudson is frail, the music in him is still as strong as ever.

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Hardware store employee builds parallel bars so a boy with cerebral palsy can learn to walk

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A sunny day at Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse.

A story first shared by Fox 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the epitome of customer service that goes above and beyond.

Jessica Getty and her husband, Mark, went to a Lowe’s hardware store in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, earlier this month to buy materials to help their 5-year-old son, Will, make a significant leap in his development. They were looking to buy PVC pipes to build parallel bars so he could learn to walk.

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