Favorite Things

Living a little farther from campus leaves me with a little extra time to let my mind wander in idle thoughts as I walk to and from class everyday. Some mornings my mind is still waking up and wondering why in the world I would ever be out of bed on such a cold early morning. Sometimes I think of the dinner that's awaiting my return home. Sometimes I fingerspell every sign I pass practicing for my sign language class; however, on my walk home today my mind took me to a different kind of place. I started to compose a list of my "favorite things," all those little things that make me happy, all those things that I downright love. I thought of Julie Andrews, who states her list so well in The Sound of Music. Although mine really has no comparison to Miss Julie's, it's my list of little things in life that, quite honestly, makes me genuinely happy and even slightly excited, so here it goes.

1. Geese Honking. Combined with the smell of Moses Lake (gross, I know, but I love it) it's the epitome of my home town to me, and often one of the things I miss the most when I'm away.

2. The sound of the click of my camera taking. I know. Nerdy, but very true.

3. Mountains. I never knew how I much I loved them until I lived next to them. I love walking home from class and gazing at the beauty of the contrast of the lightly snow dusted mountains against the deep blue night sky.

4. Les Miserables. Everything from the book, to the Broadway play, to just the music. In the words of my dad, it "makes my body happy." I now understand what he meant. :)

5. Swings. The day has come and gone when I can swing all day long to my hearts delight without getting motion sick (pathetic, right?), but it still makes the favorite things list. It remained a classic favorite on the playground, even through the fads of tetherball, four square, cat and mouse, "boys chase girls," and other less important activities that would come and go. I still find myself gravitating toward the swings at a park, despite the queasy feeling in my stomach after a few minutes of the soothing back and forth motion.

6. The smell of clean laundry. Yes, I will deliberately walk down the laundry detergent isle in the store just to take in that wonderful scent.

7. New Shoes. I know, it's materialistic and superficial. I hate shopping, but when it comes to shoes, I seem to find a smile stretch across my face.

8. Boy Meets World tv series. Loved it at 10, remains a true love at 21.

9. Broomball/Broom Hockey. It's a new found love. Soccer, with a stick, on the ice, wearing tennis shoes. Best sport ever. The idea of being able to bulldoze boys who have been taught all their lives not to flatten girls to the ground, thus being scared to touch me strangely fills me with pleasure.

10. Toasted bagel+cream cheese+ham+egg+cheese=One of the best comfort foods. I'm no math guru, but I sense happiness in this equation.

The list goes on and on; cupcakes, birthdays, friendly smiles, good grades, a full tank of gas, grocery shopping, sweatshirts, hot chocolate, cereal. I could keep going all night. So what's on your list of favorite things? What are those little things in life that make you happy and brighten your day, that help shape you into who you are?

Oh, and because this is supposed to be a photography blog, here's a picture or two for good measure.