My Favorite Things

1. Miniatures. My growing collection has become a bit more sophisticated over time. When I was little, I would keep nails, screws, bolts, nuts, broken pieces of things, odd coins, and generally trash. I pared down, but there is still something about an object that fits in the palm of your hand.
2. Lilacs. Ah the smell of spring; light and airy, but also heady and rich. And the colors! Soft and muted but oh so pretty. I love their texture and bounciness. (Maybe this is tied into my love of anything purple. Hmm...)
3. Singing in a choir. I love to sing; haven't really done it in awhile. I should start again. I tend to get annoyed with choir practice but love making those harmonies in a crowd of people. I love the feeling of being part of such great sounds; the resonnating, the way the sound moves through you.
4. Reading. I think Christi summed it up so well I'm going to quote a bit of her here:
"Reading is a way to transport myself from the real world to another one, be it a good one, a scary one, a silly one... its somewhere else and entertaining." Escapism at its best, reading inspires the imagination to create your own escape.
5. Volleyball. Bump, set, spike! Well, when we're good enough to actually get three hits that is. It's probably the one kind of exercise I actually enjoy. I like stretching myself, mentally and physically, to get the ball, to get it where I want it to go, and do it well enough to get it past the other team.
6. God. So I'm not really sure he's one of my favorite things right now. Simply because there is a lack of communication on my part. So his inclusion in this list is partly because he SHOULD be one of my favorite things, and because he used to be one of my favorite persona's to spend time with. It's a constant inner struggle for me to decide if I go to church each week. (ehhem, stepping onto my soap box now) Ladies and Gentlemen of the internet, for those of you out there struggling with church attendance, keep going. It was my only constant link to God, Jesus, my relationship to anything remotely religious, and I let it slip. I got fed up with hideous sermons, hypocritical members, and a lack of hospitality and inclusion. So I lost the special thing that the Body of Christ can be. Don't let it happen to you. Find a service, any regular service, any time of day, any day of the week and go. Just go. If you don't like it find another one. Thank you. (putting away the soap box now)
7. Family. Let me quote Christi again:
"I got lucky enough to have FRIENDS not just RELATIVES. I even lucked out with the best in-laws in the world."
I love the new and wonderful parts of my family; mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and all my hubby's fam. I am also blessed to have a loving immediate family albeit slightly broken. Sometimes I wish to be 5 again and be in a tent giggling way after dark with my cousins, knowing if a bear tries to get in our tent my aunts and uncles and parents are in the trailers and campers on either side of us. Guess I'll have to take another role and recreate the memories.
8. Ocean beaches. The overpowering hush of waves is so peaceful to me. I can always feel God at the beach; can hear His voice. Doesn't matter if the beach is sand, rock, or driftwood, they are all beautiful and mesmerizing.
9. Just being with my one and only. Nothing compares to communing with my honey. I tend not to notice as much as time goes by but it's good to be reminded and watch him, see him, who he is. Then I remember what I love about him, why I fell in love with him. And why I'm hanging around, spending my whole life with the crazy, punny man.
10. Organization. Now those who have seen my house may not agree. I'm not the best housekeeper. And I never will be. I don't mind piles. But I LOVE to take piles apart; align stacks of anything, sort them into new piles; clear a space. The process is very satisfying.

Well that may not be every single thing I love, but it's the biggees. Who's next?