A List of My Favorites

A List Of My Favorites
(In no particular order...)

A mug full of black coffee made from carefully roasted beans from The Mill, Meadowlark, or The Coffee House to rouse my senses early in the morning

Well-crafted words--song lyrics, quotes from a novel, an advertisement or poetry--that jump out and beg for me to write them down

The passion I see in my husband when he conducts his choirs

The musty smell and yellowed pages of used books--they are like long lost friends, each one bringing me comfort and wonder

Wholesome and hearty foods: black bean casserole, asparagus and prosciutto pizza, macaroni and cheese, whole wheat peanut butter cookies--each recipe tweaked with my own flair

Conversations with friends that last hours long even though it may have been weeks or even months since we last talked

A classroom full of energetic students--their bustle and insight makes me smile

The snooze button on my alarm that is kind enough to allow me ten extra minutes of sleep each morning

Open windows and a house full of fresh air that always seems to slow my breathing and turn the most unpleasant of tasks into something manageable

A sleek MacBook Pro and the compactness of an iPod Touch--two devices that would be hard to live without

Sunday morning church service that always seems to put life into perspective

A hard run in the cool spring air that causes my lungs to burn

The first thunderstorm of the spring season--the lightening the brightens the dark sky, the deafening thunder the reminds me of how small I really am, and the rain that cools the earth

Nebraska--Chimney Rock, Lincoln's Hay Market, Wild Cat Hills, Loup City's chalk mines, The Dismal River, desolate, winding highways in the Sandhills, Lake McConaughy, and all the other gems in this great state left for me to uncover

Finding a good deal--it's a high that stays with me for weeks

Natural beauty that can be found in landscapes, weather patterns and genuine people--the kind of beauty that makes you stop thinking about whatever is racing through your brain and simply captivates you

Late night writing--the glow of my laptop screen and the insight that doesn't always come to me during the day

My dog, Sampson, who will always come sit next to me when I'm crying and stay by my side until the tears are gone

Family dinners and laughing over the same ten stories we tell every time we're all together

Skirts and the feeling of femininity they bring to me

Reading books in the sunshine--the multi-sensory experience of warm rays on my shoulders and thoughtful phrases giving me new insights

Spending time with my nieces and nephew who always seem to teach me to appreciate the little things in life

My home--the permanent coffee smell it has, the red, brown, turquoise, gray, tan, and green walls, the original hardwood floors still in great condition from when the house was built in the 1950s, the retro green kitchen counter tops, and the feeling of comfort it brings whenever I come inside and the longing I feel for it when I'm away