R, S and later T

R is for

Rain-- I LOVE a good rainstorm. Nothing like curling up on the couch with a good book or mag listening to the rain outside. I love the sound of the rain on the roof or windows, especially a tin roof like the one on the Ranch House at Golden Bell. I also love the smell of rain--that dusty, earthwormy smell. And I love the feel of a warm, summer rainshower. Aren't there more than a few love songs that talk about dancing in the rain? I've never tried that yet, but I do like to play soccer in the rain. We get our share of rain here in FL, and I love it.

Rachael Ray--I used to catch 30 Min. Meals every once in a while, but I've never purposely watched RR until this year. Now that I'm staying home, 2-3 p.m. Channel 5 is a pretty regular thing around here. I've picked up a few cooking tips, although Matt wouldn't appreciate all the recipes I'd LIKE to try.

River Rafting-- One of my favorite outdoorsy things to do is go rafting. I have been 3 or 4 times in Colorado, 3 times in Idaho, and twice out East here. By far the best place we rafted was the South Fork of the Payette River in ID--huge rapids and huge adrenaline rush. I took a rafting class (Outdoor Ed) in college and the time I went with my college classmates was class IV rapids, and was a serious thrill.

Roller Coasters--I LOVE a good roller coaster park. A dream vacation for me would be to spend a few weeks driving across the US hitting all the best coasters. (skipping the rest of the twirly rides.) Living here in FL there are some good rides --The Hulk and Dueling Dragons at Univeral's Islands of Adventure, Busch Gardens, etc. Kings Island (Cincinatti) was pretty good, but the best place I've been by far is Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. They have something like 17 in all, several that are record setting for the highest, the fastest, the largest wooden, etc. On that note, I reeeeeally don't like wooden coasters, but any metal one is good for me. The more loops the better.

Rascal Flatts--one of my favorite bands. Yes all their songs sound pretty much the same and yes the lead singer can be kinda nasally sometimes, but I have worn out their c.d.s .

S is for
Shopping at Sam's Club--I just realized during a recent visit how much I enjoy shopping at this place. I love to get a good deal, and the variety of items they have there is also pretty good. I've always enjoyed cooking for our teens on the mission trips we take because it means at least 2 or 3 trips to Sam's, and people are always impressed with the meals we're able to eat at an affordable price. I wish I had a deep freeze freezer so I could go shopping at Sam's once a month and stock up!

Saturday Samples from Sam's--'nough said, right?

Sports--in general, I love sports. I played 3 sports in highschool at the varsity level and would have played softball too had it fit into the year. I still love to play and watch sports of all kinds, everything from whiffle ball to croquet.

Soccer--probably my favorite sport, I miss playing so much. I played from 2nd grade all the way till a Senior in College. I feel very lucky to have been able to play at the collegiate level, because of all the opportunities it provided me to travel and meet people. My friends from the soccer team have remained my closest. I wish we had a women's league here like they do in Boise, that is one thing that I continually hope I'll find one day-- a group of women to play with.

Snow, and snowskiing--2 more things I grew up with in Colorado and miss very much. I've skiied since I was like 5 and could ski through my dad's legs. It was one of the things we used to do 5 or 6 times a year as a family. The older we got, into highschool and college, the less we were able to go. Matt and I got to go skiing with some young adults just 2 weekends ago, at Snowshoe in WV and we had a great time. (Skiing out East is totally diff. than CO skiing. The runs are soooo short) There was actually powder in some places and more than just 3 or 4 ski lifts.

and finally
Scrapbooking--I don't do it as much as I wish I could/would, because I am indefinitely behind, but I love the way it feels when you finish a page, and then an album, and it looks good.

QqQqQqQqQqQq

Q is a short and easy list:
Q if for Q-tips. I can't leave the bathroom after a shower without cleaning out those ears. Gently, I know.

Q is for quesadillas! Yummy!! One of my favorite meals ever, I'm always up for quesadillas.

Q is for quarters. I know this sounds funny, but I love quarters--the coins. The little grooved edges...I use to want to work at a bank when I was younger because I love stacking quarters. I still do it absent-mindedly when I get a handful of coins at the house. I hate to have to use my quarters to pay for things.

Q is for quiet time. I get it so rarely these days, you really learn to appreciate the quiet times when they come. In fact, I'm gonna go to bed and enjoy the quietness of the house right now!

P is for Pizza

The fun and novelty of ABC Soup has started to wear off for me. I think there were a couple of difficult letters in there. But I am determined to finish my list! Here's my attempt at the next few letters ---I'm way behind the gals!

P......P is for Panera's : Panera Bread Company. A yummy little sandwich and cafe place. We like to get the You Pick Two deal--usually cheddar and broccoli soup plus 1/2 sandwich of your choice. YUM.

P is also for Poinsettia Tree. (Poin-set-ti-a). We have a GOR-geous tree outside that I just love. It is a big tree with canopy-like branches that spread out and cover the whole side of our yard, then droop to the ground sort of similar to a wheeping willow. And in the spring/summer it blooms with these huge red blossoms. Everyone notices our tree as they drive by. I love it. I don't love when random strangers come to my door asking to have some pods from the tree so they can try to plant their own. That's always kind of wierd. But I love that they like my tree. And at least they ask first. I guess I prefer that.

P is for Post-it Notes. Man, do I keep that company in business. When I taught school, I was even worse. I had Post-it Notes EVERYWHERE and for everything. My classroom was always so far from the office and copy room that I would walk around with three or four post-its on my fingers, so I could remember what I needed/needed to do when I finally got up there. Even funnier is when I'd have a sub. I would Post-it Note Everything in my room for them. I'm soooo OCD about Post-it Notes.

P is for People Watching--one of my favorite hobbies. Best places to people watch--the mall, the airport, a sporting event, an outdoor festival or amusement park, General Assembly of the Nazarene Church, and Walmart. Worst places: the beach, the library.

P is for Pepsi over Coca Cola. Been a proud Pepsi drinker for going on 15 years now. A Diet Pepsi drinker for nearly 5.

P is for Pizza. I love me a good pizza. Favorite would be Papa John's BBQ Chicken pizza with pineapples and their garlice butter. Sickly good.

Lastly, P is for Puppies: Don't take me to a pet store. I think all puppies are sooo cute. Why do they grow up to be so big? We don't really need regular dogs--I think God should have made puppies to stay just as small and cute as they are when they are puppies.....actually, it'd be kind of nice if I could keep Noah the same little cuteness he is right now, too.

Elemeno....Alphabet Soup

Alas, I have been behind in the ABC Soup blogging for several weeks. I enjoy making entries even if nobody reads them but Carrie and Shortie/Sherrie. I tried to catch up with I, J and K, but didn't want to overwhelm the blog with more of my silly "likes"...

I'm going to throw a bunch together and only do what comes to mind in one sitting for each letter. As I started to type my title, I realized that these are the letters of the ABC song that get jumbled together anyway---as a teacher I know that many young children think "elemeno" is a long name for one letter !

L....oh wait, I DID do L last time! Because LISTS was my first thing! So I guess I'm already on to the next...

Mmmmmmm
Matthew of course makes my number one spot. He is the best thing that's ever happened to me (uh...tied with Noah, now...!). God knew what he was doing when he created both of us and brought the two of together. I already mentioned him under the Hs (hubby) but he's worth repeating. I could go on and on about how wonderful I think he is. I hope one day my brother and sister will find someone as perfect for them as he is for me.

Mom is an easy second. I admire my mom for her strength, wisdom, and patience among so many other things. She has always been such a Godly example of how a woman should be and how to raise a family. She has taught me about faith, trust and total reliance on God.

M & Ms I love my chocolate. When Matt and I got married it seemed only fitting to use M&Ms (red and white) as a favor to give at the reception. Every holiday I fill a candy dish with the seasonal-colored m&ms. Now there is a store at the Florida Mall dedicated to M&Ms...I love looking at all the colored cylinders on the walls!

Music I love music, nearly all kinds. I owe much of this to my parents and to my brother. My parents instilled an appreciation for music growing up--we were always singing in church, carolling with the accordian at Christmas, or playing our instruments for Grandma. I learned to play the piano and the flute as a youngin. I learned about some of the best musical groups of all times from my brother: The Beatles, DC Talk, Wierd Al, Bobby McFarren to name a few...I remember borrowing his tapes before there were c.d.s and making my own mix tapes. Haa, I may still have them. He taught me all about early Christian groups, like MWSmith, SCChapman, and Petra, as well as ALL the 50s and 60s music. Next I need to give thanx to my middle school carpool mom for introducing me to Celine, Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart, and Lionel Richie. No one else would take credit for them! Then, I learned to like 80s (alternative) music from the teen girls at church, country music from a few boyfriends along the way, and of course the 70s, 80s, and 90s music from the local radio mix station. I've since picked up some decent music that I'm actually proud of listening to, like jazz, piano, and worship music. There's really only a few things I steer completly clear of: Southern Gospel, Gangster Rap, and Heavy Metal. But other than that, I'll take any of ya'll on in a game of Name that Radio Song.

Now to the Ns...

Noah is the JOY of my life! If I could only name one thing, he would be it. It has been so much fun to stay at home with him these last 9 months and watch him grow and develop and go through all sorts of stages already. I am sooo grateful for this time that we have, because I know that not every one is soo lucky. He is soooo fun right now, so adventurous and happy. I spend most of my days just watching him and laughing at what he does. We couldn't be happier with his name. It suits him so well, I can't imagine having named him anything else.

Naps--I still take plenty. When you have a baby, everyone tells you to learn to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Well, 9 mo. later, I'm still doing that. Since he doesn't sleep completely through the night, I'm often still tired when he gets up in the morning. And so when his morning nap rolls around, I thankfully roll over and crash for a few more zzzzzzzs too.

(The) Notebook and Nottinghill--two good "girl" movies that I can watch over and over.

Oo oo oo oo...
Speaking of movies:
(The) Other Sister--Haven't seen it??? Oh, you have to. It's hilarious. How many times do I have to tell you? Don't put gum under the cafeteria table! But Daniel, you didn't fail... by much.

Organizing--I think I've mentioned this in a blog before. I actually like to put things in order. I organize my groceries when they're on the conveyer belt at Walmart. I'd choose organizing over cleaning any day of the week. Not everything in my life is totally organizing, but I feel at peace when it is.

Olive Garden--one of Matt and my all time favorite restaurants. We currently have a gift card that's been burning a whole in the wallet for like 5 months, because the closest OG is an hour away and with the baby, we haven't made it up yet. But I'm planning what I'll order now...Yum...

Old Navy--one of my favorite stores. Also an hour away, but we go out of our way anytime we can. Their online line of career clothes nearly give me a reason to go back to work.

The Olympics --I love watching the US compete. But I also just love the excellence of the event and the competitiveness in general. Only problem is: I CRY at the end of nearly EVERY medal ceremony. I can't help it, it gets me EVERY TIME. When NBC covers the individual athletes' stories, it's all over. I'm a mess.

Oreos--Nuff said.

Oprah--My list would not be complete without mentioning her, although I'm not completly proud of liking her. I don't agree with her views or tolerance in every area, but I DO enjoy her personality and respect her for becoming who she is. I love how she interviews celebrities, challenges people to own their mistakes and of course, live their best life. I also love it when she laughs!

So, I think that's enough me-time on the blog for quite a while!

Alphabet Soup is almost caught up.

LLL l l l l LLLl l l....things I like, love or laugh at that start with L...

1) Lists: I am a list maker. I make to do lists, to buy lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists, honey do lists, new year's resolutions/goals lists, Bible verses I know lists, music I like lists, hopes and dreams lists, you name it. For some reason, my brain thinks in lists and finds comfort in list making. Now that you know this, it's not surprising that this alphabet soup thing is right up my alley.

2.) Lion--my little Noah was a lion for Halloween, and he was soooo cute.

3) Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe...I loved this book when i was younger and I loved reading it again a year or so ago to my class. And I loved the movie version.

4.) Lewis, C.S. Lewis...what an amazing author. See my train of thought?

5.) Licorice--red, strawberry Twizzlers. I will put away a whole bag if I'm not careful. They are addictive, and you always want just one more...

6.) Laughing--nothing quite like a good belly laugh with friends.

Alphabet Soup Catch up, Take Two...

K

K is for Ketchup. I use a lot.

K is for Kearney, Matt Kearney. I love his sound.

K is for Kit-Kat, one of my favorite candy bars.

K is for kisses. I am a kisser. My husband is a good one, too. Noah gives open mouth kisses still. They are so cute. I also love Hershey's kisses, because I love a good chunk of chocolate.

K is for kettle. Tea kettle. I love to boil up my water on the stove. It feels so much cozier than using the microwave. Tea and hot chocolate taste better that way.

Alphabet Soup ....JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ

Apparently, Alphabet Soup has returned, and where have I been?

I guess I have THREE letters to catch up on. I think I'll do just one letter a day so as to not overwhelm anyone.

J....J....J....
This letter is hard for me. Here are a few things with J that I love...
1.) July--the month we were married. The beginning of our wonderful life together.

2.) Jewelry --from my husband. I don't wear or buy a lot of jewelry, but Matt has always done a really good job at picking out jewelry that I'll like. I have 5 or 6 neclaces that he's given me that are my favorites, and then of course there's the gorgeous diamond ring he picked out all by himself.

3.) Jean jacket--I know jean jackets may be a bit from the 80s, but I never had one back in the 80s, or 90s for that matter...and I always sort of wanted one. I found one last year that I liked and decided it was time to treat myself to my first jean jacket. I love wearing it, but I hate that you can only wear it when you're NOT wearing jeans. Because I wear jeans alot. I tried to explain to my mom that you shouldn't wear jeans on the top and bottom at the same time, but I don't think she gets it.

4.) Jackson--our precious "little" puppy. If you look back to last year before Noah, my blog was full of pictures of our new puppy Jax. We got Jackson when he was just a wee little lad, and I LOVED him sooooo much. He was sooo much fun to play with and he and I were great PALS. Peyton has always been more of Matt's dog, so Jackson was more of mine...Well, as you can probably guess, we no longer have Jax. We were able to keep him for a full year before we decided that 1)He grew to be soooo big! and 2)With the new baby coming, he had not grown up enough to settle down. It was a very hard decision, but we finally agreed that for our safety, we would have to give him away back in April. I hope he's doing okay out there and that some family is taking very good care of him. He was MY first dog, and thinking of him makes me very sad that he's not with us any longer.

That's all I got for Js!

The Return of Alphabet Soup.....I Style

I think it's about time I continued with the alphabet soup series, even if the lady who started it all does not. (I don't have much better to write about, like she and her blogging ladies do...thoughtful takes on life and living). So.....I think it's time...for I...

So here for the list of things I enjoy, like, smile at, etc. that begin with I....

1. IHOP--my hubby and I love to go to breakfast here on Saturday mornings and get the french toast and fruit specials, that also come with hashbrowns, eggs, and your choice of a meat. Yummmm...

2. Italian food--love it, yumm. Anything pasta. I hope to one day visit Italy. It's top of my list in Europe.

3. Italian Ice from Rita's Italian Ice.....a local favorite

4. Icecream--I have mentioned this in previous posts, but it is worth mentioning again.

5. Iced lattes from Dunkin Donuts

I know---Pretty pathetic that my entire list so far (and usually) has to do with food and drinks. But that's all that comes to mind so far....hmmmm... what else....

6. Idaho--state where I went to college for 4 years and have many, many memories of. Several of my close friends still live there, and I wish I could visit more often.

7. iPod! Funny story...if you haven't read my "confessions" post from a few weeks back, I was given an iPod Nano for my birthday a year and a half ago....and have only had some 9 songs on it---and what winners they are!...until tonight. Yea, hurray, my husband just discovered that some 200 songs I downloaded from my musically saturated brother back at Thanksgiving ARE actually saved on my iPod, just as MP3 files instead of audio files...so I didn't COMPLETELY waste the 5 hours it took me to pick them out! We are currently trying to convert them so they are listen-able, and I am soooo excited! That is definitely the best thing in my life right now that starts with I.
The End.

Today is brought to you by the letter H

Alphabet Soup...the things in my life that bring me fun, happiness, joy, smiles, and laughter that begin with H....

1. Husband--I have a great one. He was definitely made to compliment my strengths/weaknesses and I, his. We are each others' best friends, and we love to spend time together. I don't know what I would ever do without my hubby. Here's a photo of us on our recent 5 year anniversary. What a hottie!

2. Health--mine and that of my family/ies--we have been very lucky to (so far) not be struck with any major illnesses or accidents, for which I am very greatful.

3. Heavenly Hash icecream...some have never heard of it...chocolate icecream with marshmallows and chocolate covered almonds. Pretty heavenly, I must say.

4. Hairspray--the movie/musical ... based on the Broadway show ... based on...? I've only seen the movies, but let me just say that the newly made version that is still out in theaters is FABULOUS. Carrie and I saw it this last weekend and it was very good, as well as HILARIOUS at parts. The girl that plays Tracy is amazing. John Travolta as Tracy's mom, not so good.

5. Helping behind-the-scenes...I really enjoy doing things to help others, but would much rather help in a behind the scenes, unseen job than to have the upfront, speaking in front of others position or part. I love to help Matt with youth group and help serve drinks and food at church dinners, etc. In fact, I always secretly wanted to wait tables for a job, because I think I would do a really good job at it and actually ENJOY it. Those of you who have been a server I'm sure you think I'm crazy...

6. Hot cocoa (or hot chocolate) and Hot Apple Cider....yummmm...can't wait for winter...

7. Homemade cookies...double yummmmmm. I love the way they taste but also the way they make your whole house smell good.

8. Hawaii--love it, can't wait to visit one day (hopefully soon) with Matt. I got the wonderful opportunity to go as a senior in college with my soccer team, and we had so much fun! It is probably the most gorgeous place I have ever been.

9. "Hey Ya!" by Outkast. Of course, the sensored, radio version. Something about this song is just SO catchy. It gets in your head...and now it's in YOUR head... :-) Shake it like a polaroid picture!

That's enough for tonight!

Back to the ABCs again...

This week's list was easy for me. Here are the things that light up my life.

G is for ...

1. Golden Bell Camp...the camp I worked during college for 3 summers and the place where I met my husband 9 years ago. I LOVED working at GB, obviously, since I kept going back! I've always wished I could get paid a salary like I make teaching to work there--I'd go back in a heartbeat. And of course, Matt and I both have fond memories of our first summer of forbidden love (just kidding). Fond memories, yes. But it was more like secretive love than forbidden.

2. Girlfriends--I only have a few close gal pals, but they are huge influences in my life and I can't imagine what I would do without them. I have several girlfriends from college who I hardly ever get to see anymore, but I think of them very dearly and still hold them close to my heart. Ahhh, I know.

3. Golfing with my husband. I don't get to do it very often, especially as of late, and I can't say I even enjoy the golfing part all that much. I've only learned how to play in the last 2 or 3 years. But there's just something wonderful about doing something that your HUSBAND loves WITH HIM. It means a lot to me when he asks me to play with him, and I cherish the time we get to spend together.

4. Grover from Sesame Street. Random, I know. But talk about something bringing a smile to my face, I love it when he does his little "Near.......Far.......Near.......Far....." sketch. What a cutie.

5. Grape--probably my favorite flavor of popcicle, Skittle, Jolly Rancher, Mr. Freeze, slushie, snow cone, etc. I also love GRAPES, although the flavor and the fruit are really not all that close in taste. Hmmmph.

And last but not least...

6. Grey's Anatomy. Ok, so I gotta be honest. I really like the show. A little embarrassed to admit it, but it's true. I didn't miss an episode last year and I even rewatched several episodes on Friday. I didn't like or approve of everything that happened, but I still gotta get my grey's in each week. The Nazi's my favorite. She cracks me up.

Alphabet Soup...the Missing...

This last week we took a hiatus from the weekly alphabet soup. The lady that started it also does a "Woman to Woman" writing day that coincided with her weekly word play, so she took a week's break and will be back at it the middle of this week with the letter G. As I've let my mind wonder ahead to the next letter, I've also enjoyed remembering the "LESS than favorites" of the past month that DIDN'T make the list. Sometimes the things I DON'T like are much easier to think of than the good ones. So for fun, I thought I'd let you inside my brain..

Here you have the Alphabet Soup from A-F for the things that make me want to groan, whine, stomp my feet, pull my hair out, maybe even scream...

A is for...
Airport increases--since we live so far from all our family and friends, this especially affects us. At holiday times, we spend nearly as much on airfare as we do on gifts for others. Now that we have a baby, we are going to feel the pain in the pocketbook even more. You better believe that we're going to have him sitting in our lap all the way up to his 2nd birthday!

B is for....
Bugbites..specifically my baby's bugbites...the other night he got so BIT UP as we walked home from church (we live close). In a matter of about 4 minutes, he ended up with a two digit number of bites on his little tubby legs. I guess the squitos especially like that baby blood. I have felt TERRIBLE all week. There's not much you can do to help with baby's bug bites..

C is for....

Customer Service. Isn't it just the worst sometimes!?! Mostly the CSMs from our local Walmart are at the bottom of my list for this, but today a lady from Target actually got a manager to take over my transaction because she got mad at ME for...basically...understanding in full, the Target return policy...I had dragged Matt with me because I have already exceded my "2 returns without a receipt" this year (all the baby items Noah has outgrown). So as Matt stood there, with his driver's license already extended, she literally growled at us...I amazingly enough, did not get annoyed with her, until the manager had to begin the process from the very beginning due to her fleeing the scene. Ugggh.

and I can't overlook--
Cell phone (overage) charges...I'm not even going to go into how much extra money we have spent this last 5 months, between our traveling, calling family about the baby, Matt's extra phone calls due to being DP of Central Florida, etc..and now that Matt has discovered the world of text messaging, without asking me to sign us up for a plan...it's been a nightmare. And the thing is, I know we're not alone, are we?!?! Everyone has had that month of 180$ once or twice!
Right?

D is for....

Dumb people--like the ones who, when hearing I was born in New Mexico, tell me 'yeah, you look Mexican', or "when did that become a state?" and those who felt the need to analyze my weight gain during my pregnancy and comment on it--'girl, you look like you're gonna pop...you're only 6 months pregnant? You look like you should have the baby any day now'-----and now that I'm on the other side, there's the people who tell me my baby "sure is a good eater" and "are you sure he's only 3...or 4...or 5...months?" and then there are the MEN from my church who ask me--"so I hear you're breastfeeding...how's it going?" It's like Alan Jackson says, "Here's your sign." D is for all ya'll.

E is for...

Eggnog. Eggs overeasy...Eggs sunny side up. Any kind of egg that is still runny or undercooked. Yuck. Yes, I know, cookie dough and cake batter have uncooked egg...but they're not ooey gooey egg yolky, that's what grosses me out.

and finally...

F is for Ferber. The guy who says we should methodically train our children to cry themselves to sleep so that one day they will be able to soothe themselves back to sleep with out mommy or daddy's assistance. Of course the hope of getting even a 4-hour block of sleep back is too entising to dismiss. I'm sure that at some point in the future I may be singing his praises, but after my weekend alone with my baby, I would just like to say that if I could, I would probably strangle the guy.

F is also for Fisher Price--the RECALL on Noah's once beloved infant Rainforest Take-Along swing states that the child may "shift his weight to one side and become caught between the swing and the bar, causing an entrapment hazard." Oh really? That is exactly what happened to us, but a good month or two BEFORE the item was recalled. And it was at least another month before I heard about the recall. THANKFULLY, when it happened to us, I had just stepped into the other room and was able to help him before he got hurt. These picture show what we once thought was cute...Noah wiggling around...and of course, he wasn't buckled in when these pix were taken--(we were sitting there with him.) but he WAS buckled in when he got trapped between the bars and had his head banging against the side. They're just lucky I'm not filing a lawsuit. My refund check FINALLY came in the mail a few days ago, after 6 weeks of waiting...for some reason I'm not just rushing out there to by more Fisher Price toys just yet.

So that's my list of Dislikes from A-F....Hope you enjoyed reading my venting as much as I enjoyed doing it. Don't worry, now I'm gearing up for the positive stuff again with G...

Alfabet Souf

Today's list of pleasantries is brought to you by the Letter F. These are the first things that come to my mind when I think of things I like and am thankful for that start with F... I'm thinking this might be a hard letter...

1. Florida. It is such a beautiful place to live, year round. As much as I complain about missing seasons and Colorado every chance I get, I must admit that I live in an amazing, scenic state. It has beautifully warm weather 12 months of the year, with gorgeous beaches and palm trees everywhere. That being said, I can't forget...

2. Fall. The season with the beautiful leaves changing. I love it when it first becomes that cool breezey, sweater kind of weather. The sound of crisp, crunchy leaves under your boots. Yes, boots. Ahhh...

3. "Firsts"--I have been really enjoying experiencing Noah's "firsts"...like the first time he slept through the night, the first time he sat up by himself, first time swimming, his first tooth...and I look Forward to hearing him say "Mama" and "I love you" for the first time, his first steps, his first Halloween costume, first Christmas, the list goes on and on...Firsts are great, aren't they!

4. Fudgecicles. Ahhh, my husband and I love these as our after dinner treat. Only 40 calories. Yum. Unless of course you have more than one, which WE NeveR do...

5. Fridays. They don't mean quite as much to me now that I'm at home with Noah, but oh do I remember the feeling of finally making it through the school week successfully to another weekend! There's just something FUN about Fridays.

Welp, that's all for me...I think next week is a break, so see ya in 2 weeks for the letter G!

Al pha bet soup time..

Today's Blog is brought to you by the letter E....
1. Elliptical machine! By far my favorite machine to use at the gym, and now at the house! My wondeful husband decided that it would be a wise and worthwhile gift to ask for for his birthday, so that we could both actually work-out from time to time. When we added our anniversary money to the bill, we have it nearly "paid" for. Since then, I have been amazingly consistent with it... especially when I can watch one of my guilty pleasures such as...
2. Extra, Entertainment Tonight and the E! channel on cable. They go together because they're the same lovely trash and I don't want to admit to them under two different numbers.
3. Easy Mac --I know, I know, you wish you'd thought of it first. Isn't it grand?
4. Eating. Yes, I think that it deserves it's own line. I love eating. speaking of eating, how about...
5. Elephant Ears--the fried doughey stuff from the carnivals, yum.

Welp, that was Exhausting! You try thinking of Eeeeeeees!

ABC Soup Take Two

Alphabet Soup....
I'm two letters behind Sherrie D. and the rest of 'em, and if you know me, you know I can't do something only half way, so....another double dose of abc soup. But after this I'm caught up.
Then it's once a week...

My favorite things that start with the letter C...
1. Cameras--surprise, surprise, to anyone who knows me. I take a ton of pictures and hate to go anywhere without my camera. Mostly I take photos of people, but I do love to capture nature, too...just haven't done it as much in a while. I love the new world of digital, by the way.
2. Colorado. Love it, miss it so much. The mountains, the mountain streams, the waterfalls, the cool air, snow falling, hiking, river rafting, leaf crunching, Fall, aspen trees, wild flowers in the spring, thunder storms (we do have that here, actually) etc. etc.
3. Caedmon's Call--one of my all time favorite music groups. Love their voices, their acoustic stuff. Very coffee house-ish.
4. Candles--I love to have the house filled with candles. Never a bad gift.
5. Chinese food--not even the real authentic stuff, the take-out kind. For some reason I've really taken to this in the last year or two.
6. Christmas--I love the whole holiday time and that it's celebrated for all of December. The music, the lights, the cookies, the food, the family time, the caroling, the parties, the decorations, the only thing I don't like is shopping at this time of the year, believe it or not!


And now for the letter D....these are the things that light up my life...
1. Dove milk chocolate-- I love to keep a bag at my house and have just one piece of chocolate every day as a treat (...can't you just smell it while it melts on your tongue?) Problem is, the bag never seems to last as long as it should, since I'm "only eating one a day." Hmmm...I wonder where they all go?

2. Dairy Queen ice cream--best there is. Don't even need all the blizzard toppings, just a good ol' vanilla cone is good enough for me!
(Thanx to Shorty for both of those!)

3. Disney movies--the cartoon ones and all the Hailey Mills and the old fashion ones, too. My brother and sister and I used to rent 2 or 3 every weekend for 99 cents from the grocery store...that brings back memories...

4. Dave Matthews band--he's got the most unique sound and voice...

5. Dishwashers--I hate doing dishes by hand in the sink. For one, the water at my house never seems to get hot enough to sanitize anything, and I just can't get over the fact that after the first plate or two, the water gets "dirty" and you're now washing dirty dishes with "dirty" water. Same reason why I don't ever really feel clean after a bath. I know that's where the concept of rinsing comes in, but that's why I'd rather wait till the load in the washer is done than finish what's left over in the sink. (Thanks for the reminder of something I love, Sherrie's aunt in the garden.)

Alphabet Soup

My friend Sherrie is doing this Alphabet Soup thing on her blog (I think her aunt started it). I've enjoyed learning more about her thru it, so I decided to join in on the fun. I missed A and B, so here's my catch up list, first.

My favorite things....that start with A...

1. Aspen trees in the fall....aaahhhh...the gorgeous, golden yellow leaves...I can see them now...
2. Andes chocolate candies, you know, the kind you buy for 10 cents as you leave a buffet restaurant (and Olive Garden gives for free :-)
3. Australian accents. I like other accents too, like my husband's southern one, but Australian ones are my favorite. Don't ask me to do an imitiation.
4. America--cheesy, I know, but I LOVE traveling. I have actually been privileged to have traveled to like 47 of the 50 states. I hope to someday soon make it to Alaska, Vermont, and Rhode Island.
5. August 14th/"Airport Day"--a special day for my husband and I--we celebrate our "airport day" more than Valentine's or the day we got engaged.
6. (The) Amazing Race--if there ever was a show I wish I could be on, and think I would be good at, it's definitely the Amazing Race. Any partners?
7. Acoustic guitar--I can't play, but I always wish I had learned. Maybe I still will. I LOVE the way it sounds.


And now--
My favorite things....that start with B....
1. Baby boys...especially my little Noah. I've always loved babies, but never knew I would love having a boy as much as we do. They're the best!
2. Speaking of baby boys, here is another thing that starts with B that speaks for itself...who doesn't love this:

3. Brickman--Jim Brickman, that is. I LOVE piano music. Probably from growing up listening to my mom play.
4. Blogging--my own, and reading others.
5. Beach--there's just something about the sound of the ocean waves that soothes the soul. We live here, and don't go often enough, but every time I do I think, man, I need to come here every day.
6. BBQing-- Nothing better than getting together for a relaxed summer evening of grillin' out, watermelon eating, and croquet/horseshoes/lawn bowling. Ya know?

That's all for now. What are your favorite things?